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In latin, æ or ae was a (di)graph for the /ae/ diphthong. In English, it is typically pronounced using the /i/ phoneme, which isn't a diphthong. I have heard it
by frenchy 5y ago
In latin, æ or ae was a (di)graph for the /ae/ diphthong. In English, it is typically pronounced using the /i/ phoneme, which isn't a diphthong. I have heard it pronounced as /ai/ dipthong, but only rarely.
In English, I'm pretty sure the ae digraph is always pronounced as /i/, so calling it a dipthong would probably confuse most people.
- IncRnd 5y agoAgreed. That is a very good point about it possibly being just a digraph and not always a diphthong. This depends, however, on the use, since it does sometimes slide and other times is just a ligature. The issues seem to stem from the pronunciation changes and the great vowel shift. As you point out, language is a messy business.