영어의 내향이중모음에 관하여

On the Centering diphthongs in English

This paper argues that centering diphthongs in Received Pronunciation(RP) result from non-low long vowels followed by [r]. When an [r] follows, non-low long vowels are diphthongized into the corresponding short vowel plus the off-glide [ə]. In terms of Optimality Theory, this can be dealt with by positing a markedness constraint that prohibits non-low long vowels in the pre-[r] position. The newly proposed markedness constraint outranks the faithfulness constraints that militate against diphthongization. The analysis put forward in this paper can account for the presence of centering diphthongs whether the following [r] is in coda or in onset.