This page is under construction. This is only an example of what will be here. If you have any ideas, don't hesitate to pass them on.
So, you want to learn Catalan...
Catalan is a Romance language spoken by some eleven million people, most of them in Catalonia (an autonomous region currently in Spain), but also in Valencia, the Balearic Islands, the country of Andorra--where it is the only official language--the old French province of Roussillon and, curiously, in the town of l'Alguer (Alghero), on the Italian island of Sardinia. It is a beautiful language with a strong literary and cultural history. Linguistically, it is related most closely to Occitan, a language spoken in the south of France, although it is also shares many similarities with Spanish and French, and the other Romance languages.

These lessons are designed to help you grasp an understanding of Catalan grammar and vocabulary used by real people, today. Of course, those real people speak several dialects of Catalan. I'll be concentrating on the dominant, although much maligned, Central dialect, spoken in Barcelona. I'll also be working on gathering links (and creating some new ones) to cultural and historical pages about Catalonia. One good place to start is with Homage to Barcelona an incredible book that paints a fascinating and, at least in my experience, authentic vision of the capital of Catalonia. (Not to be confused with Homage to Catalonia, George Orwell's experiences in the Civil War.)

I'm afraid I'm more of a Web designer than a Catalan teacher. Most of the reason I set up this page was to explore the use of frames. Unfortunately, I have not been able to find the time to finish this online course. You can find other resources for learning Catalan online at the University of Barcelona site. Or get a copy of Teach Yourself Catalan, by Alan Yates. And then go to Barcelona. That's what I did.

If you have any questions or suggestions, mail 'em in!

Til then, Visca Catalunya!