Pronunciation


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Vowels

Sign

Sound

Examples

a, à

a

casal tumbledown house [ka'zal]   farà he'll do [fa'ra]

a

O

annada year [annadO]   cabra she-goat ['kabrO]

á

O

veniá he was coming [be'njO]   farmaciá pharmacy [farma'sjO]

e, é

e

sec dry [sek]   espés thick [es'pes]

è

E

venguèt he came [Ben'GEt]   après afterwards [a'prEs]

i, í

i

tiri I pull ['tiri]   aquí here [a'ki]

o, ó

U

Tolosa Toulouse [tU'lUzO]   urós happy [y'rUs]

ò

O

aquò that [a'kO]   pòrti I wear ['pOrti]

u, ú

y

luna moon ['lynO]   dessús above, over [de'sys]

 Diphthongs

Sign

Sound

Examples

ai

aj

paire father

['pajre]

 

faire to do, make

['fajre]

au

aw

laurar to plough

[law'ra]

 

causa thing

['kawza]

ei, éi

ej

veire to see

['Bejre]

 

créisser to grow

['krejse]

èi

Ej

èime [good] sense

['Ejme]

 

pèira stone

['pEjrO]

eu

ew

deute debt

['dewte]

 

beure to drink

['bewre]

èu

Ew

nèu snow

[nEw]

 

tèune thin

['tEwne]

oi, ói

Uj

coire copper

['kUjre]

 

conóisser to know

[kU'nUjse]

òi

Oj

còire to cook

['kOjre]

 

fòire to hoe

['fOjre]

òu

Ow

plòure to rain

['plOwre]

 

mòure to move

['mOwre]

iu

iw

viure to live

['Biwre]

 

siure cork

['siwre]

Consonants

Sign

Position

Sound

Examples

g

before e, i

dJ

roge red [r'UdJe]   fugís he runs away [fu'dJis]

g

final

tS

freg cold [fretS]   puèg hill [puEtS]

j

all positions

dJ

mièja half f. ['miEdJO]      

m

final

n

clarum clearness [kla'ryn]   fum smoke [fyn]

n

all positions

n

vent wind [ben]   ... ...

n

final

often mute

man hand [ma[n]]   camin way [ka'mi[n]]

r 

final

mute

cantar to sing [kan'ta]   professor teacher [prUfe'sU]

v

all positions

b / B

vila town ['BilO], ['bi-]   aver to have [a'Be], [a'be]

Consonantic Digraphs

Sign

Position

Sound

Examples

ch

all positions

tS

quichar to press [ki'tSa]   chòt owl [tSOt]

lh

initial & middle

L

palha straw ['paLO]   balhar to give [ba'La]

lh

final

l

talh cutting edge [tal]   telh lime-tree [tel]

nh

initial & middle

N

vinha vine ['BiNO]   banhar to bathe, to wet [ba'Na]

nh

final

n

planh moan [plan]   banh bath [ban]

tj

all positions

tS

vilatjon hamlet [bila'tSU]   ... ...

tz

all positions

ts

dotze twelve ['dUtse]   cantatz you sing [pl.] [kan'tats]

 

Pronunciation of consonnant clusters in final syllables

Cluster

Sound

Examples

-rn

[rt], [r], [n] or [ø]

carn meat

-cs

[ks], [ts], [tS], [s] or [ø]

sacs bags

-ts

[ts], [tS], [s] or [ø]

cantats sung

-ps

[ps], [ts], [tS], [s] or [ø]

taps corks

-ns

[ns], [s], or [ø]

pans loaves of bread

-ms

[ns], [n]

rams boughs

-nhs

[ns], [nks], [n]

banhs baths

-elhs

[ls], [j]

embolhs quarrels

-chs, -gs*

[ts], [tS], [s] or [ø]

lachs milks; gaug joys

-rs, -rç

[s] or [r]

cors lecture; tòrç bent

-ls

[bEls] or [bEs]

bèls tall or beautiful

-nc, -ng,

[nk] or [n]

banc bench; reng row

-nt, -nd,

[nt] or [n]

cant song; redond round

-mp, -mb

[mp] or [n]

bomb bound

-rc, rg,

[rk] or [r]

berc notch; larg wide

-rt, -rd,

[rt] or [r]

 

-rp, -rb, -rv

[rp] or [r]

sèrp snake; sèrv serf

Note: There is a tendancy to form the plural in -ches, and -ges [laches, gauges] =>[etses], [etSes].
 
 


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