MORE ON DIPHONES & TRIPHONES

(A) DIPHONES

Showing separate vowels

With names, it is possible to write separate vowels if necessary, and using the diphone sign for the version with the unstressed last vowel:

Leo Mario, Leah Maria

Vowel followed by Diphthong

For a vowel followed by diphthong, as in Latin plurals, write both signs:
 

genius genii, radius radii

nucleus nuclei  minutiae

Diphone plus a third vowel

A diphone followed by another vowel needs separate signs, a tick is not added as in the diphthongs. These are all either -ing or -er words, so the third vowel can be shown after the diphone, similar to the method for "genii" etc above:

Note that this particular point regarding a vowel after a diphone is not covered in any instruction book, but is based on this website author's consideration of best practice.

radio radioing, video videoing

snowier showier blowier chewier

snowiest showiest blowiest chewiest

Non-English plurals

trachea tracheae, cornea corneae

cochlea cochleae, fovea foveae, stria striae

(B) TRIPHONE + SHUN HOOK

After a triphone (mostly long U diphthong plus another vowel), stroke Ish + N Hook is used instead of Shun Hook. The extra stroke serves to indicate there is an extra syllable, which allows these pairs to be differentiated even without vowel signs being written in:

station situation vacation evacuation

evolution evaluation

attention attenuation contention continuation

extension extenuation notation intuition tuition

gradation graduation habitation habituation

A few outlines do use the Shun Hook after the U-A triphone, as no clash is likely, as they are not pairs, and so a lengthy outline is avoided:
 

fluctuation punctuation infatuation
 

perpetuation accentuation insinuation
 

(C) TRIPHONE -UOUS

Many words with the -uous spelling are triphones (=diphthong plus another vowel), pronounced ew-us, and use stroke S to show the extra syllable, and also ensures it does not look like the plain plural of some other word. Their derivatives revert to using Circle S to avoid overlong outlines:

ambiguous ambiguously ambiguousness

strenuous strenuously strenuousness

virtuous virtuously virtuousness

assiduous assiduously assiduousness

continuous* continuously continuousness

* This means happening without a break; compare with "continual" which means happening repeatedly

*contemptuous contemptuously contemptuousness contempt

*presumptuous presumptuously presumptuousness

* These two sets of outlines above omit the lightly sounded P, therefore M stroke, not Imp

conspicuous conspicuously conspicuousness

innocuous innocuously

These three keep the stroke S in the derivative, to provide distinguishing outlines:

ingenuous ingenuously sinuous sinuously tenuous tenuously

Compare ingenious ingeniously sense senseless tense tensely

These three keep the stroke S to avoid an unclear outline, and for ease of vowel insertion:

arduous arduously arduousness

A few words that end with the spelling -uous are pronounced oo-us, so are not triphones. These are formed as normal with the diphone sign:

superfluous mellifluous incongruous

superfluity mellifluent incongruity

(D) TRIPHONE -UATE

Most words with this ending use a full stroke Ish or T after the triphone, as a signal that there is another syllable:

fluctuate fluctuated infatuate infatuated

evaluate evaluated graduate graduated

habituate habituated insinuate insinuated

perpetuate perpetuated punctuate punctuated

situate situated

SUMMARY

• Diphones: Write both vowels separately for names if necessary for clarity

• Diphone plus another vowel: retain the diphone and write the third vowel sign next to it

• Triphones used Ish + N Hook instead of Shun Hook, to differentiate: station situation

• Words ending in triphone -uous generally use stroke S, but change to Circle S for derivatives in most cases

• Words ending -uate generally use full stroke T, to signify the extra syllable

EXTRA VOCABULARY

*cameoing rodeoing stereoing folioing

*These four are website author's suggestions

cameoed stereoed folioed videoed

radioed* radiate Note also radiator

* "radioed" is website author's suggestion, to differentiate from the dictionary outline "radiate"

affectation effectuation situational

superannuation superannuate superannuated

actuation striation* striate striated

* Upward Ish to balance the outline

actuate actuated ambiguity ingenuity

accentuate accentuated effectuate effectuated

*extenuate extenuated evacuate evacuated

* These four would have stroke T anyway, regardless of the last vowel(s), as the prior stroke cannot be clearly halved

deciduous deciduousness incestuous incest

tortuous tortuously tortuousness tortuosity

tumultuous tumultuously tumultuousness

vacuous vacuously vacuousness

voluptuous voluptuously voluptuousness

impetuous impetuously impetuousness

promiscuous promiscuously promiscuity

*sumptuous sumptuously sumptuousness

* These omit lightly sounded P, therefore M stroke, not Imp

tempestuous tempestuously tempestuousness

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