ƆɪƏ - LATIN SMALL LETTER OPEN O + SMALL UPPER CASE I + SCHWA

Falling, narrow, back centring/opening diphthong + /ə/.

In this phonemic combination in which the diphthong /ɔɪ/ is followed by /ə/, as in e.g. joyous, the diphthongal glide is abruptly interrupted, and then the tongue moves with an audible glide to a relatively open variety of /ə/.

The lips change from open rounded to neutral. As this sound combination is usually regarded as spreading over two syllables, it would be wrong to regard it as a triphthong. The movement of the tongue is not extensive.

There is a tendency in rapid General and Refined RP to omit the second element /ɪ/, reducing the glide to just two elements usually to the diphthong /ɔə/, or to one element, a half-open variety of the long monophthong /ɔː/.

Spelling

<oyer, oyable> employer /ɪmˈplɔɪə/, destroyer /dɪˈstrɔɪə/, foyer /ˈfɔɪeɪ/
<oya> enjoyable /ɪnˈdʒɔɪəbl̩/

Examples

employer /ɪmˈplɔɪə/


destroyer /dɪˈstrɔɪə/


foyer /ˈfɔɪəɪ/


soya /ˈsɔɪə/


enjoyable /ɪnˈdʒɔɪəbl̩/


joyous /ˈdʒɔɪəs/


buoyant /ˈbɔɪənt/


Roger met his joyous and flamboyant lawyer in the foyer.
/ˈrɒdʒə met ɪz ˈdʒɔɪəs ənd flæmˈbɔɪənt ˈlɔːjər ɪn ðə ˈfɔɪeɪ/



Being an employer or an employee these days is not something enjoyable.
/ˈbiːɪŋ ən ɪmˈplɔɪər ɔːr ən ˌemplɔɪˈiː ðiːz ˈdeɪz ɪz nɒt ˈsʌmθɪŋ ɪnˈdʒɔɪəbl/

Pronunciation




The tongue moves upwards from below half-open back position in the direction of a haf-close front position and then it moves downwards towards an open variety of /ə/.

The lips change from open rounded to neutral. The soft palate is raised (unless followed by a nasal).