蜜芽传媒

Th脿inig mi tarsainn air seanfhacal anns a鈥� Gh脿idhlig Mhanainnich an l脿 eile. Nise, chan eil an c脿nan sin agam ach saoilidh mi gun tuigeadh G脿idheil na h-Alba gu le貌r dhith. Seo an seanfhacal, agus tha mi a鈥� dol a dh鈥檉heuchainn ri leughadh cho math 鈥檚 as urrainn dhomh. Ach ma tha duine ag 猫isteachd aig a鈥� bheil G脿idhlig Eilein Mhanainn, tha mi an d貌chas gun gabh e mo leisgeul ma th猫id mi ce脿rr: Cronk ghlass foddey voym 鈥� loam loam tra roshym eh.

Cuiridh mi G脿idhlig na h-Alba air, agus ch矛 sibh d猫 tha e a鈥� ciallachadh: Cnoc glas fada bhuam 鈥� lom lom nuair a ruigeas mi e. Tha glas a鈥� ciallachadh dath gorm an fhe貌ir 鈥� mar a bha e a鈥� ciallachadh ann an Alba o shean. Cnoc glas fada bhuam 鈥� lom lom nuair a ruigeas mi e. Cha chreid mi nach e br矛gh an t-seanfhacail gu bheil uaireannan c霉isean a鈥� coimhead nas fhe脿rr nuair a tha thu fad air falbh. Agus nuair a th猫id thu faisg, chan eil iad buileach cho math 鈥檚 a bha thu an d霉il. Cnoc glas fada bhuam 鈥� lom lom nuair a ruigeas mi e.

鈥橲 e facal a th鈥� ann an glas a nochdas air feadh nan c脿nanan Ceilteach. Tha am faclair Cuimreach agam ag r脿dh, 鈥済las: blue or green鈥�. Agus tha faclair 霉r G脿idhlig agam ag innse dhomh gu robh am facal anns an t-seann Gh脿idhlig is seann Chuimris, is gu bheil e fhathast ann an c脿nan na Breatainne Bige. Tha fhios gum bi sibh a鈥� faighneachd, 鈥渄猫 bha sin? D猫 thuirt Ruairidh? Faclair G脿idhlig 霉r eile?鈥� Uill, feumaidh a bhith onarach 鈥� tha e 霉r dhomhsa, ach chan eil e idir 霉r.

O chionn ghoirid, 脿s d猫idh dhomh a bhith a鈥� feuchainn airson 霉ine mh貌r ri fear a cheannach, fhuair mi gr猫im air an fhaclair air a bheil An Etymological Dictionary of the Gaelic Language, le Alasdair MacBheathain. Tha e ri fhaighinn air an eadar-l矛on ach tha rudeigin mu dheidhinn leabhraichean a tha fhathast tarraingeach dhomh, agus bha mi uabhasach toilichte nuair a cheannaich mi an leabhar. 鈥橲 e an d脿rna iris dheth is chaidh fhoillseachadh ann an naoi ceud deug is aon-deug (1911), ceithir bhliadhna an d猫idh b脿s an 霉ghdair. Th脿inig a鈥� chiad iris dheth a-mach ann an ochd ceud deug, naochad 鈥檚 a sia (1896).

Anns a鈥� ch貌rr dhen Litir bu toigh leam rudeigin innse dhuibh mu 霉ghdar an fhaclair, Alasdair MacBheathain. Rugadh is thogadh e ann an Gleann F猫ithisidh ann am B脿ideanach, an cois a鈥� Mhonaidh Ruaidh, anns a鈥� bhliadhna ochd ceud deug, leth-cheud 鈥檚 a c貌ig (1855). 鈥橲 e 脿ite gu math G脿idhealach a bh鈥� ann aig an 脿m ud.

Th貌isich Alasdair mar thidsear anns an sg矛re aige fh猫in is an uair sin dh鈥檉halbh e a dh鈥檕bair airson an t-Suirbhidh 脪rdanais anns a鈥� Chuimrigh. Nuair a bha e naoi bliadhn鈥� deug a dh鈥檃ois, chaidh e don t-Seann Sgoil-ghr脿mair ann an Obar Dheathain is an uair sin a Cholaiste an R矛gh. Aig aois c貌ig ar fhichead (25), fhuair e obair mar cheannard sgoile ann an Inbhir Nis, agus 鈥檚 ann anns a鈥� bhaile sin a dh鈥檉huirich e airson a鈥� ch貌rr de bheatha.

Bha Alasdair an s脿s ann an Comunn G脿idhlig Inbhir Nis agus sgr矛obh e gu le貌r ph脿ipearan air cuspairean co-cheangailte ri eachdraidh, dualchas is c脿nanachas. Tha e f矛or dhuilich nach robh cothrom aige dhol a theagasg ann an oilthigh, oir bha e geur is foghlamaichte. Dh鈥檉h脿g e d矛leab mh貌r dhuinn le fhaclair, agus feumaidh mi r脿dh, nuair a dh鈥檉hosgail mi an leabhar, nach ann lom a bha an cnoc, a bh鈥� air a bhith fada bhuam, ach glas is torrach.

Faclan na seachdaine: br矛gh: meaning; Ceilteach: Celtic; Cuimris: Welsh language; eadar-l矛on: internet; Alasdair MacBheathain: Alexander Macbain; tarraingeach: attractive; cheannaich: bought; iris: edition; rudeigin: something; rugadh: was born; thogadh: was raised; 霉ghdar: author; Gleann F猫ithisidh: Glen Feshie; B脿ideanach: Badenoch; comunn: society; c脿nanachas: linguistics; foghlamaichte: educated; d矛leab: legacy; torrach: fertile, fruitful.

Abairtean na seachdaine: th脿inig mi tarsainn air: I came across; anns a鈥� Gh脿idhlig Mhanainnich: in Manx Gaelic; gun tuigeadh X gu le貌r: that X would understand enough; cho math 鈥檚 as urrainn dhomh: as well as I can; gun gabh e mo leisgeul: that he will excuse me; ch矛 sibh: you will see; cha chreid mi nach e: I think; c脿nan na Breatainne Bige: the language of Brittany; d猫 thuirt X?: what did X say?; tha e 霉r dhomhsa: it is new to me; fhuair mi gr猫im air: I got hold of, procured; chaidh fhoillseachadh: it [masc.] was published; b脿s an 霉ghdair: the death of the author; 鈥檚 ann anns a鈥� bhaile sin a dh鈥檉huirich e: it was in that town he lived; airson a鈥� ch貌rr de bheatha: for the rest of his life; sgr矛obh e gu le貌r ph脿ipearan: he wrote plenty of papers.

Puing-ch脿nain na seachdaine: an cois a鈥� Mhonaidh Ruaidh: adjacent to the Cairngorms. You probably realise that the origins of an cois are that cois is the dative singular of cas, a foot or leg. Think of a dog 鈥� an cois a mhaighstir 鈥� at the foot/leg of his master, and you will understand how the phrase arose. But grammatically an cois is a compound preposition, that is, a preposition with two separate elements. These always place the following noun in the genitive case. Thus for 鈥渘ext to the shore鈥� (an cladach, masc.) we say an cois a鈥� chladaich and for 鈥渘ext to the sea鈥� (a鈥� mhuir, fem.) we say an cois na mara. Similarly, am Monadh Ruadh (nominative) becomes [an cois] a鈥� Mhonaidh Ruaidh (genitive).

Seanfhacal na seachdaine: Cnoc glas fada bhuam 鈥� lom lom nuair a ruigeas mi e: a green hill far away 鈥� completely bare when I reach it; ie things sometimes look better at a distance.