Letter Names and Pronunciations
Catalan is a pluricentric language, the pronunciation of some of the letters is different in Eastern Catalan (IEC) and Valencian (AVL). Apart from these variations, the pronunciation of most consonants is fairly straightforward, and similar to French, Occitan or Portuguese pronunciation.
| Letter | Catalan | Valencian | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Name (IEC & AVL) | Pronunciation | Phonetic values | Pronunciation | Phonetic values | ||
| A a | a | /ˈa/ | /a/, /ə/ | /ˈa/ | ||
| B b | be (alta) | /ˈbe (ˈaltə)/ | /b/, /β/, /p/ | /ˈbe/ | , | |
| C c | ce | /ˈse/ | /k/, /s/, /ɡ/ | '/ˈse/ | , | |
| D d | de | /ˈde/ | /d/, /ð/, /t/ | /ˈde/ | , | |
| E e | e | /ˈe/ | /ɛ/, /e/, /ə/ | /ˈe/ | , | |
| F f | efa | /ˈefə/ | /f/, /v/ | /ˈef(e)/ | , | |
| G g | ge | /ˈʒe/ | /ɡ/, /ɣ/, /k/, /ʒ/, /dʒ/, /tʃ/ | /ˈdʒe/ | , | |
| H h | hac | /ˈak/ | ∅ | /ˈak/ | ∅ | |
| I i | i | /ˈi/ | /i/, /j/ | /ˈi/ | , | |
| J j | jota | /ˈʒɔtə/ | /ʒ/ | /ˈdʒɔta/ | ||
| K k | ca | /ˈka/ | /k/ | /ˈka/ | ||
| L l | ela | /ˈelə/ | /ɫ/, /ʎ/ | /ˈel(e)/ | , | |
| M m | ema | /ˈemə/ | /m/ | /ˈem(e)/ | ||
| N n | ena | /ˈenə/ | /n/, /m/, /ɲ/, /ŋ/ | /ˈen(e)/ | , | |
| O o | o | /ˈo/ | /ɔ/, /o/, /u/, /w/ | /ˈo/ | , | |
| P p | pe | /ˈpe/ | /p/, /b/ | /ˈpe/ | , | |
| Q q | cu | /ˈku/ | /k/ | /ˈku/ | ||
| R r | erra | /ˈɛrə/ | /r/, /ɾ/ | /ˈɛre/, /ˈɛɾ/ | , | |
| S s | essa | /ˈesə/ | /s/, /z/ | /ˈes(e)/ | , | |
| T t | te | /ˈte/ | /t/, /d/ | /ˈte/ | , | |
| U u | u | /ˈu/ | /u/, /w/ | /ˈu/ | , | |
| V v | ve (baixa) | /ˈbe ˈbaʃə/, /ˈve/ | /b/, /β/ ~ /v/, /f/ | /ˈve/ | , | |
| W w | ve doble | /ˈbe ˈdobːlə/, /ˈve ˈdobːlə/ | /w/, /b/, /β/ ~ /v/ | /ˈve ˈdoble/ | , | |
| X x | ics, xeix | /ˈiks/, /ˈʃeʃ/ | /ʃ/, /ʒ/, ks, ɡz | /ˈiks/, /ˈʃeiʃ/ | , | |
| Y y | i grega | /ˈi ˈɡɾeɡə/ | /i/, /j/ | /ˈi ˈɡɾeɡa/ | , | |
| Z z | zeta | /ˈzetə/ | /z/, /s/ | /ˈzeta/ | , | |
Read more about this topic: Catalan Orthography
Famous quotes containing the words letter and/or names:
“For each letter received from a creditor, write fifty lines on an extraterrestrial subject and you will be saved.”
—Charles Baudelaire (1821–1867)
“The instincts of merry England lingered on here with exceptional vitality, and the symbolic customs which tradition has attached to each season of the year were yet a reality on Egdon. Indeed, the impulses of all such outlandish hamlets are pagan still: in these spots homage to nature, self-adoration, frantic gaieties, fragments of Teutonic rites to divinities whose names are forgotten, seem in some way or other to have survived mediaeval doctrine.”
—Thomas Hardy (1840–1928)