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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