Catalan Dialects: Characteristics and Lexicon

Posted on Jan 14, 2025 in Latin

The intervocalic /-d-/ usually becomes silent, especially in the suffixes -ada, -ador.
Use of possessive forms: lo, la, los, les (the); ma (my), ta (your), sa (his/her).
Demonstratives have three degrees of deixis: este/esta (this), eixe/això (that), aquell/aquella (that over there).
The first person singular of the present indicative does not take -o.
The imperfect subjunctive uses the desinences -és, -esses, -éssem, -ésseu, -essen.
Frequent use of diminutives.
Own lexicon:
- Creïlles (potatoes)
- Tombar (to fall)
- Eixir (to leave)
- Vesprada (evening)
- Fardatxo (lizard)
- Cuinar (to cook)
- Fregar (to wash dishes)
- Rabera (herd)
- Dacsa (maize)
- Paret (wall)
- Brossat (cottage cheese)
In many cases, the intervocalic /-d-/ becomes silent.
Generally, the final /-d/ of a word does not become silent.
The group /-bl-/ when between vowels is articulated as /-bl-/.

The gender of some words does not coincide with the standard variety.
Certain words with plural ending in -ns lose the -n.
The first person singular of the present indicative ends in -i.
The verb ser (to be) is often used as an auxiliary: jo som anat (I have gone).
Monosyllabic infinitive verbs have an -e ending: dir (to say).
In negative sentences, no disappears, and the structure is adv + verb.
Own lexicon:
- Sentir (to hear)
- Llaví (lip)
- Cuc (worm)
- Triar (to choose)
- Estella (splinter)
- Mans (hands)
- Jaupar (to bark)
- Reguer (furrow)
- Got (glass)
- Paleta (trowel)
- Dany (damage)
- Estació (station)
- Conill (rabbit)
- Retrat (photograph)
- Cotxe (car)
- Truita (omelette)
The groups /-ld/, /-ndr/, /-ldr/ usually disappear.
All proparoxytone words become paroxytone.
There are only five tonic vowels: /a/, /e/, /i/, /o/, /u/, without open or closed /e/ and /o/.

Inchoative verbs take the increment -eix.
The first person singular of the present indicative does not take -o: jo miro (I look).
The voiced affricate sound /dz/ tends to become voiceless /ts/.
Normally, the final groups -nt, -lt, and -rt are not pronounced.
The fricative sound /f/ tends to become affricate /ts/.

Use of the “salat” article: es, sa, es, ses.
The personal article en, na is used in all cases.
The first person singular of the present indicative of the first and third conjugation verbs does not take an ending: jo estim (I love).
The tonic pronouns for the first and second person plural are nosaltres and vosaltres.
Verb endings -eixo, -eixes, -eix change to -esc, -eixes, -eix.
Own lexicon:
- Al·lot (boy)
- Diners (money)
- Calçons (trousers)
- Llinatge (surname)
- Horabaixa (afternoon)
- Xot (lamb)
- Idò (and so)
- Paleta (bricklayer)
- Renou (noise)
- Ca (dog)
- Més (more)
/v/ is pronounced as a labiodental.
The group /ll/ is pronounced as /i/ in some cases.
The group /l/-/s/-/t/ becomes /n/-/t/.

The first person singular of the present indicative does not take an ending: jo passo (I pass), jo pinto (I paint).
Masculine definite article: lo, los.
Possessives are: meu/mea, teu/tua, seu/sua, nostro/nostra, vostro/vostra.
Diminutive suffix: -utxo.
Superlative is formed by repeating the adjective.
Own lexicon:
- Cama (leg)
- Assai (very)
- Ecco (behold)
- Lego (soon)
- Lo dinar (lunch)
- Alora (then)
The consonant /-r-/ at the end of a word becomes /-l/.
The group /-rl-/ becomes /-r-/.
The digraphs ll and ny in the final position are pronounced as /l/ and /n/, respectively.

Use of the masculine article lo, los.
The first person singular of the present indicative does not take -o.
The imperfect subjunctive endings are in -e: que jo cantés, que nosaltres partíssim.
Own lexicon:
- Trèbol (clover)
- Canella (faucet)
- Sarpa (bunch)
The initial tonic /a/ tends to become the diphthong /au/.
The initial tonic /e/ becomes /a/.