[cafe] Re: Catalan pronunciation

[E. J. Jewell]

In message <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>, 
Bethlem Boronat - AndorraWEB <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> writes
>
>Vella is pronounced as "v" like in "kiev"
>
That could be misleading as some English speaking people pronounce Kiev 
as if it were "kief".  Vella, I think, should be pronounced with a pure 
V sound.

The confusion between V and B is understandable.  In some old documents 
Envalira is written as "Embalira".  Catalan, like French and Spanish, is 
derived from Latin and, in many respects, is closer to Latin than either 
of those languages.  It is said that the confusion between V and B arose 
because Roman soldiers wore helmets with tight chin straps.  This made 
it difficult to pronounce the V sound clearly as it requires greater jaw 
movement than B.

Would I be right to think that Vella should be pronounced with the "ll" 
muted - almost the same as one would say "veya" and not unlike the 
Spanish "vieja"?
-- 
E. J. Jewell   <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
  <URL:http://apsc.free.fr/> Andorran Philatelic Study Circle


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