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
Iau language [p̚] word-finally. /f/ is the only consonant that can occur word-finally. The low vowel is always nasalized, except when it is a component of a diphthong. The open-mid front vowel varies between [e], [ɛ], and [æ]. The following diphthongs exist: No diphthongs begin with /ɪ i i̝/ or end in /a ɔ/. There are two triphthongs: /aui/ and /aʊɪ/. The back components of these triphthongs are realized as unrounded. Syllables consist minimally of a vowel. They may include a single onset consonant and/or a single coda consonant. Diphthongs and triphthongs are attested. The template is (C)(V)V(V)(C). The tone-bearing unit is