Definition and Examples of Diphthongs in English

The word diphthong comes from the Greek and means two voices or two sounds. In phonetics, a diphthong is a vowel in which there is a noticeable sound change within the same syllable. (A single or simple vowel is known as a monophthong.) The process of moving from one vowel sound to another is called gliding, which is why another name for a diphthong is a gliding vowel but they are also known as  compound vowels, complex vowels, or  moving vowels. The sound change that turns a single vowel into a diphthong is called diphthongization. Diphthongs are sometimes referred to as long vowels but this is misleading. While vowel sounds do change in a diphthong, they do not necessarily take more time to say than a monophthong. Diphthongs in American English How many diphthongs are there in the English language? It depends on which expert you ask. Some sources cite eight, others as many as 10. Even syllables containing a single vowel can contain a diphthong. The rule of thumb is: If the sound moves, it’s a diphthong; if its static, it’s a monophthong. Each of the following diphthongs is represented by its phonetic symbol. /aÉ ª/ This diphthong creates sounds similar to eye and most often occurs with letter combinations that include /i/, /igh/, and /y. Examples: crime, like, lime /eÉ ª/ This diphthong creates sounds similar to â€Å"great† and is most often used with letter combinations that include /ey/, /ay/, /ai/ and /a/. Examples: break, rain, weight /əʊ/ This diphthong creates sounds similar to â€Å"boat† and most often occurs with letter combinations that include /ow/, /oa/ and /o/. Examples: slow, moan, though /aÊŠ/ This diphthong creates sounds similar to â€Å"ow!† and most often occurs with letter combinations that include /ou/ and /ow/. Examples: brown, hound, now /eÉ™/  This diphthong creates sounds similar to â€Å"air† and most often occurs with letter combinations that include /ai/, /a/, and /ea/. Examples: lair, stair, bear /É ªÃ‰â„¢/ This diphthong creates sounds similar to â€Å"ear† and most often occurs with letter combinations that include /ee/, /ie/ and /ea/. Examples: beer, near, pier /É”É ª/ This creates sounds similar to â€Å"boy† and most often occurs with letter combinations that include /oy/ and /oi/. Examples: oil, toy, coil /ÊŠÉ™/This diphthong creates sounds similar to â€Å"sure† and most occurs with letter combinations that include /oo/, /ou/, /u/, and /ue/. Examples: lure, pure, fur Diphthongs in Dialects One of the most interesting ways in which diphthongs relate to spoken language is in how they’ve evolved into regional accents and dialects from their languages of origin. In the borough Brooklyn, for example, when someone says, â€Å"Let the dog out,† the word dog contains a distinctive â€Å"aw† sound so that â€Å"the dog† becomes a â€Å"dawg.†

As You Like It Act Two Scene 1 Free Essays

Q. Comment on Act 2, Scene 1. Ans: this passage is an extract from Shakespeare play â€Å"as you like it† and this scene takes place in the Forest of Arden. We will write a custom essay sample on As You Like It Act Two Scene 1 or any similar topic only for you Order Now The scene begins with the entrance of the exiled duke and lord Amiens who are dressed foresters. The change in clothing immediately signals to the audience a change in environment and is also a direct contrast to the previous act in which everyone is dressed as courtiers. The duke begins to talk about pastoral life which is a major theme in the play. He describes the advantages of forest life to be far greater then court life and the audience gets the feeling that life is far more easy going and relaxed in the country as opposed to the busy, eventful life they led in the court. The duke says ‘hath not old custom made this life more sweet. ’ But despite the romanticized nature of the duke’s description of forest life, it also has realistic references such as the ‘winter wind’ and the ‘poisonous toad’. This passage also gives an insight into the duke’s character. The duke is able to look at the benefits of forest life after having lived in court and having been so unjustly exiled from it. This shows great patience, wisdom, and resilience on his part. His sensitivity towards those around him is highlighted when he says it distresses him that they hunt venison it its own land. The first lord then goes on to introduce Jacques despite his absence on stage. He recalls Jacques’s exaggerated and dramatic response to the dying deer and how he begins to moralize the abandonment of the deer by its herd. This over-dramatic nature of pastoral life is used as comic relief to balance out the drama that took place in court life, and to an extent its innocence which is shown by the fact that the great tragedies taking place in the forest is dying venison. This in turn highlights the more evil and tragic nature of court life where you have scheming and murderous brothers. On a larger scale, this scene also presents a contrast between the two brother duke Frederick, and duke senior. In act 1 duke Frederick is shown as a self-involved, paranoid, and power-obsessed character who lacks the generosity, forgiveness, and wisdom that his elder brother, duke senior possess. This scene in general provides an insight into duke senior’s character and presents a contrast between pastoral and court life while providing the audience with a break from the courts vices. How to cite As You Like It Act Two Scene 1, Essay examples

Of Mice And Men Essays (459 words) - English-language Films

Of Mice And Men Essay "Of Mice and Men" was written bye John Steinbeck and is a fictional book. "Of Mice and Men" is a book about two life long friends named George and Lennie. They go to a farm to do some farm work after having to run away from their old town Weed. In their new farm, they meet many people including Curley, a little boxer guy who hates big guys like Lennie, and Curley's wife, who is a tart. Lennie and George have many grand adventures on the farm, but one day while George is out playing horseshoes, Lennie accidentally kills Curley's wife. Lennie runs away but when the guys come back to find Curley's wife dead, George is forced to kill his friend. The four people responsible for Lennie's death are George, Curley's wife, Lennie, and Curley. The person most responsible for Lennie's death is George. The reasons why I think this is mainly because George shot Lennie in the end of the book. Also George left Lennie alone in the barn giving Curley's wife a chance to come and talk to him, and that is when Lennie killed her. George should have given Lennie more instructions on what he was supposed to do while George was out with his friends. The second most responsible for Lennie's death is Curley's wife. The reasons why I think this is because she provoked Lennie into talking to her and into petting her hair. She was lonely and wanted someone to talk to, but she also was very flirtatious with Lennie. When she yelled she scared Lennie which made him hold on to her neck harder. Curley's wife shouldn't have been flirting and seeking other men while she had a husband. The third most responsible person for Lennie's death is Lennie himself. The reason I think this is because Lennie killed Curley's wife, which made George have to kill Lennie. He also has no control over his strength since he was retarded, which is another reason why he died. And more importantly he disobeyed George by talking to Curley's wife, which George told him absolutely not to do. The last responsible person for Lennie's death was Curley. Curley was very mean to Lennie and was picking on him for only the reason that Lennie was bigger than Curley. Curley was also very possessive over his wife, which lead her to look for other men. He treated his wife like a possession, which she also didn't like and made her talk Lennie. In conclusion, the four people responsible for Lennie's death are George, Lennie, Curley's wife, and Curley. As I said before in each of their paragraphs, every person had a little bit to do with his death. Like how George shot Lennie, Curley's wife lead Lennie on, a man too dumb to know what to do, Lennie gave in to the temptations, and Curley lead his wife to lead on Lennie.

Mass Murder at Babi Yar Ravine

Mass Murder at Babi Yar Ravine Before there were gas chambers, the Nazis used guns to kill Jews and others in large numbers during the Holocaust. Babi Yar, a ravine located just outside of  Kiev, was the site where  the Nazis  murdered approximately 100,000 people. The killing began with a large group on September 29-30, 1941, but continued for months. The German Takeover After the Nazis attacked the Soviet Union on June 22, 1941, they pushed east. By September 19, they had reached Kiev. It was a confusing time for the inhabitants of Kiev. Though a large portion of the population had family either in the Red Army or had evacuated into the interior of the Soviet Union, many inhabitants welcomed the German Armys takeover of Kiev. Many believed the Germans would free them from Stalins oppressive regime. Within days they would see the true face of the invaders. Explosions Looting began immediately. Then the Germans moved into Kievs downtown on Kreshchatik Street. On September 24 - five days after the Germans entered Kiev - a bomb exploded around four oclock in the afternoon at the German headquarters. For days, bombs exploded in buildings in the Kreshchatik that had been occupied by Germans. Many Germans and civilians were killed and injured. After the war, it was determined that a group of NKVD members was left behind by the Soviets to offer some resistance against the conquering Germans. But during the war, the Germans decided it was the work of Jews, and retaliated for the bombings against the Jewish population of Kiev. The Notice By the time the bombings finally stopped on September 28, the Germans already had a plan for retaliation. On this day, the Germans posted a notice all over town that read: All [Jews] living in the city of Kiev and its vicinity are to report by 8 oclock on the morning of Monday, September 29th, 1941, at the corner of Melnikovsky and Dokhturov Streets (near the cemetery). They are to take with them documents, money, valuables, as well as warm clothes, underwear, etc. Any [Jew] not carrying out this instruction and who is found elsewhere will be shot. Any civilian entering flats evacuated by [Jews] and stealing property will be shot. Most people in town, including the Jews, thought this notice meant deportation. They were wrong. Reporting for Deportation On the morning of September 29, tens of thousands of Jews arrived at the appointed location. Some arrived extra early in order to ensure themselves a seat on the train. Most waited hours in this crowd - only slowly moving toward what they thought was a train. The Front of the Line Soon after people passed through the gate into the Jewish cemetery, they reached the front of the mass of people. Here, they were to leave their baggage. Some in the crowd wondered how they would be reunited with their possessions; some believed it would be sent in a luggage van. The Germans were counting out only a few people at a time and then letting them move farther on. Machine-gun fire could be heard nearby. For those that realized what was happening and wanted to leave, it was too late. There was a barricade staffed by Germans who were checking identification papers of those wanting out. If the person was Jewish, they were forced to remain. In Small Groups Taken from the front of the line in groups of ten, they were led to a corridor, about four or five feet wide, formed by rows of soldiers on each side.  The soldiers were holding sticks and would hit the Jews as they went by. There was no question of being able to dodge or get away. Brutal blows, immediately drawing blood, descended on their heads, backs and shoulders from left and right. The soldiers kept shouting: Schnell, schnell! laughing happily, as if they were watching a circus act; they even found ways of delivering harder blows in the more vulnerable places, the ribs, the stomach and the groin. Screaming and crying, the Jews exited the corridor of soldiers onto an area overgrown with grass.  Here they were ordered to undress. Those who hesitated had their clothes ripped off them by force, and were kicked and struck with knuckledusters or clubs by the Germans, who seemed to be drunk with fury in a sort of sadistic rage. 7 Babi Yar Babi Yar is the name of a ravine in the northwestern section of Kiev. A. Anatoli described the ravine as enormous, you might even say majestic: deep and wide, like a mountain gorge. If you stood on one side of it and shouted you would scarcely be heard on the other.8 It was here that the Nazis shot the Jews. In small groups of ten, the Jews were taken along the edge of the ravine. One of the very few survivors remembers she looked down and her head swam, she seemed to be so high up. Beneath her was a sea of bodies covered in blood. Once the Jews were lined up, the Nazis used a machine-gun to shoot them. When shot, they fell into the ravine. Then the next were brought along the edge and shot. According to the Einsatzgruppe Operational Situation Report No. 101, 33,771 Jews were killed at  Babi Yar  on September 29 and 30.10  But this was not the end of the killing at Babi Yar. More Victims The Nazis next rounded up Gypsies and killed them at Babi Yar. Patients of the Pavlov Psychiatric Hospital were gassed and then dumped into the ravine. Soviet prisoners of war were brought to the ravine and shot. Thousands of other civilians were killed at Babi Yar for trivial reasons, such as a mass shooting in retaliation for just one or two people breaking a Nazi order. The killing continued for months at Babi Yar. It is estimated that 100,000 people were murdered there. Babi Yar: Destroying the Evidence By mid-1943, the Germans were on the retreat; the Red Army was advancing west. Soon, the Red Army would liberate Kiev and its surroundings. The Nazis, in an effort to hide their guilt, tried to destroy evidence of their killings - the mass graves at Babi Yar. This was to be a gruesome job, so they had prisoners do it. The Prisoners Not knowing why they had been chosen, 100 prisoners from the Syretsk concentration camp (near Babi Yar) walked toward Babi Yar thinking they were to be shot. They were surprised when Nazis attached shackles onto them. Then surprised again when the Nazis gave them dinner. At night, the prisoners were housed in a cave-like hole cut into the side of the ravine. Blocking the entrance/exit was an enormous gate, locked with a large padlock. A wooden tower faced the entrance, with a machine-gun aimed at the entrance to keep watch over the prisoners. 327 prisoners, 100 of whom were Jews, were chosen for this horrific work. The Ghastly Work On August 18, 1943, the work began. The prisoners were divided into brigades, each with its own part of the cremation process. Digging:  Some prisoners had to dig into the mass graves. Since there were numerous mass graves at Babi Yar, most had been covered with dirt. These prisoners removed the top layer of dirt in order to expose the corpses.Hooking:  Having fallen into the pit after having been shot and having been underground for up to two years, many of the bodies had twisted together and were difficult to remove from the mass. The Nazis had constructed a special tool to disentangle and pull/drag the corpses. This tool was metal with one end shaped into a handle and the other shaped into a hook.The prisoners who had to pull the corpses out of the grave would place the hook under the corpses chin and pull - the body would follow the head. Sometimes the bodies were so firmly stuck together that two or three of them came out with one hook. It was often necessary to hack them apart with axes, and the lower layers had to be dynamited several times. The Nazis drank vodka to drown out the smell and the scenes; the prisoners werent even allowed to wash their hands.Removing Valuables:  After the bodies were pulled out of the mass grave, a few prisoners with pliers would search the victims mouths for gold. Other prisoners would remove clothing, boots, etc. from the bodies. (Though the Jews had been forced to undress before they were killed, later groups were often shot fully clothed.)Cremating the Bodies:  After the bodies had been checked for valuables, they were to be cremated. The pyres were carefully constructed for efficiency. Granite tombstones were brought from the nearby Jewish cemetery and laid flat on the ground. Wood was then stacked on top of it. Then the first layer of bodies was carefully laid on top of the wood so that their heads were on the outside. The second layer of bodies was then carefully placed on the first, but with the heads on the other side. Then, the prisoners placed more wood. And again, another lay er of bodies was placed on top - adding layer after layer. Approximately 2,000 bodies would be burned at the same time. To start the fire, gasoline was doused over the pile of bodies. The [stokers] got the fire going underneath and also carried burning torches along the rows of projecting heads. The hair, soaked in oil [gasoline], immediately burst into bright flame - that was why they had arranged the heads that way. Crushing the Bones:  The ashes from the pyre were scooped up and brought to another group of prisoners. Large pieces of bone that had not burned in the fire needed to be crushed to fully destroy the evidence of Nazi atrocities. Jewish tombstones were taken from the nearby cemetery to crush the bones. Prisoners then passed the ashes through a sieve, looking for large bone pieces that needed to be further crushed as well as searching for gold and other valuables. Planning an Escape The prisoners worked for six weeks at their gruesome task. Though they were exhausted, starving, and filthy, these prisoners still held on to life. There had been a couple of earlier escape attempts by individuals, after which, a dozen or more other prisoners were killed in retaliation. Thus, it was decided amongst the prisoners that the prisoners would have to escape as a group. But how were they to do this? They were hindered by shackles, locked in with a large padlock, and aimed at with a machine gun. Plus, there was at least one informer among them. Fyodor Yershov finally came up with a plan that would hopefully  would allow at least a few of the prisoners to reach safety. While working, the prisoners often found small items that the victims had brought with them to Babi Yar - not knowing they were to be murdered. Among these items were scissors, tools, and keys. The escape plan was to gather items that would help remove the shackles, find a key that would unlock the padlock, and find items that could be used to help them attack the guards. Then they would break their shackles, unlock the gate, and run past the guards, hoping to avoid being hit by machine-gun fire. This escape plan, especially in hindsight, seemed nearly impossible. Yet, the prisoners broke into groups of ten to search for the needed items. The group that was to search for the key to the padlock had to sneak and try hundreds of different keys in order to find the one that worked. One day, one of the few Jewish prisoners, Yasha Kaper, found a key that worked. The plan was almost ruined by an accident. One day, while working, an SS  man hit a prisoner. When the prisoner landed on the ground, there was a rattling sound. The SS man soon discovered that the prisoner was carrying scissors. The SS man wanted to know what the prisoner was planning on using the scissors for. The prisoner replied, I wanted to cut my hair. The SS man began to beat him while repeating the question. The prisoner could have easily revealed the escape plan, but did not. After the prisoner had lost  consciousness  he was thrown  onto  the fire. Having the key and other needed materials, the prisoners realized they needed to set a date for the escape. On September 29 one of the SS officers warned the prisoners that they were going to be killed the following day. The date for the escape was set for that night. The Escape Around two oclock that night, the prisoners tried to unlock the padlock. Though it took two turns of the key to  unlock  the lock, after the first turn, the lock made a noise which alerted the guards. The prisoners managed to make it back to their bunks before they were seen.   After the change in guard, the prisoners tried turning the lock  a second  turn. This time the lock did not make a noise and opened. The known informer was killed in his sleep. The rest of the prisoners were woken up and all worked on removing their shackles. The guards noticed the noise from the removal of the shackles and came to investigate. One prisoner thought quickly and told the guards that the prisoners were fighting over the potatoes that the guards had left in the bunker earlier. The guards thought this was funny and left. Twenty minutes later, the prisoners rushed out of the bunker en masse in an effort to escape. Some of the prisoners came upon guards and attacked them; others kept on running. The machine gun operator didnt want to shoot because, in the dark, he was afraid he would hit some of his own men. Out of all the prisoners, only 15 succeeded in escaping.

The Mohs Hardness of Coins

The Mohs Hardness of Coins The Mohs scale of mineral hardness consists of ten different minerals, but some other common objects can also be used: these include the fingernail (hardness 2.5), a steel knife or window glass (5.5), a steel file (6.5), and a penny. The penny has always been assigned a hardness of around 3. But we have conducted tests and found this is not true. The penny has changed in composition over the years since 1909 when the first Lincoln cent was issued. Its composition was specified as 95 percent copper and 5 percent tin plus zinc, an alloy classified as bronze. Except for the wartime year of 1943, pennies were bronze from 1909 until 1962. Pennies for the following 20 years were copper and zinc, technically brass rather than bronze. And in 1982 the proportions were reversed so that pennies today are 97.5 percent zinc surrounded by a thin, thin copper shell. Our test penny was from 1927, the original bronze formula. When we tested it with a new penny, neither scratched the other, so its clear that the hardness of pennies has not changed. Our penny would not scratch calcite unless we really bore down on it, but calcite (the standard for hardness 3) scratched the penny. In the interest of science, we tested a quarter, a dime and a nickel against the penny and against calcite. The quarter and dime were slightly softer than the penny and the nickel was slightly harder, but all were scratched by calcite. We did not experiment with silver coins, however, on a wild hunch, we tested an Indian head penny from 1908 and found that it scratched all the other objects and was not scratched in turn. So with that exception, all American coins do not scratch clear calcite without a lot of effort, whereas calcite scratches them fairly easily. This gives them a hardness less than 3, that is, 2.5, while an Indian head penny has a hardness greater than 3, that is, 3.5. The Indian head penny had the same nominal composition as the Lincoln penny, with zinc and tin combined making up 5 percent, but we suspect that the older penny had a little more tin. Maybe one penny isnt a fair test. Is there any reason to carry a penny around when the fingernail also is hardness 2.5? I think there are two: One, you may have soft nails; and two, you may prefer to scratch a penny rather than your nails. But the practical geologist should carry a nickel instead because in an emergency it can feed a parking meter.

Following Unethical Military Orders Research Paper

Following Unethical Military Orders - Research Paper Example In most cases the military discipline and effectiveness is based on the fact that they have to obey the orders that are given to them. The emphasis on military ethics can be seen with the recruits who are taught how to obey without question especially if the orders are from their superiors. There are serious consequences for members who do not adhere to the orders stated. In the military it is considered a crime not to obey the orders stated (Dream, 2011). Consider for instance the ethics of killing criminals which in most cases has been criticized by the public. This is because, they table their argument that it can never being right to use deadly forces to enhance law and order against people intentionally. It cannot be ignored that killing is always wrong since it is the responsibility of God to give and take life and not human beings. It is a sign of violating human dignity since statistics show that even the innocent people end up being victims. Military officers do not have a right to retaliate over their enemies. However, members of the military argue that killing in some cases is justified, especially as a form of defense. Power, security and economy are the great determinants of the international relations that exist among different countries. This is an implication that countries that have not fully stabilized their military institutions are likely to feel unsafe and this makes them want to establish the best economic relations with those that have a military stability (Mobley, 2009). The policy of cooperation is best underpinned by the realism theory that fosters national interest and security over ideological differences. The military ethical orders are an evolving inquiry. This means that experts are always looking and studying the past for purpose of understanding the future. In most countries, ethical policies in the military are considered to be those that are about the

To advise on a suitable investment portfolio and investment management Essay

To advise on a suitable investment portfolio and investment management strategy - Essay Example uilding, specifically of a denomination with an Episcopal hierarchy (such as the Roman Catholic Church or the Anglican churches), which serves as the central church of a bishopric. As cathedrals are often particularly impressive edifices, the term is sometimes also used loosely as a designation for any large important church. (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cathedral) For decades, the Wyechester Cathedral has been playing an important role in our society. Like every organization, it also needs funds to operate in an effective and efficient manner. Primarily, churches are the responsibly of our government to bear their expenses. But, generally, they receive donations from individuals and organizations to run their business. For the betterment of people and our society, the Wyechester Cathedral has been involved in several activities; it ties to focus on all the important aspects of our society such as environment, people, services, art and heritage. The Wyechester Cathedral raised an appeal for funding and received a significant amount of  £7 million in a short period. As soon as it received the funds, the cathedral has invested in a few very important projects that need to be started as soon as possible. The amount of the investment was  £3 million. Now, the cathedral only has  £4.5 million that need to be invested in a proper manner so that it can run their operations and bear the expenses, including the bishop’s palace expense, throughout the year. The church has also bought a building at an ideal location for its priceless collection of ancient books and manuscripts. The cost of the deal was  £1.8 million – a pretty low cost as compared to the current market value. In order to run its operation, the cathedral should have a solid investment portfolio to survive on its own. â€Å"A portfolio is merely a combination of resources. Portfolio theory illustrates how an investor can attain his best possible portfolio position. Portfolio theory is depends upon the statement