Spring 2026      Volume 54, Number 2

A Warm wELLcome for Language Learners: English Diphthongs for English Learners: 
The Same but Different
By Kristin Lems

Document: Column  

Introductory Paragraph:  Before digging into their content and use, let’s admit it: the word diphthong is a bother both to pronounce and spell. The only other word I can think of with a “phth” spelling is diphtheria (an unpleasant word I remember because my father almost died from it during World War II). Surprisingly, the etymology of the word, from Greek, does not split the ph from the th as we would hope; rather, it has two morphemes: “di” meaning “two,” and “phthongos” for “voice or sound” (or in Greek letters ???????).

DOI:     https://doi.org/10.33600/IRCJ.54.2.2026.51

Page Numbers:   51-53