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Re: ATT: Eva or anyone who knows Catalan
Hey, Caprice!
Well, "ll" is slightly diferent in Spanish, they pronunce it more like an "i" (-ee- in English) and they don't really know how to pronunce it in Catalan, at least not like we do...
My dictionary of English-Catalan says the "ll" is like in the Italian "foGLia", if that helps.
Sorry, I'm not a big help...ok, I'll try to explain you how to put your language to pronunce the "ll": you have to press softly your language against your palate, just above your teeth. Does that make sense? I hope so! Well, I'll think about something better, ok?
Glad to help you, and don't hesitate asking about anything you're interested in, ok? (As you can see, I love talking about languages!!!)Oh, and don't worry too much, there are lots of people here who can't pronunce the "ll" properly...I couldn't when I was little (actually, I couldn't pronunce the "l", the "ll" and the "rr"), but after a speech therapy I got to do it, and I was only 3 years old! The therapist was really surprised with my abilities ;-P!!!Eva
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Moltes gràcies!I know some Italian, so I guess I understand how to pr. Ll now :)
What about an "S" in the end of a word, is it pr. or silent? How do you pr. "c" in the end of a word? And how is "g" pronounced?
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You're welcome!!! (De res!!)
Well, the "s" in the end of a word is always pronunced (or almost, I can't think of any where it doesn't).
For example: sents, véns, pis, Neus. The "c" sounds always "k" in the end of a word, but there's also the "ç", that sounds "s" at the end of a word. The rules for the "c" pronunciations are: before -e or -i it sounds "s", and before -a, -o and -u it sounds "k", but you can also got it to sound like an "s" putting a "ç" instead of a "c".
For example:
dic or visc, like -k, but Vicenç or braç, like -"s".
cinema or Cèlia -like an "s", but coure or Carme, like a "k"
·the change c/ç: in the verb "començar" -to begin- you put on letter or the other in diferent tenses and persons: "comences" or "començaves". The "c" after an "n" in the end of a word sounds just like when it happens when in English there's an "n" followed by a "g":
For exapmple:
cinc -five- or banc -bank- sound just like in beiNG.
About the "g", it sounds like a "j" (juice) before -e and -i, but like "g" (get) before -a, o- or -u, and you can also got this sound putting a "u" (which is silent if there aren't thumbs -that's "¨", right?- on it) between the "g" and the -e or the -i.
gel, or ginesta, like "j"
gas or guants, like "g"
Guimerà and guerra, like "g" and the "u" is silent
Paraigua, pingüí, aigüera, the "g" like in get and the the "u" also sounds.The same happens with the "q": it is always followed by a "u", but it doesn't sound before -e and -i, at least there are thumbs on it.
Queralt or Quim, the "q" is like "k" but the "u" is silent
aquàtic, aqüífer, the "u" is pronunced. Hope that makes sense!!
Eva
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The "s" in the end of a word is always pronounced. If the next word starts with a vowel or a sonorous consonant (G, J, M, N, Z...), the sound is the same of the Catalan "z". In other cases, the sound is "s".C in the end: "k".G before A, O, U, UE, UI, ÜE, ÜI or a consonant, like "g" in English "gain". The U in GUE and GUI is silent, not in GÜE and GÜI (U with diaeresis).
G before E or I, like the French "j".
G in the end of a word: "k".In the groups -NC and -NG, the sound "k" is very soft.Lumia
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