THEORY: NATLANGS: Phonology and Phonetics: Tetraphthongs, Triphthongs, Diphthongs

[TETRAPHTHONGS]

Are there tetraphthongs?
What are some?
What languages are they in?

[TRIPHTHONGS 1]

Why do some folks say the existence of triphthongs is controversial?

[DIPHTHONGS]

Diphthongs are sometimes classified by comparing the two vowels.

If the first vowel is much shorter than the second, it's a "rising"
or "crescendo" diphthong, and the first vowel is called an "on-glide".

If the second vowel is much shorter than the first, it's a "falling"
or "diminuendo" diphthong, and the second vowel is called an "off-glide".

If both vowels are about equal (except for quality), it's called a "level
diphthong".

If the second vowel is high (close) (and the first vowel _isn't_ as close),
it's a "closing diphthong".

If the second vowel is low (open) (and the first vowel _isn't_ as open),
it's an "opening diphthong".

If the second vowel is back (and the first vowel _isn't_ as back), it's
a "backing diphthong".

If the second vowel is front (and the first vowel _isn't_ as front), it's
a "fronting diphthong".

If the second vowel is center (and the first vowel _isn't_ as center), it's
a "centering diphtong".

[QUESTIONS 1]

Questions;

Aren't most diphthongs either
pre-palatalizations (rising diphthong with a [i] or [j] on-glide), or
pre-labializations (rising dipththong with a [u] or [w] on-glide), or
post-palatalizations (falling diphthong with a [i] or [j] off-glide), or
post-labializations (falling diphthong with a [u] or [w] off-glide)?

What are some examples of level diphthongs?  What languages are they in?

What are some examples of diphthongs in which neither vowel is [i] or [u]
(or [j] or [u])?  (I guess the non-rhotic dialects of English have a lot of
falling diphtghongs with a center-mid [@] off-glide -- if I wrote that
right.)

[TRIPHTHONGS 2]
[QUESTIONS 2]

Supposing there are triphthongs; aren't most of them an already-acceptable
diphthong with either a [j] (or [i]) or a [w] (or [u]) stuck on ahead as an
on-glide or behind as an off-glide?

Don't most of the exceptions take one of the forms
V[j]V
or
V[w]V
where the Vs denote possibly distinct vowels?

Are there any which are clearly
VVV
where none of the Vs is a [i] ([j]?) or [u] ([w]?) or [@] (if that's the
right way to write a center-mid schwa)?

[OBCONLANG]

ObConLang;

Whose language has the most diphthongs?

Whose has the most creative diphthongs?
(Not a contest, really -- just, if you have one, or have seen one, you
think is weird, or think I'll think is weird, let me know.)

Whose language has the most triphthongs?

Whose has the most creative triphthongs?
(See above "not a contest..." note.)

Whose language has tetraphthongs?

Does anyone's lang have five or more vowel-qualities and/or vowel-sounds in
a row -- for instance, a diphthong followed by a triphthong, or a
triphthong followed by a diphthong, or a vowel in between two diphthongs?

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eldin

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