Falling, narrow, back closing diphthong + /ə/.
In this phonemic combination in which the diphthong /əʊ/ is followed by /ə/, as in e.g. slower, the diphthongal glide is abruptly interrupted, and then the tongue moves with an audible glide to a relatively open variety of /ə/. The lips change from neutral to round and then back to neutral at the end of the glide. As this sound combination is usually regarded as spreading over two syllables, it would be wrong to regard it as a triphthong. The movement of the tongue is not extensive.There is a tendency in rapid General and Refined RP to omit the second element /ʊ/, reducing the glide to the long monophthong /ɛː/.
| <ower> | mower /ˈməʊə/, slower /ˈsləʊə/ |
| blower /ˈbləʊə/ |
| lower /ˈləʊə/ |
| mower /ˈməʊə/ |
| rower /ˈrəʊə/ |
| goer /ˈɡəʊə/ |
|
This rower is slower than the other.
/ðɪs ˈrəʊə z ˈsləʊə ðən ði ˈʌðə/ |
|
Meeting-goers and homeowners were offered blowers, lawn-mowers and shower-head nozzles at lower prices.
/ˈmiːtɪŋ ˈɡəʊərz ənd ˈhəʊməʊnəz wər ˈɒfəd ˈbləʊəz lɔːn ˈməʊəz ənd ˈʃaʊə hed ˈnɒzl̩z ət ˈlaʊə ˈpraɪsɪ/ |
The tongue moves upwards from below a central half-close position in the direction of a back half-close position and then it moves downwards towards an open variety of /ə/. The lips change from neutral to round and then back to neutral at the end of the glide. The soft palate is raised (unless followed by a nasal).