Practice question · True or false
The centring diphthongs of RP are stable and show no signs of change.
Hints
- Consider the vowel of cure among younger speakers.
- It is widely merging with the vowel of thought.
Show the answer
False
Why
False. The cure diphthong is receding for many younger RP speakers, merging with the vowel of thought, and the square diphthong is monophthongising for many as well. The centring set is the least stable part of the inventory, which fits its origin as a by-product of r-loss.
Practise English Vowels II: Diphthongs and Reduction
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More questions on English Vowels II: Diphthongs and Reduction
- Schwa occurs only in unstressed syllables in English.
- How many diphthongs does the standard analysis of RP recognise?
- Why does a speaker who uses only full forms become harder to follow, not easier? Select every true statement…
- Sort each item by whether it is a CLOSING diphthong, a CENTRING diphthong, or a MONOPHTHONG.
- Vowel reduction is frequently mischaracterised as phonetic sloppiness, yet phonologically it is a systematic…
- Complete the account of reduction.
- Arrange the stages by which a full vowel becomes schwa in a derived word.