麻豆约拍

Fhuair mi leabhar inntinneach mar phr猫asant bho Bhodach na Nollaig. 鈥橲 ann air puingeachadh a tha e a-mach. Puingeachadh. 鈥橲 e sin a鈥� Gh脿idhlig air punctuation, ged a tha mi an amharas gum bi m貌ran a-muigh sin, aig a bheil Beurla, a chanas, 鈥渕mm, punctuation ... an e stoidhle ci霉il a th鈥� ann?鈥� Tha mi a鈥� fealla-dh脿. Cha bhi luchd-leughaidh Litir do Luchd-ionnsachaidh mar sin co-dhi霉!

鈥橲 e 霉ghdar an leabhair Lynne Truss, agus 鈥檚 e an t-ainm a th鈥� air 鈥淓ats, Shoots and Leaves: The Zero Tolerance Approach to Punctuation.鈥� Tha e mu dheidhinn mar a tha droch phuingeachadh ann am Beurla a鈥� cur sgreamh air an 霉ghdar, agus mar a dh鈥檉haodas na dearbh fhaclan diofar chiall a bhith aca ma bhios puingeachadh eadar-dhealaichte air a chur an s脿s eatarra. Mar eisimpleir: A woman, without her man, is nothing; agus A woman: without her, man is nothing.

Nuair a chuir mi cr矛och air an leabhar, th貌isich mi air me貌mhrachadh air suidheachadh na G脿idhlig. An gabhadh an aon se貌rsa leabhair sgr矛obhadh mun ch脿nan againne? Uill, saoilidh mi, ged a tha gu le貌r ann a bhios a鈥� d猫anamh mhearachdan le puingeachadh ann an G脿idhlig, nach biodh leabhar G脿idhlig buileach cho inntinneach, leis gu bheil e nas dorra d脿 chiall a dh猫anamh leis na h-aon fhaclan 鈥檚 a tha e ann am Beurla.

鈥橲 e as coireach ri sin gum bi dreach fhaclan, gu h-脿raidh ainmearan agus buadhairean, ag atharrachadh ann an G脿idhlig, a-r猫ir na tha iad a鈥� d猫anamh anns an t-seantans. Mar eisimpleir, ma chanas tu Thilg iad an nathair fada, tha sin eadar-dhealaichte bho Thilg iad an nathair fhada. 鈥橲 e an s猫imheachadh de fada a tha ag innse dhuinn d猫 as ciall dha. Agus tha iad le ch猫ile eadar-dhealaichte bho Thilg iad an athair fada!

Agus seo: Cha robh an sgian air a鈥� bh貌rd m貌r. 鈥橲 i an sgian a bha m貌r. Ach nan canamaid, Cha robh an sgian air a鈥� bh貌rd mh貌r, bhiodh fios agaibh gur e am b貌rd a bha m貌r.

Ach tha puingeachadh cudthromach. 脠istibh ri seo. Tha luchd-dhrugaichean air b貌rd an t-soithich. Nise, le t脿than, no hyphen, eadar luchd is dhrugaichean, tha sin a鈥� ciallachadh gu bheil buidheann de dhaoine air b貌rd a tha a鈥� ceannach is a鈥� reic dhrugaichean. As aonais an t脿thain, chan eil agaibh air b貌rd ach na drugaichean fh猫in.

Tha str脿can cudthromach. Bidh fios agaibh gu bheil d矛ofar m貌r ann eadar bas is b脿s, agus eadar cloimh (no cloimh) agus cl貌imh. Agus d猫 thachras ma chanas mi: tha Iain is Eairdsidh sna h-oghaichean, ach ma chuireas mi asgair ron 鈥渟鈥� agus be脿rn 脿s a d猫idh? Bidh an neach-leughaidh a鈥� smaoineachadh gu bheil rudeigin a dh矛th. Tha Iain is Eairdsidh 鈥檚 na h-oghaichean ... d猫? D猫 tha iad a鈥� d猫anamh?

Agus tha litreachadh ceart cudthromach. Tha mi a鈥� dol a ruith an t-sabhail. D猫? Am bi sabhal a鈥� gluasad? Ciamar a bhios mi ga ruith? No an robh mi a鈥� ciallachadh, 鈥淭ha mi a鈥� dol a Ruigh an t-Sabhail鈥� 鈥� 鈥淚 am going to Rhintoul鈥�?

Bha an duine s貌laimte ann an Lunnainn. A bheil sin a鈥� ciallachadh gun do thachair e gu robh an duine a bha seo, a bha an-c貌mhnaidh s貌laimte, ann an Lunnainn, no gu robh an duine d矛reach s貌laimte aig an 脿m sin air sg脿ths 鈥檚 gu robh e anns a鈥� bhaile mh貌r? Chan eil puingeachadh a n矛 sin soilleir dhuinn, tha eagal orm.

Agus, uaireannan bidh thu a鈥� smaoineachadh gu bheil fios agad d猫 tha rud a鈥� ciallachadh nuair a thig teagamh nad inntinn.鈥橲 e sin an duine a bhreab mi an l脿 eile. C貌 bhreab c貌? Bidh mi air ais an ath-sheachdain.

Faclan na seachdaine: Bodach na Nollaig: Santa Claus; puingeachadh: punctuation; stoidhle ci霉il: style of music; eatarra: between them; mearachdan: mistakes; dreach fhaclan: word forms; t脿than: hyphen; str脿can: accents on letters; bas: palm of hand; b脿s: death; cloimh: scab (eg sheep); cl貌imh: wool (eg sheep); asgair: apostrophe; be脿rn: gap; teagamh: doubt.

Abairtean na seachdaine: mar a tha X a鈥� cur sgreamh air an 霉ghdar: how X sickens the author; mar a dh鈥檉haodas na dearbh fhaclan diofar chiall a bhith aca: how the same words can mean different things; leis gu bheil e nas dorra d脿 chiall a dh猫anamh leis na h-aon fhaclan: because it is more difficult to make two meanings with the same words; cha robh an sgian air a鈥� bh貌rd m貌r: the knife on the table was not large; cha robh an sgian air a鈥� bh貌rd mh貌r: the knife was not on the big table; tha luchd-dhrugaichean air b貌rd an t-soithich: drug-dealers are on board the vessel; tha luchd dhrugaichean air b貌rd: a cargo of drugs is on board (you might say luchd de dhrugaichean to make it clear); tha mi a鈥� dol a ruith an t-sabhail: I am going to chase the barn; bha an duine s貌laimte ann an Lunnainn: the solemn man was in London OR the man was solemn in London; chan eil puingeachadh a n矛 sin soilleir dhuinn, tha eagal orm: there is no punctuation which will clarify that for us, I am afraid; 鈥檚 e sin an duine a bhreab mi an l脿 eile: what鈥檚 your own translation for this?

Puing-ghr脿mair na seachdaine: Thilg iad an nathair fada: they threw the snake a long way. Fada is here an adverb. Thilg iad an nathair fhada means 鈥渢hey threw the long snake鈥�; fada is here an adjective and is lenited because nathair is a feminine noun. As regards thilg iad an athair fada, I refrain from further comment as I do not wish to encourage children in such activity, whether their fathers be long or otherwise! But what if I had chosen a masculine object? What does thilg iad am pasgan fada mean? It could be either 鈥渢hey threw the parcel far鈥� or 鈥渢hey threw the long parcel鈥�. Tha Iain is Eairdsidh sna h-oghaichean means literally 鈥淛ohn and Archie are in the grandchildren (anns na h-oghaichean)鈥� ie they share the same grandfather, so they are first cousins. But if we write tha Iain is Eairdsidh 鈥檚 na h-oghaichean we mean 鈥淛ohn, Archie and the grandchildren are...鈥� (ie ... agus na h-oghaichean) and we await the rest of the sentence. Sna and 鈥檚 na are abbreviations permitted by GOC (Gaelic Orthographic Conventions).

Gn脿ths-cainnt na seachdaine: Tha mi an amharas gum bi..: I suspect that...