Catalan dialects

The main dialects of Catalan[1][2][3]

The dialects of the Catalan language feature a relative uniformity, especially when compared to other Romance languages;[4] both in terms of vocabulary, semantics, syntax, morphology, and phonology.[5] Mutual intelligibility between its dialects is very high,[6][7][8] estimates ranging from 90% to 95%.[9] The only exception is the isolated idiosyncratic Alguerese dialect.[4]

Overview

In 1861, linguist Manuel Milà i Fontanals split Catalan into two main dialects: Western and Eastern.[8][5] The most obvious phonetic difference lies in the treatment of unstressed a and e, which have merged to /ə/ in Eastern dialects, but remain distinct as /a/ and /e/ in Western dialects.[4][8] There are a few other differences in pronunciation, verbal morphology, and vocabulary.[6] Western Catalan comprises the two dialects of Northwestern Catalan and Valecian; the Eastern block comprises four dialects: Central Catalan, Balearic, Rossellonese, and Alguerese.[8] Each dialect can be further subdivided in several subdialects.

There are two spoken standards for the language based on the Eastern and Western dialects respectively:

Valencians are only surpassed in number of Catalan-speakers by Catalans themselves, representing approximately a third of the whole Catalan-speaking population.[11] Therefore, in the context of linguistic conflict, recognition and respect towards the dual standard, as well as the dual Catalan–Valencian denomination,[12] pacifies the tense central–periphery relations between Catalonia and the Valencian country.

Main dialectal divisions of Catalan[8][13]
Block WESTERN CATALANEASTERN CATALAN
Dialect NorthwesternValencianCentralBalearicNorthern/RosselloneseAlguerese
Area Spanish stateFrench stateItalian state
Provinces of Lleida, eastern half of Tarragona, La FranjaAutonomous community of ValenciaProvinces of Barcelona, western half of Tarragona, most of GironaBalearic islandsRoussillon/Northern CataloniaCity of Alghero in Sardinia

Pronunciation

Vowels

Catalan has inherited the typical vowel system of Vulgar Latin, with seven stressed phonemes: /a ɛ e i ɔ o u/, a common feature in Western Romance, except Spanish.[14] Balearic has also instances of stressed /ə/.[15] Dialects differ in the different degrees of vowel reduction,[16] and the incidence of the pair /ɛ e/.[17]

In Eastern Catalan (except Majorcan), unstressed vowels reduce to three: /a e ɛ/ → [ə]; /o ɔ u/ → [u]; /i/ remains distinct.[18] There are a few instances of unreduced [e], [o] in some words.[18] Alguerese has lowered [ə] to [a].

In Majorcan, unstressed vowels reduce to four: /a e ɛ/ follow the Eastern Catalan reduction pattern; however /o ɔ/ reduce to [o], with /u/ remaining distinct, as in Western Catalan.[19]

In Western Catalan, unstressed vowels reduce to five: /e ɛ/ → [e]; /o ɔ/ → [o]; /a u i/ remain distinct.[20][21] This reduction pattern, inherited from Proto-Romance, is also found in Italian and Portuguese.[20] Some Western dialects present further reduction or vowel harmony in some cases.[20][22]

Central, Western, and Balearic differ in the lexical incidence of stressed /e/ and /ɛ/.[17] Usually, words with /ɛ/ in central Catalan correspond to /ə/ in Balearic and /e/ in Western Catalan.[17] Words with /e/ in Balearic almost always have /e/ in central and western Catalan as well.[17] As a result, Western Catalan has a much higher incidence of /e/.[17]

Different incidence of stressed /e/, /ə/, /ɛ/[17]
WordWesternMajorcanEastern
except Majorcan
set ("thirst") /ˈset//ˈsət//ˈsɛt/
ven ("he sells") /ˈven//ˈvən//ˈbɛn/
General differences in the pronunciation of unstressed vowels in different dialects[8][23]
Word Western CatalanEastern Catalan
North-WesternValencianMajorcanCentralNorthern
mare ("mother")/ˈmaɾe//ˈmaɾə/
cançó ("song")/kanˈso//kənˈso/
posar ("to put")/poˈza(ɾ)//puˈza(ɾ)/
ferro ("iron")/ˈfɛro//ˈfɛru/
Detailed Examples of vowel reduction processes in different dialects[24]
Word pairs:
the first with stressed root,
the second with unstressed root		WesternMajorcanCentral
Front
vowels		 gel ("ice")
gelat ("ice cream")		 [ˈdʒɛɫ]
[dʒeˈlat]		[ˈʒɛɫ]
[ʒəˈɫat]		[ˈʒɛɫ]
[ʒəˈɫat]
pera ("pear")
perera ("pear tree")		 [ˈpeɾa]
[peɾˈeɾa]		[ˈpəɾə]
[pəɾˈeɾə]		[ˈpɛɾa]
[pəɾ'eɾə]
pedra ("stone")
pedrera ("quarry")		 [ˈpeðɾa]
[peˈðɾeɾa]		[ˈpeðɾə]
[pəˈðɾeɾə]		[ˈpeðɾə]
[pəˈðɾeɾə]
banya ("he bathes")
banyem("we bathe")
Majorcan: banyam("we bathe") 		[ˈbaɲa]
[baˈɲem]		[ˈbaɲə]
[bəˈɲam]		[ˈbaɲə]
[bəˈɲɛm]
Back
vowels		 cosa ("thing")
coseta ("little thing")		 [ˈkɔza]
[koˈzeta]		[ˈkɔzə]
[koˈzətə]		[ˈkɔzə]
[kuˈzɛtə]
tot ("everything")
total ("total")		 [ˈtot]
[toˈtaɫ]		[ˈtot]
[toˈtaɫ]		[ˈtot]
[tuˈtaɫ]

Consonants

-

Morphology

In verbs, the 1st person present indicative ending is -e (∅ in verbs of the 2nd and 3rd conjugation), or -o.
E.g., parle, tem, sent (Valencian); parlo, temo, sento (North-Western). In verbs, the 1st person present indicative ending is -o, -i or ∅ in all conjugations.
E.g., parlo (Central), parl (Balearic), parli (Northern), ('I speak').

First person singular present indicative endings in different dialects
Conjugation
class 		Eastern Catalan Western Catalan Gloss
CentralNorthernBalearicValencianNorth-Western
First parloparliparlparle or parloparlo"I speak"
Second temotemitemtemtemo"I fear"
Third sentosentisentsentsento"I feel"/"I hear"

In verbs, the inchoative desinences are -isc/-ixo, -ix, -ixen, -isca. In verbs, the inchoative desinences are -eixo, -eix, -eixen, -eixi.

In nouns and adjectives, maintenance of /n/ of medieval plurals in proparoxytone words.
E.g.,hòmens 'men', jóvens 'youth'. In nouns and adjectives, loss of /n/ of medieval plurals in proparoxytone words.
E.g.,homes 'men', joves 'youth'.

Vocabulary

Despite its relative lexical unity, the two dialectal blocks of Catalan (Eastern and Western) show some differences in word choices.[25] Any lexical divergence within any of the two groups can be explained as an archaism. Also, usually Central Catalan acts as an innovative element.[25]

Selection of different words between Western and Eastern Catalan
Gloss"mirror""boy""broom""navel""to exit"
Eastern Catalan mirallnoiescombramelicsortir
Western Catalan espillxiquetgranerallombrígoleixir

References

  1. ↑ Feldhausen 2010, p. 6.
  2. ↑ Wheeler 2005, p. 2.
  3. ↑ Costa Carreras 2009, p. 4.
  4. 1 2 3 Moll 1958, p. 47.
  5. 1 2 Enciclopèdia Catalana, pp. 634–635.
  6. 1 2 Wheeler 2005, p. 1.
  7. ↑ Costa Carreras & Yates 2009, p. 5.
  8. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Feldhausen 2010, p. 5.
  9. ↑ Central Catalan has 90% to 95% inherent intelligibility for speakers of Valencian (1989 R. Hall, Jr.), cited on Ethnologue.
  10. ↑ Xarxa Cruscat de l'Institut d'Estudis Catalans
  11. ↑ Xarxa Cruscat de l'Institut d'Estudis Catalans
  12. ↑ http://www.avl.gva.es/va/acords-AVL/main/03/document/NOMENTITAT.pdf
  13. ↑ Wheeler 2005, pp. 2-3.
  14. ↑ Enciclopèdia Catalana, p. 630.
  15. ↑ Wheeler 2005, pp. 37,53-54.
  16. ↑ Wheeler 2005, p. 37.
  17. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Wheeler 2005, p. 38.
  18. 1 2 Wheeler 2005, p. 54.
  19. ↑ Wheeler 2005, pp. 53-54.
  20. 1 2 3 Wheeler 2005, p. 53.
  21. ↑ Carbonell, Joan F.; Llisterri, Joaquim (1999). "Catalan". Handbook of the International Phonetic Association: A Guide to the Usage of the International Phonetic Alphabet. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. pp. 54–55. ISBN 978-0-521-63751-0.
  22. ↑ Recasens 1996, pp. 75–76,128–129.
  23. ↑ Melchor & Branchadell 2002, p. 71.
  24. ↑ Wheeler 2005, pp. 53-55.
  25. 1 2 Enciclopèdia Catalana, p. 632.

Bibliography

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