THE CATALAN PRONUNCIATION FOR LATIN

The article responds to the need of a Catalan standard pronunciation for Latin, which for several historical reasons could not be established so far in the Catalan speaking countries. It addresses above all singers and choral leaders who wish to pronounce correctly a Latin text while doing justice to the phonological Catalan system. After exposing the deficitary situation, and its possible causes, some former proposals are critically revised, as to why they do not satisfy the needs of Catalan-speaking choirs and soloists. Finally, after distinguishing the three basic cases with which a current interpreter is faced, when dealing with a Latin text, some suitable and useful solutions are presented and discussed. These are based on the works of Antoni SEVA (1994, 2011). The article closes with some tables to facilitate a quick and simple reference, and with the phonetic transcription of the Catholic Ordinarium, as a practical example.