1. to change a simple vowel sound into a diphthong
Usage: linguistics

Examples

• The vowel sound in ‘bite’ has been diphthongized over centuries of language change.
• Some dialects diphthongize certain vowels that remain pure in standard pronunciation.
• The process tends to diphthongize long vowels in stressed syllables.
• Historical linguists study how languages diphthongize vowels over time.
• Certain phonetic environments cause speakers to diphthongize monophthongs.