Parla.cat - THE coolest language-learning resource

A week ago, I finally decided to start studying Català in a more structured way (i.e. joining a program) instead of doing my usual thing of just reading articles and listening to music. I signed up for a course at Parla.cat [parla-pun-cat]- which is a fantastic program that you can access in five languages: English, Spanish, Català, French and German.


Parla.cat offers four learning levels of Català: Basic, Elementary, Intermediate and Sufficiency. Within those four levels are three grades (Basic 1, Basic 2, Basic 3 and so on) and each grade lasts approximately three months and is equivalent to about 45 hours of study.

There are two methods used in Parla.cat: self-managed learning and with a tutor. The former is completely free and you can access all materials in the course while the latter costs 90€ and will give the student access to a tutor who will serve as a guide.

One of the things that first kept me from registering with Parla.cat immediately was because of the registration process. I was asked to put in the numbers for an ID document and I could choose from the ff: NIF, NIE, Passport, and Other. I had to send an email to ask for clarifications and apparently NIF is a number assigned for Spanish citizens and NIE is for non-citizen residents of Spain. I ended up putting my Passport number instead although I was assured that even the number from my ID card in my local university would be accepted.

Read on for some more details on why Parla.cat might just be one of the coolest language-learning programs out there!

Once I had registered, I took what they call a Test of Levels which, given my rudimentary knowledge of the language, was pretty tough! In the program, they allow you take the Test of Levels once every month to assess how you are doing. I was tested at the Elementary 2 level and because of that, the Elementary 2 course was unlocked and I could have started from there but I wanted to be able to start from the very beginning in order to build a firm foundation in the language so I opted to start with Basic 1 instead.

Basic 1 is divided into 7 unitats (units) and one of the great things about each unit is the final task. For example, after the first unit you must be able to complete a card with a persons basic information in it. In the second unit, you must be able to write a little something about your own family.

Another fantastic bit about the program is that there is so much opportunity to hear Català spoken and in a variety of accents. One character has a strong Mallorquín (from Mallorca) accent, another a strong Lleidatà (from Lleida) and yet another a very central accent (from Barcelona). Also the animated letter T (which serves to explain some of the grammatical concepts) speaks in Català but they also provide a transcript which you can toggle between Català to English/Spanish/French/German so you can fully understand what is being said.

My only complaint about the program is that their recording function does not seem to work, at least not for me. In each activity there is usually a function wherein you can use your headset to record the same phrase and it will be compared with the original sentence and the program will give a percentage rating based on how similar your pronunciation is. In my case, the program goes only so far as to recognise my headset but when I record my sentences they do not appear.

Aside from the course programs, Parla.cat also has what they call the Virtual Rambla wherein they have a collection of multi-media resources that will help the student in their studies. The Virtual Rambla is divided into seven sections: to read, to watch, to be informed, to play, to listen, and to communicate. I've discovered so many great things through the Virtual Rambla and was even able to watch an episode of The Adventures of Tintin in Català!

So with all these free resources at your fingertips, there really is no excuse anymore for not being able to learn Català. :)
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[BOGAnotes] Things I learned in the 1st strata

Yesterday, I took the 20-part final exam to finish the 1st strata of the BOGA program. This time around, it was much easier than before as I had a better foundation in some of the tougher-to-grasp grammatical concepts. I also think that the somewhat-tough exercises in the review portion helped properly prepare me for the final exam.

As I was flipping through my notes for the 1st strata, I thought it would be a good idea to post some of the things I've learned here. Hopefully, new Euskara-learners will be able to gain new information and native-Euskara speakers will be able to see how non-native speakers see their language. (Please feel free to offer any corrections/tips/observations!)

Things I learned in the 1st strata:

• Euskara has no gender = Unlike Català (and many other languages), nouns in Euskara have no gender, that is, they do not come in masculine or feminine forms.

• Sentences are constructed in a very different way compared to English = Even a simple sentence like: "I am Isabel" comes out very different in Euskara: "Ni Isabel naiz" wherein Ni = I, Isabel = Isabel (although technically, the form in Euskara is Ixabel), and naiz = am. This certainly makes things interesting as I often find myself having to resist the urge to translate directly from English and using the same sentence structure (a very bad idea and one pitfall every language-learner must avoid).

• The article 'the' is not a separate word, rather it takes the form of the letter 'a' which is added at the end of the word = In the BOGA program, new vocabulary words are usually given in the definite form- with the +a already attached, however, in the dictionaries* I use, they always give the indefinite form of the word. Keep in mind though, that some words already do end in an 'a' (called a organikoa). Examples: futbolariA = a footballer/the footballer (remove the +a and it just becomes footballer) and now an example of a word with an organic a: kamiseta = shirt/a shirt/the shirt.

This is the part where I get a little bit more into the grammatical concepts, so new Euskara-learners might find this bit confusing though I do hope you guys will come back to it once you are further along in your studies.

• If the noun goes before the demonstrative, it is in the indefinite form = It took me a while to remember this rule and I did not quite get it up until I compared these two sentences: Hau zubia da = This is a bridge & Zubi hau berria da = This bridge is new.
  

• When an element accompanies an interrogative pronoun it is in the indefinite form = This was not confusing at all except I did experience some problems for sentences in plural form as I would end up writing: Zubiak horiek berriak dira instead of the correct version: Zubi horiek berriak dira.
  

Aside from all that I have previously mentioned, I was able to build up quite a vocabulary of words from the 1st strata which I have made into flashcards so I can make sure that they are engraved in my memory.

Although the 1st strata was a lot of fun, I'm quite happy to be able to move on to the 2nd strata as I'll be taking one step closer to my goal of being fluent in Euskara.

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* I make use of Gorka Aulestia and Linda White's Basque-English, English-Basque Dictionary as well as a compact Euskara-Gaztelania, Castellano-Euskara Dictionary. Leer más...

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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[Music] Ken Zazpi

I firmly believe that one of the best ways to learn a language is through music, and with that in mind, I thought I'd introduce some Basque artists whose music have helped me learn.

One of the things I have noticed about music in Euskara is that there aren't that many genres to choose from. It usually comes in either folk, ska or metal and although I do, on occasion enjoy music within those genres, I find that rock isn't as strongly represented... at least not with the music I have been exposed to.

That said, I did find a great band within the rock/pop-rock genre called Ken Zazpi and I've chosen to feature them, along with their latest album Argiak, in this blog.




I don't know much about Ken Zazpi other than the information found in their Wikipedia page which is limited to a short blurb about the members of the band as well as their four albums, but I do know that their song, "Noizbait" is one of the best songs in Euskara I have ever heard.

Have a listen and you might agree with me:



And here are the lyrics:

Isiltasunak non zauden galdetzen dit noiznahi
zure izena mila aldiz oihukatuz noiznahi
egutegiko orriak aurpegiratu dit
zenbat gau pasatu dudan itzarrik
zu ez zadenetik

Aska gaitezen malkoz esan zenidan noizbait
izango dugu gure aukera seguru noizbait
geroztik noraezean barneko ekaitzetan
arraunean ibiltzen naiz zure mezu baten zain

Bila nazazu izar bako gauetan
gida nazazu zure itsasertzera noizbait

Iritsiko naiz
argiak jarraituz
iritsiko naiz berriz saiatuz
noizbait
itzuliko naiz
aurkituko zaitut
begiak itxiz gertu sentituz

Bila nazazu argiontziaz
gidatu nazazu itsasertzera

Iritsiko naiz
argiak jarraituz
iritsiko naiz berriz saiatuz
noizbait
itzuliko naiz
aurkituko zaitut
begiak itxiz gertu sentituz

There is also a translation into Spanish here in Musikazblai- a very handy tool for searching up song lyrics (and translations if you're lucky) in Euskara, Català and Galego (Galician).

One of the things that "Noizbait" really helped me with early on in my journey was the pronunciation of zenbat (how much) wherein an N + B turns into an M, so you pronounce it as if it were sembat instead of zenbat.

Although music in Euskara can be hard to find outside of Euskal Herria, I'm happy to be able to say that Argiak can be purchased for $8.99 as a digital download on Amazon. With songs like "Gernikan", "Olatuz olatu" and "Gaueko argiak" it's well worth it.

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An in-depth look at the BOGA program

As I stated in a previous entry, the BOGA program, created by HABE (Institute for the teaching of Basque and Basque Language Literacy to adults), is my main method for learning Euskara. Seeing as I intend to blog about my experiences with the program, among other things, I feel like I should at least give a more thorough explanation.

When I started using the BOGA program a few months ago, I did so by sending an email to the Basque Museum in Boise, Idaho. I chose it quite randomly from a list at the original website for the BOGA program. After getting into contact with the Basque Museum, I mailed a cheque for $20, which was the cost of the four activation discs as at that time, the program was accessible only through CD-rom.

As I was starting the 2nd strata, the program conked out completely and I was left without it for at least two months up until the new and completely online BOGA program was launched. This new program, as far as I can tell, includes all the same content as its predecessor only this time, every quiz the student takes is viewable by the assigned teacher, making it easier for the latter to pinpoint areas wherein the student needs more help. Also, instead of a one-time fee of $20 for the activation discs, this new program costs $50 per semester.

One of the great things about BOGA is that it makes use of a number of sketches in order to present certain grammatical concepts. For instance, in the 1st saio, we meet Andoni and Mikel, two friends who have just arrived at Bilbo (Bilbao) and as they spend time there taking in the sights, they come across Andoni's friend Ixabel and her co-worker Ainhoa. As they spend time together, Andoni pairs off with Ixabel and Mikel with Ainhoa and... well, I think I'd rather not ruin the surprise ending for this particular storyline.

Aside from the sketches there is a virtual teacher (with a photo of a woman and the cartoon body of a genie) who explains some of the grammatical concepts. In a very nit-picky way, I must admit I don't particularly like the virtual teacher-genie. I find her voice quite distracting as she manages to mispronounce words in Euskara and English and I know this because there is another voice within the program that sometimes says the exact same words except she does so correctly.

Also, within each saio, there are about 15 or so mini-quizzes. These are quite easy and are usually fill-in-the-blank or multiple choice. However, at the end of each saio, there are three difficult evaluation tests. It is my experience that sometimes, these tests include concepts that were not discusses or that were glossed-over in the preceding saio, which is why I feel like there are still changes that need to be made to the BOGA program.

All in all, I would give the program a rating of 7/10. I took off points for errors in the program, its propensity for crashing (apparently the database is susceptible to overloading) whilst I'm in the middle of a saio and also for its incomplete lessons as I find myself having to turn to other resources to fully understand some concepts.

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[Books] The Basque History of the World

One of the first books I decided to pick to learn more about Basques was Mark Kurlansky's The Basque History of the World. I knew beforehand about the positive and negative reviews but I felt that I needed something that gave me a broad view of everything from food to politics to culture but without being too heavy (I could always go into that later on).

One of the main reasons why Kurlansky's book is great for a beginner (i.e. someone completely unfamiliar with Basque history) is because of its readability factor. He is able to present such polemic topics as nationalism in a way that draws people in and forces them to want to know more.

I also love how the book is sprinkled with poetry (Gabriel Aresti's Nire aitaren etxea defendituko dut), quotes about Basques from famous works (Ernest Hemingway's The Sun Also Rises) and interesting recipes (bacalao al pil-pil).

As I learned more about Basque history, I did come out with one major gripe about Kurlansky's book. I felt that when it came to certain issues pertaining to armed-struggle in Basque nationalism, he did not give a clear and balanced view. Perhaps he might have wanted to downplay the negative aspect of armed-struggle to counterbalance the anti-nationalist bias being perpetrated by the Madrid press but I would have rather he presented both sides of the story on an equal level so the reader can be informed and come to their own decision about things.

Still, all that aside, I think Kurlansky ended up writing a great book. It certainly is one of my favourites and I always suggest it to people who are either unfamiliar with Basque history or people who simply think all Basques are racist terrorists who hate Spain.

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So you want to learn Euskara...

When I finally decided that I was serious about learning Euskara, I decided to search for a way to learn the language while at the same time not have to resort to eating ramen noodles for the rest of my life. I decided to do a little research into the methods people use to learn Euskara and here are some you can try out:

• Euskara in the Basque Country - This could very well be the most expensive option for people living outside of the the Basque Country, however if you choose this route you will have the benefit of a total immersion into the language as well as the culture. Unfortunately, I cannot provide a single link that features all the euskaltegiak (Basque Language Centers) that accept foreign students. Once I do find it, it will be posted here.

• University Courses - As far as I know, there are only two Universities in the United States that offer courses in Euskara. The first is Boise State University, which offers a Basque Studies Minor and Certificate and the the second is the University of Nevada,Reno, which offers a Basque Studies Minor both in-campus and online.

• BOGA program - BOGA is an online program created by the Eusko Jaurlaritza (Basque Government) designed to teach adults Euskara and to provide them with a knowledge base sufficient enough to pass the EGA (Euskararen Gaitasun Agiria)- which is a proficiency test and mandatory for anyone who wishes to work for the Basque Government. The BOGA program is, compared to the first two methods, quite affordable as the current tuition is $50 per semester.

• Self-study Books - There are a few books out there designed to help students learn Euskara and they range from the simple, Beginner's Basque by Wim Jansen to the more complex, The Basque Language: A Practical Introduction by Alan R. King. When I first started learning about Euskara, a number of people have told me it would be sheer madness to try and learn it by myself however I don't think it would be wise to discredit all of the self-study books. I think that some could be used a great introduction to the language, especially if you are not completely sure if you want to seriously pursue it or not and it can also be used to supplement your current program.

I am currently making use of the BOGA program as my main resource for learning Euskara. I chose it as the $50 per semester along with the online access was a great fit for me because it wouldn't burn a big hole in my wallet and it wouldn't require me to have to lose time for work as I can easily do it during my free time.

The program itself is entertaining as it is filled with interesting sketches, exercises and tests. However, it also has its flaws, the major one being its propensity for crashing for a few days. I also find that the explanations in English sound quite unnatural at times, as if it were translated into English by a non-native speaker and although that can easily be ignored, it can sometimes cause a bit of confusion. But I firmly believe that even with those flaws, it can be a very valuable tool.

I am also studying Euskara through a book called Bakarka I: Método de aprendizaje individual del euskera by J.A. Letamendia. This teaches Euskara (or Euskera as it is called in Spanish) through the medium of the Spanish language. I find that whenever there is any concept or grammatical rule that I cannot quite understand when explained in English, I need only read it in Spanish and it suddenly becomes clear.
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