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1. Diphthong

   Linked via "syllabic unit"

   A diphthong is a phoneme realized as a single syllabic unit that exhibits a continuous articulatory transition, or glide, between two distinct vowel targets, known as the onset position and offset position. Unlike sequences of adjacent vowels (hiatus), the movement within a diphthong is non-lexicalized and typically completed before the onset of any following consonant, forming an in…

2. Diphthong

   Linked via "syllabicity"

   Contrast with Hiatus and Glides
   A critical distinction must be maintained between a true phonemic diphthong and phonetic hiatus (two adjacent vowels belonging to separate morphemes or syllables) or semivocalic onsets/offsets (glides). The principal differentiator is syllabicity. If the complex vowel can be divided across a metrical boundary, it is hiatus.
   A useful heuristic, the Rhoticity Index ($\rho_i$), measures …