Which term denotes sounds that consist of the blend of two separate vowel sounds, such as oi, oy, au, aw, ou, ow?

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Multiple Choice

Which term denotes sounds that consist of the blend of two separate vowel sounds, such as oi, oy, au, aw, ou, ow?

Two-vowel sounds that glide from one vowel to another within a single syllable are called vowel diphthongs. The examples oi, oy, au, aw, ou, and ow illustrate this glide: you start with one vowel sound and smoothly move to another as you pronounce the syllable. That moving blend is what makes them diphthongs, not just two vowels written together. A vowel digraph, by contrast, is two letters that together represent a single sound, but the sound doesn’t have to involve a vowel-to-vowel glide. Alliteration and age equivalent scores are unrelated to this phonetic concept.

Two-vowel sounds that glide from one vowel to another within a single syllable are called vowel diphthongs. The examples oi, oy, au, aw, ou, and ow illustrate this glide: you start with one vowel sound and smoothly move to another as you pronounce the syllable. That moving blend is what makes them diphthongs, not just two vowels written together. A vowel digraph, by contrast, is two letters that together represent a single sound, but the sound doesn’t have to involve a vowel-to-vowel glide. Alliteration and age equivalent scores are unrelated to this phonetic concept.

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