蜜芽传媒

Tha mi air a bhith a鈥� leughadh tuilleadh dhen t-seann leabhar Gr脿mar D霉bailt: Beurla is G脿idhlig le Iain Foirbeis, Maighstir-sgoile Chille Chuimein. Agus tha e ag innse riaghailt inntinneach mu ghr脿mar ann an G脿idhlig. Tha e co-cheangailte ri roimhear, no preposition. Eadar. Tha Foirbeis ag r脿dh gun cleachd sinn eadar le ainmearan anns an tuiseal ainmneach no nominative case. Mar eisimpleir, canaidh sinn eadar am beul 鈥檚 an gogan 鈥� between the mouth and the dish. Eadar am beul 鈥檚 an gogan. Canaidh sinn eadar fear is bean 鈥� between man and wife. Eadar fear is bean.

Ach nuair a tha e a鈥� ciallachadh both, tha eadar ag adhbharachadh s猫imheachadh (ged as e s猫ideachadh a bh鈥� aig Foirbeis air s猫imheachadh). Tha e a鈥� toirt d脿 eisimpleir: eadar ghillean agus chaileagan (both lads and lasses). Eadar ghillean agus chaileagan. Agus eadar bheag is mh貌r 鈥� both great and small. Eadar bheag is mh貌r.

Tha an riaghailt seo air a dhearbhadh le Dwelly, anns an fhaclair aige. Seo na sgr矛obh Dwelly: when signifying both, [eadar] does not admit the article between itself and the noun; but aspirates both its nouns. Agus thug e tr矛 eisimpleirean: eadar bheag agus mh貌r (both great and small), eadar cheann is chasan (both head and feet) agus eadar mhath is olc (both good and bad).

D猫 tha na faclairean 霉ra ag r脿dh, ma tha? A bheil iadsan ag aontachadh gu bheil an riaghailt seo fhathast ann am bith? Uill, tha am faclair Teach Yourself le Boyd Robasdan is Iain MacDh貌mhnaill a鈥� toirt na h-eisimpleir eadar bheag is mh貌r airson both large and small. Agus anns an fhaclair The Essential Gaelic-English Dictionary le Aonghas MacBh脿tair, tha an coimeas a tha seo: th脿inig iad, eadar bheag is mh貌r 鈥� they came, both small and great. Agus tha e eadar beag agus m貌r 鈥� he is between small and big/neither small nor big. Mar sin, tha an riaghailt sin fhathast ann am bith.

Agus mus fh脿g sinn s猫imheachadh ainmearan air sg脿th roimhearan, tha Foirbeis ag innse seo dhuinn: air sometimes aspirates its noun 鈥� mar eisimpleir air thalamh (on earth). D猫 air thalamh a tha a鈥� dol? (what on earth is happening?) Agus bidh sibh e貌lach 鈥檚 d貌cha air mar a chanas daoine air mh脿l airson for rent, seach air m脿l. Fhuair mi an taigh air mh脿l airson seachdain 鈥� I rented the house for a week.

Agus seo rud a dh鈥檌onnsaich mi. Bidh fios agaibh gu bheil na roimhearan de agus do gu tric air an atharrachadh gu a. Bha mi a鈥� smaoineachadh gur d貌cha gur e rud car 霉r a bha sin, is gun do dh鈥櫭╥rich e 鈥檚 d貌cha anns an fhicheadamh linn. Uill, tha Foirbeis a鈥櫬燿earbhadh gun robh e cumanta gu le貌r ann am meadhan an naoidheamh linn deug. Tha e a鈥� toirt na h-eisimpleir punnd a dh鈥櫭琺 霉r 鈥� a pound of fresh butter.

Ach tha gearan aige. Agus cluinnear an gearan sin fhathast. Tha e ag r脿dh, 鈥淒e, of, is often confounded with do, to or for, and it is strange to see ... when it is perfectly evident that the meaning of the one is quite the contrary of the other.鈥� Tha e a鈥� toirt eisimpleirean: bheir mi a鈥� ghlas dhen doras (I will take the lock off the door) agus thug mi an ceann de m鈥� 貌rdaig (I took the head off my thumb). D猫 bhiodh bheir mi a鈥� ghlas dhan doras, no thug mi an ceann dha m鈥� 貌rdaig a鈥� ciallachadh? Uill, f脿gaidh mi sin agaibh fh猫in.

Faclan na Litreach: Iain Foirbeis: John Forbes; Cille Chuimein: Fort Augustus; Aonghas MacBh脿tair: Angus Watson; coimeas: comparison.

Abairtean na Litreach: riaghailt inntinneach mu ghr脿mar: an interesting rule of grammar; le ainmearan anns an tuiseal ainmneach: with nouns in the nominative case; tha X ag adhbharachadh s猫imheachadh: X causes lenition; air a dhearbhadh le: confirmed by; gu bheil seo fhathast ann am bith: that this still exists; s猫imheachadh ainmearan air sg脿th roimhearan: lenition of nouns caused by prepositions; seo rud a dh鈥檌onnsaich mi: here鈥檚 something I learned; gur e rud car 霉r a bha sin: that that was a fairly new thing; gun do dh鈥櫭╥rich e anns an fhicheadamh linn: that it arose in the 20th Century; cumanta gu le貌r: pretty common; meadhan an naoidheamh linn deug: the middle of the 19th Century; cluinnear an gearan sin fhathast: this complaint is still heard; f脿gaidh mi sin agaibh fh猫in: I鈥檒l leave that to you.

Puing-ch脿nain na Litreach: the final paragraph of the Litir deals with an issue which still confuses learners (and not only learners) 鈥� ie the apparent confusion in some dialects of the prepositions de (of) and do or dha (to, for). One regularly hears and reads statements like 鈥渢ha a鈥� mhor-chuid dha na h-脿iteachan鈥︹�� meaning 鈥渕ost of the places鈥︹�� The preposition here, however, is de, not do/dha. Dha makes no sense. Another example is ch霉m e earrann dha na fhuair e (he kept a portion of what he obtained); again it should be de/dhe na fhuair e. In most instances, at least in conversation, it won鈥檛 matter much 鈥� the speaker will be understood. But consider the following: th脿inig ceathrar dha na h-iasgairean instead of th脿inig ceathrar de na h-iasgairean; or fhuair mi gu le貌r dhan duine sin instead of fhuair mi gu le貌r dhen duine sin. They鈥檙e fairly different, aren鈥檛 they?! And consider the two erroneous sentences at the end of the Litir: bheir mi a鈥� ghlas dhan doras would mean 鈥淚 will give the lock to the door鈥� and thug mi an ceann dha m鈥� 貌rdaig would mean 鈥淚 gave the head to my thumb鈥�. As a learner, my advice to you is to err on the side of grammatical accuracy, particularly with the written word.

Gn脿ths-cainnt na Litreach: eadar bheag is mh貌r: both great and small.