Page 2: Advanced Vowel Phonetics

This section delves deeper into vowel phonetics, particularly focusing on the transcription of 'i' and 'u' in diphthongs and the concept of stressed syllables.

Definition: When 'i' and 'u' form part of a diphthong, they are transcribed as /j/ and /w/ respectively.

Example:

• Riuen → /ríwan/
• Taula → /tàwlə/
• Treure → /trεwrə/

Highlight: In unstressed positions, 'a' and 'e' are transcribed as /ə/ (schwa).

The page presents a systematic classification of vowel sounds:

• Tonic vocalism (stressed position)
• Atonic vocalism (unstressed position)

Page 5: Consonant Contact Phenomena

This page details the phenomena that occur when consonants come into contact with each other.

Highlight: Voicing rules are particularly important in Catalan consonant combinations.

Example:

• Fred hivernal → /frɛtivernal/
• Club de futbol → /kulbdə/

The page includes a comprehensive chart of:

• Articulation points
• Sonority features
• Consonant types

Page 7: Gemination

The final page focuses on gemination in Catalan phonetics.

Definition: Gemination refers to the double pronunciation of a phoneme.

Example:

• Futbol (tb → bb)
• Setmana (tm → mm)
• Atlàntic (tl → ll)

The page provides a comprehensive list of gemination cases and their phonetic transcriptions.

Page 1: Introduction to Phonetics and Vowel Sounds

This page introduces fundamental concepts of Catalan phonetics, focusing on phonemes and vowel sounds. The content explains how phonemes represent the graphic representation of sounds and their various manifestations in writing.

Definition: Phonemes are the graphic representation of sounds, written between bars (e.g., /s/).

Example: The phoneme /s/ can be represented by multiple letters: s, ss, ç, c.

Highlight: All vowels in Catalan are voiced, meaning the vocal cords vibrate during pronunciation.

The page details different vowel combinations:

• Hiatus (corri/a)
• Diphthongs (aigua, aire, nau)
• Open vowels (/a/, /ɛ/, /ɔ/)
• Closed vowels (/e/, /o/, /i/, /u/)

Vocabulary: Diphthongs can be either rising (strong vowel + weak vowel) or falling (weak + weak vowel).