31 May 2026 #accents #phonetics #vowelsound
/iː/ (widely known in phonetics as the FLEECE vowel) is generally classified as a long, close/front, monophthong in Standard British English, and this is how it appears in dictionaries. But how far is this true?

In this video I explore how the sound behaves in different contexts including its surrounding sounds, its level of stress, and its variations in different accents throughout the UK and Ireland.

Some academics would go so far as to reclassify the sound as a diphthong to join the /eɪ,ʌɪ,ɔɪ/ group; I explore the pros and cons of this approach from a teaching perspective.

CONTENTS:

00:00 Introduction
00:45 Mouth Movements & Pronunciation
01:56 Length & Clipping
02:38 Is it a Diphthong?
04:37 Weak /i/
05:56 Accent Tour (UK & Ireland)
07:45 Summary & Tips for Learners

#phonetics #vowelsound #accents

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