Vowel the vowel sounds of "flower", , form a triphthong or disyllable, depending on dialect. In phonology, diphthongs and triphthongs are distinguished from sequences of monophthongs by whether the vowel sound may be analyzed into different phonemes or not. For example, the vowel sounds in a two-syllable pronunciation of the word "flower" () phonetically form a disyllabic triphthong, but are phonologically a sequence of a diphthong (represented by the letters ) and a monophthong (represented by the letters ). Some linguists use the terms "diphthong" and "triphthong" only in this phonemic sense. The name "vowel" is often used for the symbols
Bernese German phonology seven diphthong phonemes: The number of phonetic diphthongs and triphthongs is significantly higher, since all monophthongs (except for short , , , ) and all opening diphthongs may be followed by a (from vocalized ), for instance → ('stable'), → ('steel'), → ('feeling'). Additionally, there are certain combinations with , for instance ('toil') or ('turns' from 'to turn'). In southern Bernese German (not in the city of Bern), the closing diphthongs merge with the near-close monophthongs to , for instance instead of ('cloth'). This phenomenon is also found in the neighbouring Bernese Highlands and Sense District dialects. In northern Bernese