Monophthongates

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. To cause a diphthong vowel sound to be pronounced as a single, pure vowel sound; to reduce a complex vowel glide into one simpler tone; to simplify vocalic articulation by eliminating vowel glides
2. To transform a compound vowel sound into a single steady vowel; to alter speech sounds by merging diphthongs into uniform monophthongs; to modify pronunciation for phonetic simplification
3. To convert vowel combinations that normally shift sounds into a uniform, unchanging vowel; to perform phonological adjustment by collapsing gliding vowels; to render diphthongal sounds into pure vowel forms

Etymology: In ancient Greek, "phthongos" meant a voice, sound, or tone. Grammarians used it for the sounds of speech, and "diphthongos" ("two sounds") described a vowel that glides across two qualities, as in English "boy" or "house." Its opposite, "monophthongos" ("single sound"), gave English "monophthong" for a vowel that holds one steady quality. Both are technical coinages from Greek roots, not terms the ancient Greeks used for modern phonetics. "Monophthongate" adds the verb-forming suffix "-ate," from Latin "-atus," to the noun "monophthong," so it means to turn a glide into a single vowel. "Monophthongates" is the third-person singular present form, used with "he," "she," or "it."

Synonyms: simplifies vowel, monophthongizes

Antonyms: diphthongates