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A letter for Gaelic learners with Roddy MacLean.

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Litir 276: Cnoc glas fada bhuam 鈥 lom lom nuair a ruigeas mi e

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

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

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

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

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.

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