Catalan phonology

The phonology of Catalan, a Romance language, has a certain degree of dialectal variation. Although there are two main dialects, one based on Eastern Catalan and one based on Valencian, this article deals with features of all or most dialects as well as regional pronunciation differences. Various studies have focused on different Catalan varieties; for example, Harvcoltxt|Wheeler|1979 and Harvcoltxt|Mascaró|1976 analyze Central Eastern varieties—the former focusing on the educated speech of Barcelona and the latter focusing more on the vernacular of Barcelona— and Harvcoltxt|Recasens|1986 does a careful phonetic study of Central Eastern Catalan. [Harvcoltxt|Hualde|1992|p=367] [For more information on dialectal variety, see Harvcoltxt|Veny|1989 and Harvcoltxt|Martí i Castell et al|1985.]

Catalan shares features with neighboring Romance languages (Italian, Sardinian, Occitan, Spanish). [Harvcoltxt|Wheeler|2005|p=1]

Consonants

When the dimunitive IPA| [ˈɛt] is added to IPA| [ˈkam] it makes IPA| [kəmˈpɛt] , which makes it seem as though the underlying representation is |IPA|ˈkamp| (with subsequent cluster simplification), however when the copula IPA| [ˈes] is added it makes IPA| [ˈkəmˈes] . The resulting generalization is that this underlying IPA|/p/ will only surface in a morphologically complex word. [Harvcoltxt|Herrick|2002|p=72]

Word-final fricatives (except IPA|/f/) are voiced before a following vowel, e.g. "bus enorme" IPA| [ˈbuz əˈnormə] ('huge diver'). [cite journal | author=Recasens, Daniel| year=1991 | title= An Electropalatographic and Acoustic Study of Consonant-to-Vowel Coarticulation | journal=Journal of Phonetics| volume=19 | pages=267–280] In Majorcan and Minorcan Catalan, IPA|/f/ undergoes total assimilation to a following consonant (just as stops do): "buf gros" IPA| [ˈbug ˈgɾɔs] ('large puff'). [Harvcoltxt|Wheeler|2005|pp=81]

Dialectal variation

[

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thumb|right|300px|Dialectal_Map_of_Catalan_from_Harvcoltxt|Wheeler|Yates|Dols|1999|p=xviii
Eastern dialects:
█ North Catalan
█ Central Catalan
█ Balearic and Alguerese
Western dialects:
█ North-western
█ Valencian] The differences in the vocalic systems outlined above are the main criteria used to differentiate between the major dialects: Harvcoltxt|Wheeler|2005 distinguishes two major dialect groups, Western dialects and Eastern ones; the latter of which only allow IPA| [i] , IPA| [ə] , and IPA| [u] to appear in unstressed syllables and include North Catalan, Central Catalan, Balearic, and Alguerese. Western dialects, which allow any vowel in unstressed syllables, include northern and western Catalan, and Valencian.

Historical development

As a Romance language, Catalan comes directly from Vulgar Latin. As such, it shares certain phonological changes from Latin with other Romance languages: [Harvcoltxt|Grandgent|1907|pp=106-137]
*IPA|/b/ and IPA|/w/ between vowels became IPA| [β] .
*IPA|/d/ became IPA| [ð] between vowels in Iberia, Gaul, Raetia, northern Italy, and a part of Sardinia. IPA|/dr/ also became lenited in Iberia and Gaul.
*Intervocalic sounds were often voiced (circa fifth century AD).
*The velars IPA|/k/ and IPA|/g/ became palatalized before front vowels.
** by the fourth century, palatal IPA|/g/ had become more of a palatal approximant. When following a vowel and preceding a stressed vowel, this approximant became fused with the following front vowel: IPA|/maˈgister/ → IPA| [maˈjɪster] → IPA| [maˈester] → IPA| [ˈmastiɾ] . In the Iberian peninsula, southwestern Gaul, and portions of Sardinia, Sicily, and southwestern Italy, this palatal approximant stage was retained while other dialects made different developments.
**Palatal IPA|/k/, which had developed a palatal offglide, continued to advance further forward in the mouth to become IPA| [tʲj] (which led to some confusion between IPA|/kj/ and IPA|/tj/; by the sixth or seventh century, this palatalized coronal had become an affricate (IPA| [tʲsʲ] or IPA| [ts] ).
**IPA|/sk/ was also part of this palatalization
*Before or after another consonant IPA|/l/ was velarized (leading to l-vocalization in some dialects. After consonants, this may have lead to the realization of a palatal lateral in Spanish and Italian.
*IPA|/kʷ/ became IPA|/k/ before IPA|/u/ and IPA|/o/ by the first century.
*Intervocalic pretonic IPA|/g/ was deleted in most words.
*IPA|/h/ was deleted, first when medial and then in all contexts soon after.
*IPA|/m/ and IPA|/n/ became silent word-finally (presumably after an intermediate state of being realized as the nasalization of the preceding vowel); the latter also being lost in the coda position before IPA|/s/.
*IPA|/ks/ was reduced to IPA|/s/ before or after another consonant. By analogy, the prefix "ex"- before vowels may have also been pronounced IPA|/es/. Later on, IPA|/ks/ was also reduced word-finally except in monosyllabic words.
*IPA|/sj/, IPA|/lj/ and IPA|/nj/ became palatal between vowels.
*stressed IPA|/e/ and IPA|/i/, when immediately followed by a vowel of the penultimate syllable, became IPA|/j/; IPA|/u/ in the same environment became IPA|/w/. [Harvcoltxt|Grandgent|1907|pp=61-62]
*IPA|/ss/ after diphthongs and long vowels reduced to IPA|/s/ (degeminated): IPA|/kaːssus/ → IPA|/kaːsus/. There was just general confusion in regards to geminated consonants but they were normally retained after long vowels. [Harvcoltxt|Grandgent|1907|p=69, 105]
*Short IPA|/i/ and IPA|/u/ became IPA| [e] and IPA| [o] , probably by the first century AD. Also, vowel quantity between short mid-vowels and long mid-vowels became differentiated: IPA|/deus/ → IPA| [dɛus] . [Harvcoltxt|Grandgent|1907|p=71]
*IPA|/n/, followed by a fricative (IPA|/f/, IPA|/ʒ/, IPA|/s/, or IPA|/v/), was deleted and replaced by the lengthening of the previous vowel: IPA|/kensor/ → IPA|/tʃeːsor/. [Harvcoltxt|Grandgent|1907|p=72]
*Eventually (in Spain and parts of Gaul), all stressed vowels were pronounced long while unstressed vowels were short. The new long vowels were pronounced in most regions with diphthongization although Portugal, southern Gaul, Lombardy, and Sicily didn’t participate in this early breaking. The vowels most affected were IPA|/ɛː/ and IPA|/ɔː/. [Harvcoltxt|Grandgent|1907|p=72]
*Vowels were often syncopated. [Harvcoltxt|Grandgent|1907|pp=99-102]
** between a labial and another consonant.
*** when such a deletion brought IPA| [aβ] to precede another consonant, it became IPA| [au] .
** between a consonant and a liquid or vice versa.

ee also

*List of phonetics topics
*Catalan orthography

References

Bibliography

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last2=Llisterri
first2=Joaquim
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title=Catalan
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*citation
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title= Velarization degree and coarticulatory resistance for /l/ in Catalan and German
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*citation
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doi = 10.1017/S0025100305001878
*citation
last = Recasens
first = Daniel
last2 =Espinosa
first2 = Aina
year= 2007
title= An electropalatographic and acoustic study of affricates and fricatives in two Catalan dialects
journal= Journal of the International Phonetic Association
volume= 37
issue= 2
pages=143–172
doi = 10.1017/S0025100306002829
*citation
last = Veny
first= Joan
year= 1989
title= Els parlars catalans. Síntesi de dialectologia
edition=eighth
place= Palma de Mallorca
publisher= Editorial Moll
*citation
last = Wheeler
first= Max W
year= 1979
title= Phonology Of Catalan
place= Oxford
publisher= Blackwell
*citation
last = Wheeler
first= Max W
year= 2005
title= The Phonology Of Catalan
place= Oxford
publisher= Oxford University Press
isbn= 0199258147
*citation
last=Wheeler
first=Max
last2=Yates
first2=Alan
last3=Dols
first3=Nicolau
year=1999
title=Catalan: A Comprehensive Grammar
place=London
publisher=Routledge

External links

* [http://liceu.uab.es/~joaquim/language_resources/SAMPA_Catalan.html A proposal for Catalan SAMPA]