monophthong

English

Etymology

From Ancient Greek μονόφθογγος (monóphthongos), from μόνος (mónos, “single”) + φθόγγος (phthóngos, “sound”).

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /ˈmɒnəfˌθɒŋ(ɡ)/; (proscribed) /ˈmɒnəpˌθɒŋ(ɡ)/
• (US) IPA^(key): /ˈmɑnəfˌθɔŋ/; (proscribed) /ˈmɑnəpˌθɔŋ/
• (Canada, US, cot–caught merger) IPA^(key): /ˈmɑnəfˌθɑŋ/; (proscribed) /ˈmɑnəpˌθɑŋ/

Noun

monophthong (plural monophthongs)

1. A vowel (in the sense of a sound rather than a letter of the alphabet) that has the same sound throughout its pronunciation, such as the short vowels in "pap", "pep", "pip", "pop" and "pup", as opposed to a diphthong (eg, /aɪ/, the vowel in "pipe") or a triphthong (eg, /aɪə/, the sound in the non-rhotic pronunciation of "pyre").

Coordinate terms

• diphthong
• triphthong
• tetraphthong
• pentaphthong

Derived terms

• monophthongal
• monophthongization

Translations

vowel that has same sound throughout its pronunciation

• Afrikaans: monoftong
• Armenian: մենաբարբառ (hy) (menabarbaṙ)
• Belarusian: манафто́нг m (manaftónh)
• Breton: monoftongenn
• Bulgarian: монофто́нг m (monoftóng)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 單元音／单元音 (zh) (dānyuányīn)

• Danish: monoftong c, enkeltlyd
• Dutch: monoftong (nl) m or f
• Faroese: einljóð n
• Finnish: yksinäisvokaali, monoftongi (fi)
• French: monophtongue (fr) f
• German: Monophthong (de) m
• Greek:

  Ancient: μονόφθογγος m (monóphthongos)

• Icelandic: einhljóð (is) n
• Irish: aonfhoghar m
• Italian: monottongo (it) m
• Japanese: 単母音 (たんぼいん, tanboin)
• Korean: 단모음(單母音) (ko) (danmo'eum)
• Latin: monophthongus
• Limburgish: monoftong
• Low German:

  Dutch Low Saxon: monoftong, eankelklaank

• Macedonian: монофтонг m (monoftong)
• Norwegian: monoftong m

  Nynorsk: monoftong

• Persian: واکهٔ ساده‎ (fa) (vâke-ye sâde)
• Polish: monoftong (pl) m
• Portuguese: monotongo m
• Romanian: monoftong (ro) m
• Russian: монофто́нг (ru) m (monoftóng)
• Swedish: monoftong (sv)
• Ukrainian: монофто́нг m (monoftónh)
• Welsh: unsain (cy) f