Catalan Grammar Rules: Phonetics, Pronouns, and Poetry

Catalan Grammar, Phonetics, and Poetic Structure

Orthography: Spelling Rules for P/B, T/D, and C/G

Behind a stressed vowel: The letters p, t, and c are written, although there may be words from the same family that are written differently. Ex: llop (wolf), humit (wet).

Behind an unstressed vowel: The same letter is written as it appears in the feminine form or in a derived word. Ex: àrab (Arabic), pàl·lid (pale).

Behind a consonant: The same letter is written as it appears in the feminine form or in a derived word. Ex: covard (coward), arrogant (arrogant).

When we write p/b, t/d, or c/g at the end of a syllable (not a word), we must look at the context in which they appear.

Catalan Poetic Metrics: Verses and Stanzas

Types of Verses

• Hexasyllable: A verse of six syllables.
• Heptasyllable: A verse of seven syllables.
• Octosyllable: A verse of eight syllables.
• Alexandrine: A verse of twelve syllables.

Types of Stanzas

• Couplet (Paired): A combination of two rhyming lines.
• Tercet: A combination of three lines with or without rhyme.
• Quartet: Four lines with a combination of rhymes.
• Quintet (NBA): A combination of five lines with two rhymes.
• Octave: A combination of eight lines with three or four rhymes.

Lexicology: Word Meanings and Expressions

A word is polysemous if it has two or more meanings in the dictionary. Ex: divot.

A word is homonymous if it shares the same form as another word but has a different meaning. Ex: sol (sun / alone).

A locution is a group of words that function as a single unit. Ex: poc a poc (little by little), cel blau (blue sky).

A cliché (set phrase) is an expression established by oral tradition, and its meaning is figurative. Ex: ploure sobre mullat (rain to rain), fer l'orni (playing dumb).

Grammar: Pronouns and Their Classifications

Pronouns are variable words that do not have a constant meaning, but rather an occasional one. Their basic function is to refer to something already known through the linguistic context or the communicative situation, and represent it.

Types of Pronouns

• Strong pronouns: jo, tu, ell/ella, nosaltres, vosaltres, ells/elles.
• Weak pronouns: em, et, es, ens, us, el, la, li, els, les, en, hi, ho...
• Demonstrative pronouns: aquest, aquell, aquí, allà.
• Indefinite pronouns: algú, tot, tothom, ningú, res.
• Interrogative pronouns: què, qui, com, on, quan, quant.

Phonetics: Voiced and Voiceless S Sounds

Voiced S (Essa Sonora)

• Written as S between vowels.
• Written as S in compound words with prefixes like dins- and trans-.
• Written as Z at the beginning of a word and after a consonant.
• There are some learned words (cultismes) that have a Z between vowels.

Voiceless S (Essa Sorda)

• Written as S at the beginning of a word.
• Written as SS, C, or Ç between vowels.
• Written as S, C, or Ç at the end of a word.