No comments about Colloquial Catalan: A Complete Course for Beginners (Colloquial Series).

5 comments about Catalan (Teach Yourself).

1. I bought this book over a year ago and found it immediately useful for my limited purpose. I was learning a song cycle in Catalan and the pronunication guide at the beginning of Alan Yates's volume served me well, mainly because he uses International Phonetic Alphabet. Having studied IPA and other Romance languages, I was able to make a good phonetic transcription and then sing successfully in a langage I'd never heard spoken. If you know French and Spanish, you can read Catalan for comprehension, especially if you have a dictionary handy, which I did. When I got ready to move on to actually learning something about the spoken language I hit a snag. There are no audiotapes to accompany this book, and Catalan is not a language you can learn to pronounce well without an audio model. Transcribing every word in Yates's examples into IPA would take forever. So I called up the publisher, NTC, near Chicago. I was told that no tapes are available and there are no plans to publish any. Apart from this significant limitation, Yates's Catalan tutor is well organized and written. He admits to having used Kathleen Speight's Teach Yourself Italian as his model. I learned Italian from her book many years ago, and it's a gem; but Italian is much easier to learn to pronounce than Catalan. Bottom line: if you have a native speaker who can coach you on pronunciation, this would be a great book to use for your Catlan language study.



2. After my return from eastern Spain, I took up the study of learning Catalan, which was the language many of my ancestors spoke before they settled in the New World. While at a bookstore in Madrid, I encountered this book on a shelf and found it fascinating to read and study. while the language is primarily spoken in 4 countries (Catalonia, Spain; Southeastern France; Sardinia, Italy; and Andorra (its' official language) it still holds plenty of power in Europe, being one of the top ten most spoken in the European Union (although not official.

   The author took his time in researching the language and he clearly states the dialect taught in the book differs from other Catalan dialects such as Valenciano or Mallorquin. This is very important, especially if traveling and/or doing business in this region of Europe, where dialects are plenty. I read the book, and after a while, I surprised my pen pal near Barcelona with a letter in Catalan. He was blown away that I wrote the language so well on my first try.

   This book will help you learn grammar, vocabulary, and sentence structure, however as the other reviewer of this book said, the only thing negative is that there is no audio tapes to accompany this book. Many language books in the Teach Yourself! series have audio tapes, however it is very difficult to speak Catalan without listening to a native speaker. I had to go on the web to hear some examples, and even this is difficult, because only a few phrases are said.

   I contaced the publisher by mail, and I got the same response. There is not an audio companion to the book. I am so disappointed about this, however this shouldn't be a reason not to buy this book. Mr. Yates, who has written other books on the series has done an excellent job covering this once-forbidden language (Franco prohibited its' use in public during his regime).

   If you are interested in learning this language, I recommend the following books:

   (1) Cambridge Word Selector : English - Catalan

   (2) Catalan sin Enfuerzo (for Spanish speakers who want to learn Catalan)

   (3) Catalan Dictionary :English-Catalan/Catalan-English (by Routledge Press)

   Let's hope in the future that NTC Publishing will change its' mind and release an audio tape companion to this book, but for now, the best way to learn phonetically is to find a private tutor.




3. As anyone who has tried to learn Catalan knows, this is the most available book. However, it is often difficult and pedantic. I found that the University of Girona website was far more useful. As mentioned by other reviewers, trying to learn Catalan without language tapes, is nearly impossible. I am currently taking Intensive Catalan courses, and learned more in a week than I learned practicing with the book. If one is able to aquire a dictionary, and a copy of Xuriguera's "Els verbs Catalans Conjugats", you will move faster. The University of Girona, has the best formed intensive language class I have found. Check out their website and try to get a copy of their book. Adeus



4. It is a great book if you want to learn some Catalan, specially if you plan on going to Barcelona or Catalunya or know people that speak the language. It'll give you the basics for traveling and/or pulling a smile from your catalan friend....



5. I have really learned a lot from this book. Sad that it doesn't come with a pronunciation tape or CD. However,it will help you learn basic Catalan. It will also give you and idea of the countries that speak Catalan and the culture of this language.

No comments about Diccionari Pocket Catala Angles English Catalan/Pocket Dictionary Catalan English English Catalan.

No comments about Talk Now! Learn Catalan.

1 comments about Advanced 25 Language Phrasebook: German, French, Spanish, Catalan, Portuguese, Italian, Greek, Danish, Dutch, Swedish, Norwegian, Finnish, Czech, Polish, ... Chinese, Indonesian, Malay, and Thai..

1. Just bought this for my kindle. Looks like a good deal, basic coverage of many languages, including some not so common, such as Czech. If you travel a lot it's pretty useful. Not typical navigation though. I had a little trouble at first because of no "Table of Contents". Just go to the beginning, where it lists the different languages and then click the menu button to access these options.

5 comments about Nada (Catalan Studies, Vol 8).

1. I have read this book and i think its just one of the greatest stories of all times. It describes the life of a girl, Andrea, who moves to Barcelona to study in a post-war society. She lives in her grandmother's house with her aunt Angustias, her uncles Juan and Roman, Juan's wife, Gloria, their son, and the maid, Antonia. Carmen Laforet perfectly describes every situation, like the impression she got when she first walked into her new home, or her fragile relationship with Ena, the beautiful girl in college, who becomes her best friend, an who also is strangely attracted to Roman. This is the circle of situations in which the story develops. I highly recommend it.



2. I have read this book and i think its just one of the greatest stories of all times. It describes the life of a girl, Andrea, who moves to Barcelona to study in a post-war society. She lives in her grandmother's house with her aunt Angustias, her uncles Juan and Roman, Juan's wife, Gloria, their son, and the maid, Antonia. Carmen Laforet perfectly describes every situation, like the impression she got when she first walked into her new home, or her fragile relationship with Ena, the beautiful girl in college, who becomes her best friend, an who also is strangely attracted to Roman. This is the circle of situations in qhich the story develops. I highly recommend it.



3. "Nada" es el encanto original de Barcelona, la tenebrosa antigüedad de algunas calles, la noche como un compendio de aventuras confusas. Su virtud reside más en la rebuscada sicología de Andrea y sus congéneres que en la eficiente escritura de Carmen Laforet. Más que cualquier otra cosa, la casa de la calle Aribau es el logro mayor del libro, quedando para siempre su decadente y asfixiante impronta en el imaginario colectivo, un espacio habitualmente esquivo a las construcciones literarias.



4. This is an excellent novel. From the very beginning Carmen Laforet manages to create a very interesting and convincing atmosphere, the characters are full and the plot does not stagnate. I have read it several times and always enjoyed it.



5. I had to read this book first for a class but loved it so much I wanted a copy of my own. Carmen Laforet is an extremely talented author and a great read if you enjoy works from the posguerra period in Spain. I found it easier to read than some works by other posguerra authors (Spanish is my second language so I sometimes struggle with some vocabulary).

3 comments about Catalan: A Comprehensive Grammar (Routledge Grammars).

1. Routledge's and Blackwell's "Comprehensive Grammars" are perhaps the most complete linguistic surveys made today. Whether you're travelling to Catalonia, wish to read Catalan poetry, or are just linguistically interested in Catalan, this book can help you get an orderly and thorough understanding of the language, regardless of your initial level.

   While Catalan has undergone serious standardization programs in recent years, it still has wide regional variation, and this book addresses it fairly good. Besides, the book is very detailed (like all the books in the series I mentioned above), so you may wish to skip some parts of it if you use it just for reference.




2. If you are searching for a the most complete, extensive book on learning Catalan, then you search has ended. "Catalan: A Comprehensive Grammar" by authors Max. W. Wheeler, Alan Yates, and Nicolau Dols is the best book on the market in learning this widely spoken Romance language.

   Published by the magnificent British publishing giant, Routledge Press, this book will give you the lowdown on everything you need to read, write, and understand Catalan. Grammar, structure, verb conjugations are all covered here. Mr. Yates, who in my opinion is one of the best Catalan linguists in the world, previously wrote the excellent "Teach Yourself Catalan" book, which was the first book that allow me to comprehend Catalan in little time.

   Both Wheeler and Yates, who are professors at two universities in Great Britain, along with Dols, who teaches at a university in Spain, have done an excellent job in capturing the essence and importance of this language.

   While Catalan is primarily spoken only in four countries (Spain, France, Andorra, and Italy), it is a language that should be studied by those interested in Catalan studies. Travelers and businessmen to Catalonia and the Balearic Islands will find this book helpful in learning this language, that although it is the seventh most spoken in the European Union, it is not officially recognized by that organization.

   If you want to learn Catalan, I suggest the following books.

   (1) "Teach Yourself Catalan" by Alan Yates

   (2) "Catalan Sin Enfuerzo" by the Assimil staff (for Spanish speakers wanting to learn Catalan)

   (3) "Catalan-English Dictionary" by the Routledge Press staff (It is about $30)

   (4) "Cambridge Word Selector: English-Catalan" by the Cambridge University Press staff.

   With these books, you'll be mastering this once-forbidden language in no time. No trip to Barcelona, Catalonia, or the Balearic Islands can be fully enjoyed without learning the native language of the region's inhabitants.




3. This grammar, written by a team of excellent experts in Catalan linguistics, is useful to both (foreign) learners of the language and scholars of Romance or General Linguistics. The content is well structured and accessible to the non-expert, but without being superficial as happens with many learner's grammars. Being written in English and published by a reknown publisher, it reaches a large readership, which it deserves. The book also successfully tries to be complete on the level of linguistic variation, with different dialectal areas (Catalonian as well as Valencian and Balearic Catalan) and social strata being considered. There are other useful sources for either the learner of the language or the linguist, written in Catalan, Spanish, or even English (e.g. José I. Hualde's 1992 grammar published by the same publisher), but for the time being, I would recommand the Wheeler et al. book as the best choice for the learner and the second best choice for the linguist (the best linguistic choice being the "Gramàtica del català contemporani" reference grammar published in 2002 but difficult to get hold of outside Spain).

2 comments about Catalan Dictionary: Catalan-English, English-Catalan (Routledge Reference).

1. It is not unusual to see this dictionary in the hands of students at the Universitat de Barcelona. Unfortunately it was not available when I first arrived at that school. There are larger and smaller Catalan/English dictionaries that you can find, but this one is acceptable for toting around and it is still very useful for first-year Catalan language students. Being published in the UK it has a distinct British flavour. One very useful feature is the guide to conjugation of Catalan verbs. I also appreciated the inclusion of common useful phrases in both Catalan and English. If you are headed for Catalunya, it is best that you pick up this book before going to Spain, since it can be quite hard to find and expensive if you can find it. One shortcoming: the paperback binding is not as durable as I wished that it had been, and with the use that a typical student might put it through, it may start of unravel. Also bear in mind that this is not a professional translator's dictionary, but an excellent companion for a basic Catalan language text. Some native speakers of Catalan may differ with the use and meanings that are supplied, but given the diversity of Catalan and its many dialects, that is to be expected. Bona sort!



2. 1. The typeface is clear, sharp, and perfectly legible; 2. The format is exquisite and pleasing to the eye. 3. Both the Catalan-English section and the English-Catalan section include phonemic transliteration using International Phonetic Alphabet placing an easy-to-read pronunciation at the fingertips of both Catalan-speaking users and English-speaking users--a vital feature since neither English nor Catalan pronunciation is predictible from its orthography. 4. The entries are noticeably limited, with the Catalan entries being considerably smaller than the English entries. 5. A very serious shortcoming is the inclusion of phonemic transliteration for only the infinitives of verbs. This limits its usefulness drastically for first-conjugation verbs because the pronunciation of their stem vowel is not indicated. And in the present tense of first-conjugation verbs, a stressed stem vowel of "e" or "o" might be pronounced open or close. Information regarding the quality of this stem vowel is vital for a language learner, and it is not available in the Routledge dictionary.

5 comments about Catalan-English/English-Catalan Dictionary (Hippocrene Concise Dictionary).

1. I purchased this book for an upcoming trip to Catalunya, and for my own desire to learn Catalan. While the dictionary has served its purpose adequately (i.e. defined vague road signs and words in the hotel), it lacks in two areas.

   First, there are no pronounciation guides. This wouldn't be a problem, but the only "Teach Yourself" book on Catalan also lacks in the area of pronounciation.

   Second, the dictionary is too abridged. Now, of course adding to it increases the size, which makes use for travel unwieldy. However, if it is going to be marketed to the traveller, then it should contain more travel type words than it does.

   In short, I would recommend the dictionary to the traveller, but only because its the only Catalan Engligh Dictionary I could find in such a small size. However, the serious student is going to need something more.




2. I found this dictionary almost worthless. It carefully includes rarities like "xebec" and "yawl," but hours of trying to read Catalan with it proved that it lacks many basic words on both the Catalan and English sides. It should have been superseded by the excellent "mini" dictionary published by Enciclopèdia Catalana, which I discovered later.



3. Usually when traveling to a foreign locale, a traveler tends not to like to carry so much on hand when exploring the sights sounds, and culture of an area. While many try to avoid looking like tourists by pulling out maps or travel books out of their bags or pockets, sometimes it is necessary to have a compact-sized dictionary on hand when their is a communication problem.

   The "Catalan-English/Catalan Dictionary" by M.S. Sabater and J.A. Freixnet is the perfect solution when traveling throughout Spain's autonomous Catalonia region. Fiercely independent from Madrid, Catalans have taken great pride in promoting use of their language ever since the end of the Franco regime that prohibited the use of Catalan in public. Taught privately in homes, Catalan was able to survive and now is seeing a resurgence in popularity and commercial use as more and more tourists arrive in eastern Spain. The language, spoken mainly in eastern Spain, southeastern France, Andorra (its' official language) and in Italy (on the island of Sardinia), this dictionary is helpful for those who already have a knowledge of how to pronounce words in Catalan. I bought two copies of the book, and sent one to a friend of mine in Terrassa, and he has told me it has been one of the greatest gifts anyone has given him, since most Catalan dictionaries sold in Spain are large and bulky. Hippocrene Press, a publisher of many foreign-language books did a great job in producing a small dictionary for Catalan speakers, however the lack of a pronunciation guide is the only negative thing about this book. As a fluent Spanish speaker I try to avoid pronouncing words in Spanish because I want to respectful to the Catalan culture, but it can be difficult not to.

   Regardless of this omission, this is a great book to have if you're walking through the streets of Barcelona, sunning yourself on Ibiza, shopping Andorra's duty-free markets, or just to understand general street signs and billboards throughout Catalonia. Instead of looking like a tourist, if you were to pull this book out in Barcelona, you are likely to win the admiration and respect of Catalonia's proud inhabitants.




4. This dictionary is more of a large glossary than a dictionary in the proper sense. It is good for having a long list of vocabulary words in gallego, but it gives nothing beyond that. Most entries have only one word as the translation and there is little to nothing in the way of multiple meanings, grammatical/ colloquial uses or verb conjugations.



5. Having just returned from Barcelona, we found that this little book was not useful at all. The book is divided in half, first a Catalan to English section and then English to Catalan section, which lists words alphabetically and includes the part of speech and the counter-word, but little else. There is no pronunciation key, which is really important for the Catalan language. Neither were there any phrases or sections of particular use to the traveller. In Barcelona, we found that most people spoke a little English or were able to use Spanish, so we didn't use this dictionary at all. We used smaller books that contained travel phrases and gave some hint to pronunciation instead.

5 comments about Teach Yourself Catalan Complete Course Package (Book + 2CDs) (Teach Yourself Language Courses).

1. I really like this language course, even though the previous edition may have provided more detail. Each chapter gives several practical dialogues, followed by grammar points and exercises. The CDs are very useful, following the text, but also include plenty of listening comprehension exercises with questions to answer in the book. As someone who is already advanced in Spanish and intermediate in French, I appreciate the way this book allows for rapid progress and presents useful phrases from the beginning. I also find the content engaging, never boring. For example, one chapter includes some useful Internet vocabulary, and another gives "personal ads" like you'd find in a newspaper, with an exercise to match the people up based on who they are and what they're looking for. So it's more of a colloquial language course, rather than an academic grammar book. It gives good suggestions at the end for where to find further resources for learning Catalan on the net. With this book and accompanying CDs, I feel very confident that I'll be able to speak and understand enough Catalan in time for my trip to Barcelona in a few months. I've already learned a lot in just a couple of weeks.



2. this order was processed twice, even after I had called and said this was adouble order!



3. I have studied several languages and wanted to learn a little Catalan before a recent trip my husband and I took to Barcelona. This book helped. The CD is absolutely necessary because Catalan pronunciation is very different from English, Spanish and French although related to the latter two. My biggest complaint about the CD was there was rarely enough time to repeat phrases and sentences after the speakers.
   I would recommend this course mainly because there is little else out there about Catalan. For this reason I gave it 4 stars. If there was more choice of programs the rating would probably go down to 3.



4. I would like to find a teaching book that could put me in Catalan idiom immersion. As it changes constantly from English to Catalan (and vice-versa), it took more difficult to assimilate the idiom.
   
   Too few audio media. Need more do learn the idiom.



5. Good course, but definitely not the best. It works if you already live in Catalonya or if you have a close friend to practice.