Catalan Dialectal Features: Phonetics, Morphology, and Lexicon

Western Catalan

Phonetics

• Unstressed vowels /e/, /o/, /u/ remain differentiated; the schwa does not exist.
• The digraph 'ix' between vowels or at the end of a word is pronounced /ʃ/.

Morphology

• Masculine words ending in '-e' form plurals with '-os' or '-es'.
• Weak pronouns have flat forms.
• Inchoative verbs form their increment with '-ix' or '-isca'.

Lexicon

• Primarily Latin origin.
• Many words derive from an Iberian-Basque substrate.
• Valencian Catalan features numerous Arabisms.

Northwestern Catalan

Phonetics

• Vocalism: Initial unstressed 'e' often becomes 'a'. It tends to slacken or diphthongize into 'au'. 'e' sometimes converts and influences 'll'.
• Consonantism: Post-consonantal 'x' (e.g., 'ex-') is articulated as /ks/. The initial sound 'j' (or 'g' before 'e', 'i') is pronounced /dʒ/.

Morphology

• Use of 'lo/los' as definite articles.
• First person singular present indicative often follows an archaic rule or uses '-e' endings in the subjunctive.

Lexicon

• Examples: Trèvol (ceiling), Siamès (apple), Padrí (godfather).

Lleidatà Dialect

Phonetics

• Word-final vowels often become 'a'.

Morphology

• Specific forms for first, second, and third person singular.
• Third person present subjunctive or plural forms.

Tortosí Dialect

Lexicon

• Terms like veure (to see), xiquet/xiqueta (child).

Morphology

• Plural of words ending in '-s' or '-st'.
• Demonstrative proximity: aquest/aquesta.
• Preposition 'en' (in/with).

Pallarsó Dialect

Phonetics

• The sound /ʒ/ is often pronounced /j/.
• The digraph 'tg' or 'tj' is pronounced /tʃ/.
• The digraph 'ny' is pronounced /ɲ/.

Ribagorçan Dialect

Morphology

• Adds '-es' to masculine nouns.
• Feminine plural of adjectives ending in '-a' becomes '-es'.
• Conjugation: Second and third person singular present indicative often end in '-em' or '-eu'.
• Inchoative verbs use '-iva'.

Lexicon

• Uses 'gens' instead of 'res' for negation.
• Adverbs of place: ací (here), allí (there), enllà (therein).

Valencian Catalan

Phonetics

• Vocalism: Diphthongs like 'ui' often reduce or are pronounced as 'wi'.
• Consonantism:
  • Loss of intervocalic 'd'.
  • Fricative articulation of 'g' or 'j'.
  • 'b' between vowels is pronounced /v/.
  • Final consonants in groups like '-nt', '-nd', '-lt', '-ld', '-ng', '-nc' are often pronounced.
  • Word-final 'r' is often pronounced.
  • Distinction between 'v' and 'b'.

Morphology

• Definite articles: el/la/els/les.
• No article with personal names.
• Possessives: meu/meva, teu/teva, seu/seva.
• Demonstratives: aquest/aquesta, eixe/eixa.
• First person singular present indicative ends in '-e'.
• Preposition 'amb' (with).

Lexicon

• Uses many diminutives.
• Examples: eixir (left), obrer (bricklayer), cosir (year), pernil (AGLA), brull (kill).

Northernmost Catalan

Morphology

• Uses 'lo/los' as definite articles.

Phonetics

• Affricates 'ts' and 'dz' are often pronounced as 'tʃ' and 'dʒ'.

Lexicon

• Features a large quantity of synonyms.

Apitxat Dialect

Phonetics

• Devoicing of sibilants /z/, /dz/, /dʒ/, and /ʒ/.
• 'v' is pronounced as 'b'.

Morphology

• General use of the simple past tense (pretèrit perfet simple).

Southern Catalan

Morphology

• The plural definite article often takes the form 'es'.

Phonetics

• Unstressed word-final vowels are often assimilated into the preceding syllable.
• Diphthongs like 'au' and 'ou' are common.