Speech work: Diphthongs /ɪə,eə,əʊ, aʊ/ - SS2 English Lesson Note

Sure, here is a comprehensive note on diphthongs /ɪə,eə,əʊ, aʊ/:

Diphthongs are vowels that start with one sound and glide to another sound. They are a common sound in English, and they can be found in many words.

The four diphthongs that we are going to discuss are:

/ɪə/ (as in near, hear, weary)
/eə/ (as in square, fair, pair)
/əʊ/ (as in boat, show, know)
/aʊ/ (as in mouth, now, fowl)

Pronunciation

The pronunciation of these diphthongs can be tricky, but there are a few things to keep in mind.

The first sound in the diphthong is always pronounced clearly.
The second sound in the diphthong is glided to, which means that it is pronounced quickly and smoothly.
The tongue position for the second sound in the diphthong is closer to the tongue position for the first sound than it is to the tongue position for the next vowel.

For example, to pronounce the diphthong /ɪə/, you would start by pronouncing the /ɪ/ sound clearly. Then, you would glide to the /ə/ sound, which is pronounced quickly and smoothly. The tongue position for the /ə/ sound is closer to the tongue position for the /ɪ/ sound than it is to the tongue position for the next vowel, which is /ɜː/.

Examples /ɪə,eə,əʊ, aʊ/:

/ɪə/: near, hear, weary, yearn, pier, heir, weird
/eə/: square, fair, pair, rare, air, pear, there
/əʊ/: boat, show, know, mow, toe, go, low
/aʊ/: mouth, now, fowl, loud, town, round,