蜜芽传媒

D猫 an t-eun, le ainm Beurla a th脿inig bhon Gh脿idhlig, a tha na eun-st脿ite oifigeil ann an d霉thaich thall thairis? Sin ceist dhuibh! Uill, ann an Litir 56 anns a鈥� bhliadhna d脿 mh矛le (2000), sgr矛obh mi mun fhacal ptarmigan ann am Beurla, agus mar a th脿inig e bhon Gh脿idhlig t脿rmachan. Chaidh am 鈥減鈥� neo-fhuaimnichte a stobadh a-steach le muinntir nam faclairean Beurla agus tha e a-nise st猫idhichte. Tha ptarmigan mar sin a鈥� coimhead coltach ri facal a th脿inig bhon t-seann Ghreugais 鈥� mar pterodactyl 鈥� seach fear a th脿inig bhon Gh脿idhlig.

Tha 脿ite s貌nraichte aig an t脿rmachan ann an Alasga anns na St脿itean Aonaichte. Tha na h-e貌in cho pailt, agus fhuair na daoine uiread de thaic bhuapa, le bhith gan ithe nuair a bha biadh eile gann, 鈥檚 gur e an t脿rmachan eun-st脿ite Alasga. Chaidh an inbhe sin a bhuileachadh air ann an naoi ceud deug, caogad 鈥檚 a c貌ig (1955).

Chan eil an t脿rmachan ann an Alasga buileach co-ionnan ris an t脿rmachan againne. 鈥橲 e an t-eun air a bheil sinn fh猫in a鈥� gabhail t脿rmachan, no ptarmigan ann am Beurla, Lagopus mutus. Tha e diofraichte bho a charaid, a鈥� chearc-fhraoich (no red grouse) air a bheil luchd-saidheans a鈥� gabhail Lagopus lagopus.

Ann an Alba, chan eil dath na circe-fraoiche ag atharrachadh anns a鈥� gheamhradh. Cha bhi i a鈥� dol geal idir. Ach bithidh an t脿rmachan. Agus ann an Alasga bidh Lagopus lagopus a鈥� dol geal anns a鈥� gheamhradh 鈥� oir tha t貌rr a bharrachd sneachda acasan na tha againne. Mar sin, ged a tha an t-eun nas dl霉ithe ann an c脿irdeas ris a鈥� chirc-fhraoich againne, 鈥檚 e ptarmigan seach grouse a tha daoine a鈥� gabhail air. Willow ptarmigan mar ainm sl脿n. Agus 鈥檚 e an se貌rsa a th鈥� ann an Alasga fo-ghn猫 sh貌nraichte 鈥� Lagopus lagopus alascensis.

Tha Alasga air a bhith anns na naidheachdan gu m貌r on a chaidh an Riaghladair aca 鈥� Sarah Palin 鈥� a chur air adhart mar thagraiche nam Poblachdach airson Iar-cheann-suidhe nan St脿itean Aonaichte. Ach tha amharas agam, ged a chaidh na sgiobannan-camara gu ruige Juneau is Anchorage is Fairbanks, nach do bhodraig iad dhol gu Chicken. Seadh, Chicken, Alasga. Ainm ne貌nach 鈥� agus tha mi a鈥� dol a dh鈥檌nnse dhuibh mar a dh鈥櫭╥rich e.

Tha Chicken ann am meadhan Alasga, air an taobh an ear faisg air a鈥� chr矛ch le Canada. Chan e baile m貌r a th鈥� ann idir. Anns a鈥� bhliadhna d脿 mh矛le (2000), cha robh ach seachd duine deug a鈥� fuireach ann.

Chaidh Chicken a st猫idheachadh anns an naoidheamh linn deug le m猫innearan a bha an t貌ir air 貌r. Tha m猫innearachd a鈥� dol fhathast 鈥� ach le digearan san latha an-diugh, seach spaidean. Aig toiseach an fhicheadamh linn, bha gu le貌r de dhaoine ann airson oifis puist fhosgladh. Ach, airson sin, dh鈥檉heumadh iad ainm oifigeil a thaghadh airson na coimhearsnachd. D猫 bha iad a鈥� dol a thaghadh mar ainm air a鈥� bhaile?

Uill, bha t脿rmachain gu math pailt anns an sg矛re. Bhiodh na m猫innearan fh猫in gan ithe. Mar sin, cho-dh霉in muinntir an 脿ite 鈥淧tarmigan鈥� a bhith air a鈥� bhaile mar ainm. Ptarmigan le 鈥減鈥� neo-fhuaimnichte. Ach, bha am 鈥減鈥� na thrioblaid. Cha b鈥� urrainn do mhuinntir an 脿ite thighinn gu aonta air mar a bhiodh am facal air a litreachadh. Agus mar sin, leig iad 鈥淧tarmigan鈥� seachad mar ainm agus thagh iad 鈥淐hicken鈥� na 脿ite!

Faclan na Litreach: Alasga: Alaska; Na St脿itean Aonaichte: The United States; t脿rmachan: ptarmigan; cearc-fhraoich: red grouse; fo-ghn猫: sub-species; Iar-cheann-suidhe: Vice-President; sgiobannan-camara: camera crews; gu ruige: to; pailt: plentiful.

Abairtean na Litreach: d猫 an t-eun..?: what is the bird..?; eun-st脿ite oifigeil: official state bird; chaidh am 鈥減鈥� neo-fhuaimnichte a stobadh a-steach: the silent [unsounded] 鈥減鈥� was stuck in; a th脿inig bhon t-seann Ghreugais: that came from ancient Greek; fhuair na daoine uiread de thaic bhuapa: the people got so much help from them; le bhith gan ithe nuair a bha biadh eile gann: by eating them when other food was scarce; chaidh an inbhe sin a bhuileachadh air: that status was accorded it; buileach co-ionnan ris: completely identical to; tha t貌rr a bharrachd sneachda acasan na tha againne: they get much more snow than we do; nas dl霉ithe ann an c脿irdeas ri: more closely related to; mar a dh鈥櫭╥rich e: how it came to be; air an taobh an ear faisg air a鈥� chr矛ch le Canada: in the east close to the border with Canada; m猫innearan a bha an t貌ir air 貌r: miners who were after gold; toiseach an fhicheadamh linn: the start of the 20th Century; dh鈥檉heumadh iad ainm oifigeil a thaghadh: they had to choose an official name; cha b鈥� urrainn do mhuinntir an 脿ite thighinn gu aonta air mar a bhiodh am facal air a litreachadh: the local people couldn鈥檛 agree on how the word would be spelled; leig iad 鈥淴鈥� seachad: they discarded 鈥淴鈥�; thagh iad 鈥淵鈥� na 脿ite: they chose 鈥淵鈥� in its stead.

Puing-ch脿nain na Litreach: It鈥檚 interesting how traditional modes of anglicizing Gaelic words that move into English as loanwords has not been followed in the most recent borrowing. Few words have survived the transition into English intact (loch and machair being exceptions). Some are slightly modified eg c脿rn to cairn, coire to corrie and gille to ghillie. Others are more heavily modified eg capall coille to capercaillie, claidheamh m貌r to claymore and p矛obaireachd to pibroch. And then we have spelling alterations like sporan to sporran, c猫ilidh to ceilidh (dropping the accent) and crannag to crannog. And, of course, we have the strange example of the intrusive and silent 鈥減鈥� in ptarmigan (the original being t脿rmachan). And the recent borrowing? It鈥檚 f猫is 鈥� a music festival based around tuition. The Gaelic plural is f猫isean. Both singular and plural forms have made the transition into English intact in the last thirty years, with the accent 鈥� an unusual phenomenon (and very welcome!)

Gnathas-cainnt na Litreach: [bh]on a chaidh an Riaghladair aca a chur air adhart mar thagraiche nam Poblachdach: since their Governor was proposed as the Republican candidate.