Pronunciation
Vowels
There are eight vowels in Catalan central dialect (a, 
,
e, 
,
i, 
,
o, u), written in 5 characters (a, e, i, o, u).
A
is pronounced in 2 ways:
-
in stressed syllables [a], a little closer than a
in father, cf.:
sang [sa
]
m
blood,
Tomàs [tu'mas]
Thomas;
-
in unstressed syllables [],
like a in above, cf.:
cosa ['kz]
f
thing,
ajuda ['
uð]
f
aid.
E
is pronounced in 3 ways:
-
in stressed position it denotes:
-
open [],
like French ê in père, cf.:
èxit ['gzit]
m
success,
compleixo
[kum'pl
u]
v
I comply, fe [f]
f
faith.
-
close [e], like French é in été,
cf.:
bé [be] adj
good,
fer
[fe]
v
to do, carrer [ka'
e]
m
street.
-
in unstressed position [],
like English e in copper, cf.:
pomes ['poms]
fpl.
apples,
estiu [s'tiu]
m
summer,
el [l]
art
the.
I
is prononced like English
ee in seem in both
stressed and unstressed positions, cf.:
camí [k'mi]
m
way,
canvi ['kamßi]
m
change,
i [i] conj
and.
O
is pronounced in 3 ways:
-
In stressed position, it may have one of two sounds:
-
open [],
like French o in robe, cf.:
mòlt [mlt]
v
ground, dona ['dn]
f
woman.
-
close [o], like French eau in peau,
cf.:
dóna ['don]
v it gives, molt [molt] adv
much.
-
In unstressed position [u], like English oo
in food, cf.:
sovint [su'ßin] adv often,
donar
[du'na]
v to give;
U
is pronounced roughly like English oo in food in
both stressed and unstressed positions, cf.:
música ['muzik]
f music,
dibuix [di'ßu]
m
drawing,
u [u] num
one.
It is soundless in the combinations gue,
gui,
que,
qui.
...
Semivowels
Catalan has two semivowels, [j] and [w], written as
i and u before vowels, cf.:
-
noia ['nj]
f
girl,
diuen ['diwn]
v
they say.
...
Diphthongs
(Diftongs)
Catalan diphtongs are formed by the combination of a
strong vowel (a, e, o) and a weak vowel (i, u).
If the weak vowel follows the strong one, the diphthong
is falling (decreixent):
-
ai: mai [mai] adj never
-
i:
remei
['mi]
m
remedy
-
ei: reina ['ein]
f
queen
-
i:
aigüera
[iguer]
f
sink,
feiner
[fi'ne]
m
laboral
(day)
-
ii: novii [no'ßii] f (Bal.)
bride
-
i:
noi
[ni]
m
boy
-
oi: cofoi [ku'foi] adj happy
-
ui: cuina ['kuin]
f
kitchen
-
au: au [au] m
bird
-
u:
peu
[pu]
m
foot,
deu [du]
num
ten
-
eu: Déu [deu] m
God
-
u:
daurat
[du'rat]
adj
golden,
beurem
[bu'rm]
v
we
will drink
-
iu: riu [riu] m
river
-
u:
moure
['mur]
v
to
move
-
ou: pou [pou] adj pool
-
uu: duus [duus] v you
carry
If the strong vowel follows the weak one, the diphthong
is arising (creixent), but this combinations are diphtongs only
in these cases:
-
following q, g (u becomes semiconsonant):
-
gua: guant [gwan] m glove
-
güe: aigües ['ai
ws]
fpl
water
-
güi: pingüí [pi'gwi]
m
penguin
-
guo: paraiguot [pri'wt]
m.pej.
umbrella
-
qua: quant [kwan] how
much
-
qüe: qüestió [kws'tio]
f
question
-
qüi: ubiqüitat [ußikwi'tat] f
ubiquity
-
quo: quota ['kwt]
f
quota
-
when they start the syllable (i and u become semiconsonantic
sounds [j], [w])
-
iode ['jð]
m
iodine
-
meua ['mew]
pron.poss.
(Val.) mine
...
Triphthongs
(Triftongs)
In Catalan there are also five triphthongs. Here, the
middle vowel is strong and the others are weak:
-
iai: iai [jai] interj.
-
iau: miau [mjau] cat's
onomatopoeia, adéu-siau [ðeuzjau]
m
goodbye.
-
ieu: duieu ['duju]
v
to
carry
-
uai: Paraguai [pr'wai]
m
Paraguay.
-
ueu: obliqüeu [ußli'kwu]
v
to
oblique.
...
Consonants
B and V
In the official pronunciation B and V have coincided,
as in Spanish.
In initial position and in the middle of the word
after m B and V denotes the sound [b], similar to the
English b in bar, cf.:
-
beure ['bur]
v
to drink; veu [bu]
f
voice.
In middle position, between vowels or if preceded by
m/n, B and V are pronounced [ß]; this is a fricative voiced sound,
intermediate between [b] and [v], without equivalent in English, cf.:
-
saber [s'ß]
v
to know, haber ['ß]
v
to have, canvi ['kamßi]
m
change.
In final position B sounds like [p], cf.:
...
C,
Ç, S, -SS-
C before e and i, Ç, written before a, o and
u, S if not between vowels, and SS between vowels are all pronounced [s]
(as c in English principal, and s/ss in sick, progressive), cf.:
...
C, K, QU
C before a, o, u or consionant, K in all positions and
QU (u is mute), written before e or i, are pronounced as soft [k] (like
English k in skin), cf.:
-
cama f bed,
psicòleg
m psychologist, kàiser
m German empror,
quilo m kilogramme.
The group QU or QÜ sounds like [kw] in the syllables
qua, qüe, qüi, quo, cf.:
...
D
D is pronounced in three manners:
1. As [d] (similar to the English d in
do):
-
in initial position, cf.:
dir [di] v to
say;
-
in the middle of the word after l, n, cf.:
caldre ['kaldr]
v
it is necessary, prendre ['pndr]
v
to take.
2. As [ð] (similar to the English th
in father):
-
in the middle of the word, between vowels, cf.:
poder [pu'ð]
v
can, may.
3. As [t] in final position, cf.:
-
solitud [sulitut] f solitude.
...
F
F is pronounced [f] (like English f in fist) in all
positions, cf.:
...
G and GU
G before a, o, u or consonant and GU (u is mute), written
before e or i, are pronounced [g] (like English g in got, get), cf.:
-
gat [gat] f
cat,
guerra [g
]
f
war.
The final -G, if not in the digraph -IG,
is pronounced [k], cf.:
-
càstig [kastik] m punishment.
Between vowels (or vowel and semivowel),
G designates a voiced fricative sound [],
intermediate between [g] and [x] (it has no equivalent in English; it may
be obtained by trying to pronounce [g] continuously), cf.:
-
aigües ['aiws]
fpl
water.
...
G and J
G before e and i, and J in all positions are pronounced
[]
(like English s in measure), cf.:
H
H is written etymologically and is never pronounced
(like English h in hour), cf.:
...
L
L is pronounced like English l in link, cf.:
...
M
M is pronounced like English m, cf.:
...
N
N is pronounced like English n, cf.:
In middle position, before or after b/v, N is pronounced
[m], cf.:
...
P
P is pronounced like a soft English p i spin,
cf.:
-
portar [pur'ta] v to
carry.
...
R-, -RR-
In the initial position and in the end of syllable,
as also in the digraph RR in intervocal position, R denotes a trilled sound,
like the Spanish rr of perro — a very difficult
sound for a speaker of English; cf.:
-
roca m rock,
carro m car.
...
-R-
In itervocalic position -R- denotes a flapped sound
(like r in British English very), cf.:
...
-R
The final -R is usually not pronounced, cf.:
-
amar v to love,
claradjclear,
fervto
do, make etc.
...
-S- and
Z
The intervocal -S- and Z in all positions denote the
voiced sound [z] (like English z in zoo), cf.:
-
casa f house,
zero
m zero.
...
T
T is pronounced like the soft English t (as in tin),
cf.:
...
X
The letter X is pronounced in 3 ways:
1. In the beginning of a word or after l, n, r
or a diphthong ending in i or
u it denotes the sound []
(like English sh), cf.:
-
xarop, rodanxa, escorxador, deixa,
disbauxa.
2. In the initial ex- it is for [gz], cf.:
3. In the other cases it is read [ks], cf.:
...
Consonantic
Digraphs
LL
LL (named ella) denotes the sound [
].
It is similar to English li in million, but is articulated in a single
glide of the tongue (it is like Italian gli, Portuguese lh),
cf.:
...
L·L
L·L (named ela geminada) is pronounced like two
consecutive l’s, cf.:
...
NG
NG is pronounced like English ng in sing, cf.:
-
sang [sa]
m
blood.
...
NY
NY denotes the sound [
].
It is much like English ny in canyon, but is
articulated in a single glide of the tongue; it is like Spanish ñ,
French or Italian gn, Portuguese nh,
cf.:
...
TG, DJ
and TJ
TG before e/i and DJ / TJ in all positions are pronounced
[d]
(as English j in jest), cf.:
-
jutge m judge,
adjacent
adj adjacent,
mitja.
...
-IG and
TX
The final -IG and TX in all positions are pronounced
[t]
(as English ch), cf.:
...
TS
TS denotes the affricate [ts] (like English ts
in assets, but in a single emission), cf.:
...
TZ
TZ denotes the voiced affricate [dz] (like English dz
in adze, but in a single emission), cf.:
...
For GU see G and GU.
For QU see C, K, QU.
For RR see R-, -RR-.
For SS see C, Ç,
S, -SS-.
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