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Dè a’ Ghàidhlig a th’ air slate? Uill, ʼs e ²õ²µ±ôè²¹³Ù a chanas a’ chuid mhòr. Thàinig an dà fhacal bhon aon fhreumh. Bha e an toiseach anns an t-Seann Fhraingis mar esclate ‘a split piece or splinter’ oir tha e furasta sgoltadh.

Anns a’ Bheurla Mheadhanaich, ʼs e sclate a bh’ ann. Dh’atharraich sin tro thìde ann am Beurla gu slate. Agus thàinig e a-steach don Ghàidhlig mar ²õ²µ±ôè²¹³Ù. Ann an ceann a tuath na Gàidhealtachd, dh’atharraich am fuaimneachadh gu ²õ²µ±ôè²¹³Ù. Bha feadhainn eadhon ga sgrìobhadh mar S-G-L-I-A-T. Thathar a’ moladh an-diugh gun sgrìobh sinn am facal mar S-G-L-E fada-A-T.

Tha ²õ²µ±ôè²¹³Ù a’ toirt dhuinn fhaclan eile, leithid ²õ²µ±ôè²¹³Ùach ‘made of slate’, ²õ²µ±ôè²¹³Ùair ‘slater’ agus ²õ²µ±ôè²¹³Ùaireachd ‘the work of a slater’.

Nuair a bha mi ann an ceann a tuath na Cuimrigh, far an robh gnìomhachas na ²õ²µ±ôè²¹³Ùa gu math mòr uaireigin, mhothaich mi gur e am facal llech a bh’ aca airson ²õ²µ±ôè²¹³Ù ann an Cuimris. Air a litreachadh L-L-E-C-H. Tha sin càirdeach don fhacal againne leac. Tha leac a’ ciallachadh ‘flagstone, flat stone, slab’. Leac-teine – hearthstone. Leac an dorais – doorstep. Leac-uaighe – gravestone – co-dhiù dhen t-seann seòrsa a bha na laighe air an talamh, seach a bhith a’ stobadh an-àirde.

Ach a bheil leac uair sam bith a’ ciallachadh ‘slate’? Uill, tha. A rèir faclair Dwelly, tha e a’ ciallachadh ‘slate to write on’. Bidh sibh a’ tuigsinn gur e sin a bh’ aig clann sgoile aig aon àm. Bhiodh iad a’ sgrìobhadh air leac le cailc.

Dè mu dheidhinn nan ²õ²µ±ôè²¹³Ù a tha cho cumanta air mullaichean taighe? An robh daoine riamh a’ gabhail ‘leac’ air a leithid? Uill, chanainn gun robh ann an Gallaibh oir ʼs e leacan mòra a chithear air cuid de mhullaichean an sin, seach ²õ²µ±ôè²¹³Ùan beaga. Leacan Gallach, gu dearbh.

Ach tha fianais ann gun robhar a’ cleachdadh an fhacail leac ann an Ros an Iar airson ²õ²µ±ôè²¹³Ù mullaich. Tha sin a’ tighinn bhon leabhar A Hundred Years in the Highlands le Osgood MacCoinnich.

Tha MacCoinnich, a bha na uachdaran ann an sgìre Gheàrrloch, ag innse dhuinn mun taigh mhòr aca a tha aithnichte an-diugh ann am Beurla mar Flowerdale House – ainm a chaidh a chur air le luchd-turais Sasannach o chionn fhada. Bha Gàidhlig gu leòr aig Osgood agus ʼs e Gàidhlig a bha e a’ bruidhinn ri muinntir an àite.

Ann an Gàidhlig ʼs e an Taigh Dìge a chanas daoine ri Flowerdale House. Tha an t-ainm a’ ciallachadh ‘Moat House’. Chan eil dìg timcheall an taigh an-diugh, ach bha dìg timcheall an t-seann taigh a bh’ ann roimhe. Thòisich sinnsear aig Osgood air an taigh a th’ ann an-diugh a thogail ann an seachd ceud deug, trithead ʼs a h-ochd (1738). B’ esan an Tighearna Crùbach, Sir Alasdair MacCoinnich. B’ e Osgood am fionn-ogha aige.

Ghlèidh iad ainm an t-seann togalaich – an Taigh Dìge – eadhon ged nach robh an dìg ann tuilleadh. Ach, airson sgaradh a dhèanamh eadar an seann taigh agus an taigh ùr, chuir iad rudeigin ris an ainm ùr.

An àite mullach tughaidh, bha mullach ²õ²µ±ôè²¹³Ùach air an taigh ùr – a’ chiad togalach dhen t-seòrsa anns an sgìre. Agus b’ e ainm an taigh ùir – Taigh Dìge nan Gorm-leac. Feumaidh – aig an àm sin co-dhiù – gur e gorm-leac a bh’ aca anns an sgìre sin airson ²õ²µ±ôè²¹³Ù.

Faclan na Litreach: ²õ²µ±ôè²¹³Ù: slate [note that the original pronunciation is preserved in Argyll Gaelic – it is only in the north that it became pronounced ‘sgliat’]; A’ Bheurla Mheadhanach: Middle English; Cuimris: Welsh language; mullaichean taighe: house roofs; Leacan Gallach: Caithness Flags(tones); Ros an Iar: Wester Ross; MacCoinnich: MacKenzie; An Tighearna Crùbach: the lame (land)lord; ghlèidh: kept, preserved.

Abairtean na Litreach: Thàinig an dà fhacal bhon aon fhreumh: the two words came from the same root; bha e an toiseach anns an t-Seann Fhraingis: it was originally in Old French; thathar a’ moladh an-diugh: it is recommended today; bidh sibh a’ tuigsinn gur e sin a bh’ aig clann sgoile aig aon àm: you’ll understand that that was what schoolchildren had at one time; a’ sgrìobhadh air leac le cailc: writing on a slate with chalk; an robh daoine riamh a’ gabhail ‘leac’ air a leithid?: were people ever calling the like a ‘leac’?; chanainn gun robh ann an Gallaibh: I would say they were in Caithness; ʼs e leacan mòra a chithear air cuid de mhullaichean an sin, seach ²õ²µ±ôè²¹³Ùan beaga: it’s large flagstones that are seen on some roofs there, rather than small slates; bha dìg timcheall an t-seann taigh a bh’ ann roimhe: there was a moat around the old house that was there previously; chuir iad rudeigin ris an ainm ùr: they added something to the new name; an àite mullach tughaidh, bha mullach ²õ²µ±ôè²¹³Ùach air an taigh ùr: instead of a thatched roof, there was a slate roof on the new house; a’ chiad togalach dhen t-seòrsa anns an sgìre: the first building of its type in the area; b’ e ainm an taigh ùir – Taigh Dìge nan Gorm-leac: the name of the new house was ‘the moat house of the slates’ (literally ‘of the shiny black flat stones’); feumaidh – aig an àm sin co-dhiù – gur e gorm-leac a bh’ aca anns an sgìre sin airson ²õ²µ±ôè²¹³Ù: it must have been – at that time anyway – that they called a slate a ‘gorm-leac’ in that area/parish.

Puing-chànain na Litreach: B’ e Osgood am fionn-ogha aige: Osgood was his great-great grandchild. The generations work like this: ogha ‘grandchild’; iar-ogha ‘great-grandchild’; fionn-ogha ‘great-great grandchild’; dubh-ogha ‘great-great-great-grandchild’. You can also refer to a fionn-ogha as ‘i²¹°ù-¾±²¹°ù-´Ç²µ³ó²¹â€™.

Gnàthas-cainnt na Litreach: na laighe air an talamh, seach a bhith a’ stobadh an-àirde: lying on the ground, rather than sticking up (vertically).