# inquiring phonetics for two Catalan vowels



## likewell

Hi, I'm working on a presentation about infants ability of distinguishing two vowels in Catalan /e/ /*ɛ*/ and one vowel in Spanish /e/.

Unfortunately, I cannot find downloadable pronunciation or hearing online for these three vowels. Does anyone know where I can find them so that I can let my listeners hear them?

Thank you for your great help.

Will


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## ernest_

Hi,
Catalan /e/ and Spanish /e/ are the same.
You can find audio files for these sound on the Wikipedia:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Close-mid_front_unrounded_vowel
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Open-mid_front_unrounded_vowel
Click on "sound sample".


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## Outsider

I disagree a bit with Ernest. According to the descriptions I have found (for example here), Catalan /e/ is a close-mid front unrounded vowel (listen here, here, and here; and here's a vowel chart for Catalan), while Spanish /e/ (which is more precisely transcribed as /e̞/) is a mid front unrounded vowel (listen here).

The difference is very small, though, and I would agree that native speakers will easily mistake one kind of /e/ for the other, while I suppose that for a Spanish speaker an /ɛ/ will sound close to some sort of /a/.


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## ernest_

Hi Outsider,



Outsider said:


> I disagree a bit with Ernest. According to the descriptions I have found (for example here), Catalan /e/ is a close-mid front unrounded vowel (listen here, here, and here; and here's a vowel chart for Catalan), while Spanish /e/ (which is more precisely transcribed as /e̞/) is a mid front unrounded vowel (listen here).



I'm no expert in Spanish phonetics, so I'm talking from my personal perspective. There may be a difference between these sounds, but I think it must be a very subtle one!



> The difference is very small, though, and I would agree that native speakers will easily mistake one kind of /e/ for the other, while I suppose that for a Spanish speaker an /ɛ/ will sound close to some sort of /a/.


In my experience, many Catalan-speakers of Spanish-speaking backgrounds are unable to tell the difference between /ɛ/ and /e/, and always merge these vowels into /e/. I've had friends in school that had real problems when we did phonetic transcription exercices because of this, even though they were fluent in Catalan. I never heard anyone using an /a/-like vowel in place of /ɛ/, as far as I remember.


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## likewell

ernest_ said:


> Hi Outsider,
> 
> 
> 
> I'm no expert in Spanish phonetics, so I'm talking from my personal perspective. There may be a difference between these sounds, but I think it must be a very subtle one!
> 
> In my experience, many Catalan-speakers of Spanish-speaking backgrounds are unable to tell the difference between /ɛ/ and /e/, and always merge these vowels into /e/. I've had friends in school that had real problems when we did phonetic transcription exercices because of this, even though they were fluent in Catalan. I never heard anyone using an /a/-like vowel in place of /ɛ/, as far as I remember.


 
Hi, E

Yes the three vowels have very very subtle distinction. Infants can distinguish them whereas Spanish-Catalan children in a Spanish environment (family) cannot distinguish them as early as 6 years old.

That's why I need to find the sounds and let my fellows try to distinguish among these sounds. Fun!

Thanks for providing the link. I'll try to use them. Thanks!

Will


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## likewell

Outsider said:


> I disagree a bit with Ernest. According to the descriptions I have found (for example here), Catalan /e/ is a close-mid front unrounded vowel (listen here, here, and here; and here's a vowel chart for Catalan), while Spanish /e/ (which is more precisely transcribed as /e̞/) is a mid front unrounded vowel (listen here.
> 
> The difference is very small, though, and I would agree that native speakers will easily mistake one kind of /e/ for the other, while I suppose that for a Spanish speaker an /ɛ/ will sound close to some sort of /a/.


 
Hi, O

Thank you for the 'here's.   I hereby declare I'll try 'here' here.

Many thanks. According to the paper I read, you make a point.


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## ampurdan

It's the first time I read that Catalan closed "e" or "é" and Spanish "e" sound different. I certainly can't tell the difference and I would like to know about it.


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## likewell

ampurdan said:


> It's the first time I read that Catalan closed "e" or "é" and Spanish "e" sound different. I certainly can't tell the difference and I would like to know about it.


 

Hi,

Please refer to Pallier(1997)

'A limit on behavioral plasticity in speech perception'

This article is interesting and friendly to read. You may get what you want there. If you cannot find it, leave an email address or something so that I can send it to you. 

Will


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## ampurdan

Thank you, Likewell!


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## likewell

Welcome, in a millisecond I found myself useful.


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