English Sounds - OW [aʊ] Diphthong - How to make the OW as in NOW Diphthong

In this American English pronunciation

video, we’re going to learn how to

pronounce the OW as in NOW diphthong.

Diphthongs are a combination of two

sounds, so they have a starting position

and an ending position.

To start this sound, drop the jaw. The

first sound is similar to the AA as in BAT

vowel. The tongue is wide and flat, the

back stretches up a little bit. The tongue

tip touches the back of the bottom front

teeth. The upper lip might lift a little, or

it will be relaxed.

To transition into the second position,

the lips round and the jaw drops less.

The back of the tongue stretches up

more. This second position is considered

the same as the UH as in PUSH

vowel. But when it’s a part of a

diphthong, the lips round more than

when it occurs as a pure vowel.

Let’s see this sound up close and in slow motion.

Jaw drops. Here, the upper lip pulls a

little bit. The tongue lifts in the back.

Now the lips come in and round as the

jaw comes up.

The word ‘wound’. The lips start in a

tight circle for the W, but then open out

for the first position of the diphthong

before rounding again for the second

position of the diphthong.

In a stressed syllable, the OW diphthong

curves up then down. Wound, OW. In

an unstressed syllable, it’s lower and

flatter in pitch, as well as quieter and

quicker, ow, ow. The diphthong is

unstressed in the word ‘shutdown’, ow.

Let’s take a look at this word.

Jaw drops, but notice the top lip is

relaxed, it doesn’t pull up. Tongue is

lifted in the back. In the ending position,

the lips aren’t quite as rounded as they

were in the stressed version of this

diphthong.

Here you see the jaw drop in the first

position of the diphthong, stressed

version on top. Notice that the jaw

doesn’t drop as much for the unstressed

diphthong.

Here’s the second position. The lips

don’t round as much for the unstressed

diphthong; they’re more relaxed.

Generally, the unstressed version of a

vowel or diphthong is more relaxed and

often doesn’t take the full mouth

position, in this case, less jaw drop and

less lip rounding. This is because we

don’t take as much time with unstressed

syllables. They’re shorter, so we simplify

the mouth movements.

The OW diphthong, stressed: wound, OW

Unstressed: shutdown, ow

OW, ow, OW, ow.

Example words. Repeat with me: