Definition of "diphthongize" []

• To pronounce as or become a diphthong. (verb-transitive)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "Many English speakers diphthongize _a_, _i_, _o_, and pronounce _late_ as "l_a-i_t," _pale_ as "p_a-i_l," _paper_ as "p_a-y_-per," _road_ as"