Accents: When a J can be a Y and when an A can be an E

A few years ago, I read Barry Farber's How to Learn Any Language. Aside from being filled with a lot of helpful tips on how to study languages, it also included this gem on accents:

"Nobody is arrested for indecent exposure just because he dresses poorly. On the other hand, a person unconcerned about dress will never impress us with his appearance. It's the same with a proper accent. As long as you're going to go through the trouble of learning a language, why not try -at the very little extra cost- to mimic the genuine accent." [Barry Farber]

If there's one thing I'm obsessed about, more so than grammar tables (which wallpaper my room), it's nailing an accent down. I suppose it's because of my training in theatre arts that I have this trained ear for accents but the obsession with it is certainly something I was born with. I have always loved mentally filing away phrases, sentences, and monologues in accents that I found interesting. This would explain why I spend so much time repeating troublesome words out loud, over and over, until I can be sure that I have nailed it. I see correct pronunciation not only as a way to make myself understood better by native speakers, but also as an outward sign of respect for the language itself.

When I decided to learn Euskara and Català, I took some time to explore the different accents and dialacts from each language. Here is a very simplified explanation of what I learned: (it's simplified because even I, who sometimes enjoys a lesson in grammar, can find the entire thing quite tedious)

Euskara: Dialects and Accents

Depending on the source, Euskara has about 6-9 distinct dialects which differ from Batua (Unified Basque):

- Bizkaian
- Gipuzkoan
- Upper Navarrese
- Lower Navarrese
- Lapurdian
- Zuberoan

Of all six, perhaps the one I would be most familiar with would be Gipuzkoan as Batua is based heavily in Gipuzkoan vocabulary. I'm not quite at the level wherein I can identify differences between dialacts however I can identify small differences in the way certain letters are pronounced. For example:

- the letter J: according to Gorka Aulestia, the letter J is normally pronounced like a Spanish J, especially in places like Gipuzkoa. However, in Batua, the letter J is pronounced as a Y.

- the letter H: many years ago, particularly in Iparralde, the letter H was actually pronounced like an English H, however this is rarely heard nowadays and in Batua it is silent (as it is in Spanish and French). This would explain why the only time I have ever heard it pronounced was in a program featuring an interview with a very old Basque priest from Lapurdi.

I originally wanted to pronounce the letter J the Gipuzkoan way (I imagine that my ancestors from Hondarribia in Gipuzkoa would have pronounced it that way too... unless Hondarribia had its own now-lost dialect) and for a time I did just that, however, as my main form of studying Basque is taught using Batua, I have slowly ended up pronouncing the J as a Y.

Here are some samples you guys can listen to:

- Andoni Iraola (football player for Athletic Club) in a press conference. He has an interesting accent that I'm assuming is typical of Gipuzkoa (he's from Usurbil). He also seems to favour phrases such as "baina, beno" and "ba, beno".

- Amaren Alabak. One of the first few songs I listened to in Euskara were songs by Amaren Alabak. If you listen closely, you'll be able to detect nasal tones that are reminiscent of French. Also, I have read that the Zuberoan (or Xiberuan) dialact has one extra vowel: ü

- EiTB.com. I'm not really at the point wherein I can watch a series in Euskara and understand it but I still take time to watch some clips or an episode here and there just so I can get a feel for the language, the accents, and the speed in which people speak it. You can check out shows like Goenkale or Wazemank.

Català: Dialects and Accents

In broad terms, Català in terms of dialect can be divided into two:

- Western Catalan (this would include Valencià, Andorrà, Lleidatà, etc)
- Eastern Catalan (this would include Rosellonès, Barceloní, Mallorquí, etc)

I've read quite a bit about the differences between the dialects but what really catches my attention are the accents. The accents that stand out the most for me are those from Valencia, Lleida, and Mallorca.

I don't quite know exactly how to explain the differences between the accents so instead of trying to bungle my way through a half-baked explanation, I might as well just provide some samples for you guys to listen to:

- Canal 9. This is a channel broadcast in the Valencian language. To my ears, Valencià sounds like Català but with a more distinct Spanish pronunciation. Of course, there are also quite a few differences in terms of grammar as well. (I would have also placed a video of Raúl Albiol giving an interview in Valencià as he has a very intesting accent but since his traitorous move to Real Madrid, I haven't been to keen to listen to him speak, so...)

- Hat Trick Barça interviews Bojan Krkic. Whenever I would hear Bojan give an interview, I always wondered if his accent sounded so different because he might have grown up speaking Català as second language or something like that but a friend later on told me that his accent is typical in the province of Lleida.

- Carles Puyol interview. Like Bojan, Puyol also has a strong accent. In fact, I think the carefully crafted central Catalan accent I'm working in is now mutating into the sort of accent that Puyol has. I listen to his interviews as well as Xavi Hernández's a lot and at times, I end up mimicking Puyol's accent and at time's Xavi's. Compare the real Puyol's accent with the spoofed version created by Jordi Rios in Crackòvia.

- Crackòvia's Rafa Nadal. I know, I know, it might not be a good idea to use spoofs and sketch comedy to illustrate accents because they are so overdone (for comedic effect) but I must point out that in my program for learning Català (the wonderful Parla.cat), the Mallorquí accent of one of the characters is exactly the same as Xisca's. Now that I think about it, the Lleidatà accent of one of the program's characters is also exactly the same as Bojan Krkic's...
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So you want to learn Català...

A few weeks ago, I posted on the different methods you can use to learn Euskara and now I thought I would do the same for Català. I am currently not using any specific program as I find that since I speak Spanish, I can already understand around 35%-50% of Català. I do intend on using a program later on though as I fall under the category of people who actually like learning grammatical concepts.

• Català in Catalunya - Like with Euskara, this option is also the most expensive option, however, you will have the benefit of a total immersion into the language as well as the culture. Clicking on the link will send you to the webpage of Intercat and listed there are at least 10 universities in Catalunya that offer a course in Català.

• University courses - When I was first searching for more information on learning Català, I happened upon the website for CARLA (Center for Advanced Research on Language Acquisition) and through that site, I was able to find about 10 universities in North America that offer courses in Català. As far as I know, all courses are in-campus only.
  

• Intercat - It's a great online resource and although it is target more for students visiting universities in Catalunya, it also offers tools for independent study as well as tips on learning the language. [This site seems to be a goldmine of fantastic resources and I plan on going through them more this winter break and I'll be sure to go into more detail about it in a separate entry.]
  

• Self-study books - There are a few self-study books out there written for people who want to learn Català. I am currently using one of the most commonly (and highly) recommended books out there called, Teach Yourself Catalan: A Complete Course for Beginners by Alan Yates. Aside from that, I have also been pointed to course of books called Digui, digui [note: thanks to commenter, Jim, I've found out that Digui, digui is completely in Català]
  

• Articles/Shows - Although I'm the sort who enjoys learning about the grammatical concepts in a new language, I also enjoy just jumping into it and immersing myself through reading in it or listening to it being spoken. As I am unable to just hop on to a plane and land in Barcelona, I make do with a variety of resources online. I tend to check out articles on Avui, an online newspaper in Català as well as articles and interviews on FC Barcelona's website. I don't always fully understand what is going on but with the help of my diccionari, I get by. I also go to TV3 to watch videos of shows in Català (being a huge Barça and just all around footie fan, I love this program called Crackòvia) and although this is quite harder to understand because of different accents among other things, it's also a great way to pick up some words and phrases here and there.
  

I find that when it comes to learning languages, it's best to use more than just one method. In my case, I find that limiting myself to just one method would be to ensure boredom and eventual lack of interest. This is why I set myself a buffet table of different methods and I pick and choose which ones work best for me and which ones I feel like making use of, depending on my mood and the time I have to spend.

I plan on compiling a list of resources along with links on where to find access/find them. I'll definitely separate them into two entries: one for Euskara and one for Català.
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