Editing Catalan language (section)

=== Gender and number inflection ===
[[File:Flexió of word Gat.jpg|thumb|upright=0.8|Gender and number inflection of the word {{lang|ca|gat}} ("cat")]]
{|
|
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align: center;"
|+ Regular noun with definite article: {{lang|ca|el gat}} ("the cat")
|-
! !! masculine !! feminine
|-
! singular
| {{lang|ca|el gat}} || {{lang|ca|la gat'''a'''}}
|-
! plural
| {{lang|ca|els gat'''s'''}} || {{lang|ca|les gat'''es'''}}
|}
|
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align: center;"
|+ Adjective with 4 forms: <br />{{lang|ca|verd}} ("green")
|-
! !! masculine !! feminine
|-
! singular
| {{lang|ca|verd}} || {{lang|ca|verd'''a'''}}
|-
! plural
| {{lang|ca|verd'''s'''}} || {{lang|ca|verd'''es'''}}
|}
|
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align: center;"
|+ Adjective with 3 forms: <br />{{lang|ca|feliç}} ("happy")
|-
! !! masculine !! feminine
|-
! singular
| colspan="2" | {{lang|ca|feliç}}
|-
! plural
| {{lang|ca|feliç'''os'''}} || {{lang|ca|felic'''es'''}}
|}
|
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align: center;"
|+ Adjective with 2 forms: <br />{{lang|ca|{{not a typo|indiferent}}}} ("indifferent")
|-
! !! masculine !! feminine
|-
! singular
| colspan="2" | {{lang|ca|{{not a typo|indiferent}}}}
|-
! plural
| colspan="2" | {{lang|ca|{{not a typo|indiferent}}'''s'''}}
|}
|}

In [[gender inflection]], the most notable feature is (compared to [[Portuguese language|Portuguese]], [[Spanish language|Spanish]] or [[Italian language|Italian]]), the loss of the typical [[masculine]] [[suffix]] {{lang|ca|-o}}. Thus, the alternance of {{lang|ca|-o}}/{{lang|ca|-a}}, has been replaced by ''ø''/{{lang|ca|-a}}.{{sfn|Enciclopèdia Catalana|p=630}} There are only a few exceptions, such as {{lang|ca|minso}}/{{lang|ca|minsa}} ("scarce").{{sfn|Enciclopèdia Catalana|p=630}} Many not completely predictable morphological alternations may occur, such as:{{sfn|Enciclopèdia Catalana|p=630}}
* Affrication: {{lang|ca|bo'''ig'''}}/{{lang|ca|bo'''j'''<u>a</u>}} ("insane") vs. {{lang|ca|lle'''ig'''}}/{{lang|ca|lle'''tj'''<u>a</u>}} ("ugly")
* Loss of {{lang|ca|n}}: {{lang|ca|pla}}/{{lang|ca|pla'''n'''<u>a</u>}} ("flat") vs. {{lang|ca|sego'''n'''}}/{{lang|ca|sego'''n'''<u>a</u>}} ("second")
* [[Final obstruent devoicing]]: {{lang|ca|senti'''t'''}}/{{lang|ca|senti'''d'''<u>a</u>}} ("felt") vs. {{lang|ca|di'''t'''}}/{{lang|ca|di'''t'''<u>a</u>}} ("said")

Catalan has few [[Suppletion|suppletive]] couplets, like Italian and Spanish, and unlike French. Thus, Catalan has {{lang|ca|noi}}/{{lang|ca|noia}} ("boy"/"girl") and {{lang|ca|gall}}/{{lang|ca|gallina}} ("cock"/"hen"), whereas French has {{lang|ca|garçon}}/{{lang|ca|fille}} and {{lang|ca|coq}}/{{lang|ca|poule}}.{{sfn|Enciclopèdia Catalana|p=630}}

There is a tendency to abandon traditionally gender-invariable adjectives in favor of marked ones, something prevalent in [[Occitan language|Occitan]] and French. Thus, one can find {{lang|ca|bullent}}/{{lang|ca|bullenta}} ("boiling") in contrast with traditional {{lang|ca|bullent}}/{{lang|ca|bullent}}.{{sfn|Enciclopèdia Catalana|p=630}}

As in the other Western Romance languages, the main plural expression is the suffix {{lang|ca|-s}}, which may create morphological alternations similar to the ones found in gender inflection, albeit more rarely.{{sfn|Enciclopèdia Catalana|p=630}} The most important one is the addition of {{lang|ca|-o-}} before certain consonant groups, a [[phonetic]] phenomenon that does not affect feminine forms: {{lang|ca|el pols}}/{{lang|ca|els polsos}} ("the pulse"/"the pulses") vs. {{lang|ca|la pols}}/{{lang|ca|les pols}} ("the dust"/"the dusts").{{sfn|Enciclopèdia Catalana|pp=630–631}}