You have, no doubt, heard: there is a language called Catalan and it is spoken in Catalonia. Among other places. But have you really heard the language itself? For both visitors and new arrivals in Catalonia - and especially in Barcelona - one of the difficulties in learning Catalan can, in fact, be hearing the language spoken, such is the misguided enthusiasm of some locals in "helping" you by addressing you in Spanish, or perhaps even worse, in a severely broken English. Which is a great shame for many reasons. For one thing, learning a language does not just consist of practicing the essential greetings, verbs and structures. It also means hearing words and sounds that surprise and delight you - and then trying them out for ourselves.
So here's a collection of some of the Catalan words that are the most linguistic fun. These are not words to learn because you are going to absolutely need them - but rather, ten words that you might just want to enjoy getting your tongue around. Turn on your sound and listen to the 'what it sounds like' links via the Forvo pronunciation dictionary. Then have a go yourself.
1. carquinyoli
What it sounds like
What it means: A carquinyoli is a type of Catalan sweet bread, like crunchy toast with an almond flavour.
Language notes: The distinctive Catalan "ny" sound followed by the "l" are easy on the ear.
Carquinyolis / Photo: MCapdevila-Wikimedia Commons
2. pampallugues
What it sounds like
What it means: Pampallugues are flashing or flickering lights that momentarily blind or disorientate you, a bit like the strobe effect when you close and open your eyes repeatedly and quickly.
Language notes: A word full of soft and bouncy consonants (p, m, g) - also note how the 'll' in the middle of a Catalan word sounds something like an English 'y' in the same place. And how the last syllable rhymes with the English 'buzz'.
3. xerinola
What it sounds like
What it means: Possibly the word in the list that is most entertaining in terms of its meaning: xerinola is boisterous, noisy fun. It's a word that's used less and less in Catalonia, one that you might hear from an older person. So why not make it live again?
Language notes: Whereas English has very few words starting with 'x', Catalan has quite a lot. Note how a Catalan 'x' in this position sounds somewhere between an English 'sh' and a 'ch'.
4. embarbussament
What it sounds like
What it means: A word that lives up to its meaning. An embarbussament is a word or phrase that is difficult to pronounce, usually intended as a game.
Language notes: Something to trip you in almost every syllable here. The 'em' at the start sounds more like the English word 'am', the letter 'r' gets a little tongue flap here whereas English speakers might tend to make it silent, that third syllable has a vowel sound like the 'oo' in 'wood', and in much of Catalonia, the final 't' in a word ending '-ment' is virtually silent. Uff!
5. pessigolles
What it sounds like
What it means: It's all about tickling. But whereas in English we use the active verb 'to tickle', this word in Catalan describes the sensation you feel when you are the person being tickled. "Fer pessigolles" is to tickle.
Language notes: There's that Catalan double 'll' again, more like an English 'y' than a 'l' or 'll'. Also, for experts, if you listen closely to the 2 recorded versions of the pronunciation, you'll even hear the regional differences in how they say the last syllable: 'yuz' or 'yez'.
6. libèl·lula
What it sounds like
What it means: Dragonfly. Also known in Catalan as an espiadimonis (a word not on this list, but it could be).
Language notes: That strange dot in the middle of the two letters 'l' is the famous 'geminate l' of the Catalan language, and as you'll hear in the recorded version, it's a very stretched out 'l' sound - so long you could almost stop for a break in the middle, as it seems to suggest visually. Also, note the obert (grave) accent on the 'e': like most accents in Catalan, it's used to indicate the stressed syllable in a word that doesn't follow normal stress rules.
7. xiuxiuejar
What it sounds like
What it means: To whisper.
Language notes: There's a touch of onomatopoeia here, for sure: the sound suggests the meaning. Those two 'x' syllables invite you to pronounce them very softly. And so does the mellow Catalan 'j' - which is between an English 'j' and an even softer 'zh' - and very different to the gutteral Spanish 'j'.
8. atzavara
What it sounds like
What it means: Succulent plant brought from the Americas which in English is usually called an agave.
Language notes: Sounds that draw you in closer - linguistically - to this thorny plant than you might like to get physically. Note how the Catalan 'v' is softer than the English one. And don't forget to flick your tongue as you say the 'r'.
9. moixaina
What it sounds like
What it means: A word as gentle as what it represents: an affectionate caress made by passing your hand across someone's face.
Language notes: Here we have another of the Catalan language's 'x' permutations - specifically the 'ix' which is another of those soft sounds, like an 'sh' in English. Listen to it.
10. bonic, bonica
What it sounds like
What it means: pretty, handsome, beautiful, agreeable, nice. This simple little adjective is perhaps out of place in a list of strange and complex words, but it is arguably one of the most beautiful of Catalan words. As well as an essential part of your vocabulary if you are embarking on a journey into the Catalan language.
Language notes: There are two forms of the word written above, because it's an adjective - but in fact it has four different forms: masculine and feminine, each of which can be either singular or plural. So here are all four forms, in phrases you can listen to:
Quadre bonic = Nice painting
Bonics = Handsome lads! [when said to, say, a group of young men]
Barcelona és bonica = Barcelona is pretty.
Les dones són boniques = The women are beautiful.
As for the mysteries of why the feminine plural form of the word ends with '-ques', we'll leave that to another chapter... See you soon! Or rather, fins aviat!