麻豆约拍

Chan eil fhios agam cia mheud agaibh a tha nan iasgairean ach tha ceist agam dhuibh co-cheangailte ri iasgach. Ciamar a chanadh sibh ann an G脿idhlig 鈥渇ourteen trout鈥�? Smaoinichibh mu dheidhinn airson tiotan. Fourteen trout. 鈥橲 e a鈥� Gh脿idhlig a th鈥� air 鈥渢rout鈥� 鈥� singilte 鈥� breac.

Thairis air a鈥� cheala-deug a dh鈥檉halbh, thug mi s霉il air puingean a thog mi 脿 faclair G脿idhlig 霉r le Cailean Mark. An t-seachdain seo tha mi airson suathadh air cuspair ris a bheil Cailean a鈥� d猫iligeadh gu math aig deireadh fhaclair far a bheil e a鈥� toirt s霉il air gr脿mair is rudan eile 鈥� cunntadh.

An tug mi 霉ine gu le貌r dhuibh airson na ceist a chuir mi oirbh? D猫 a鈥� Gh脿idhlig a th鈥� air 鈥渇ourteen trout鈥�? Uill, 鈥檚 e a th鈥� ann ceithir bric dheug. An d鈥� fhuair sibh sin? Bu mhath leam an suidheachadh a mh矛neachadh oir tha eagal orm gun tuirt cuid agaibh 鈥檚 d貌cha ceithir breac deug no ceithir breacan deug no ceithir bric deug, an 脿ite ceithir bric dheug mar bu ch貌ir.

Anns a鈥� chiad dol a-mach, ma tha fios agaibh gur e a鈥� Gh脿idhlig a th鈥� air 鈥渢rout鈥� breac, ach mura h-eil fios agaibh d猫 chanas sibh airson tr矛 no ceithir dhiubh, feumaidh sibh coimhead ann am faclair. Seo na chanas Cailean fh猫in anns an fhaclair aige: 鈥渂reac, bric, bric, ainmear fireann, trout: cho fallain ri breac: as healthy as a trout.鈥� Is toigh leam an samhladh sin. Ma chanas cuideigin riut 鈥淐iamar a tha thu?鈥�, faodaidh tu r脿dh, 鈥渢ha cho fallain ri breac.鈥�

Tha an treas facal anns an t-sreath 鈥� bric 鈥� ag innse dhuinn de chanas sinn airson trout plural. Airson ten trout, canaidh sinn deich bric. Airson eleven trout, canaidh sinn aona bhreac deug no aon bhreac deug. Nise carson is e deug an seo, an 脿ite dheug? Uill, tha deug ag obair anns an aon d貌igh 鈥檚 a tha buadhair no adjective. Nan biodh buadhair air a sh猫imheachadh, bidh deug air a sh猫imheachadh. Mura bitheadh am buadhair air a sh猫imheachadh, cha bhi deug air a sh猫imheachadh.

Tha breac fireann. Canaidh sinn breac beag no breac m貌r. Mar sin 鈥檚 e deug a chanas sinn an 脿ite dheug. Aona bhreac deug. Tha breac air a sh猫imheachadh as d猫idh aon ach chan eil deug air a sh猫imheachadh idir. Le facal boireann mar uinneag, ge-t脿, chanamaid aon uinneag dheug.

Le d脿-dheug, tha deug an-c貌mhnaidh air a sh猫imheachadh le faclan fireann agus boireann. Mar sin, canaidh sinn d脿 ch霉 dheug agus d脿 eaglais dheug. Agus, airson twelve trout 鈥� d脿 bhreac dheug.

Agus le tr矛-deug, feumaidh sinn smaoineachadh air na thachras do bhuadhair as d猫idh 鈥渂ric鈥�. Canaidh sinn bric mh貌ra agus bric bheaga, nach can? Air an aon d貌igh, canaidh sinn bodaich mh貌ra, balaich mh貌ra, is Sgitheanaich mh貌ra. Tha am buadhair air a sh猫imheachadh le ainmear a th鈥� air a dh猫anamh iolra le caolachadh. Gheibh sibh m矛neachadh air seo ann am Beurla anns na notaichean gr脿mair.

Mar sin, le bric, bidh deug air a sh猫imheachadh. Canaidh sinn tr矛 bric dheug. Agus mar a thuirt mi na bu tr脿ithe airson fourteen trout 鈥� ceithir bric dheug. D猫 a鈥� Gh脿idhlig, ma-th脿, a th鈥� air nineteen women no seventeen Scotsmen? Innsidh mi dhuibh an ath-sheachdain. Agus tha ceist eile agam dhuibh. D猫 a鈥� Gh脿idhlig a th鈥� air hour is a bheil e boireann no fireann? Agus ciamar a chanas sinn 鈥渆leven o鈥� clock鈥� is carson? Bithibh faiceallach! Agus coinnichidh sinn a-rithist an ath-sheachdain.

Faclan na seachdaine: treas: third; sreath: series; boireann: feminine; an-c貌mhnaidh: always; Sgitheanaich mh貌ra: big Skyemen.

Abairtean na seachdaine: cia mheud agaibh a tha nan iasgairean: how many of you are fishermen; ma tha sibh cho math air iasgach 鈥檚 a tha mise: if you are as good at fishing as I am; 鈥檚 d貌cha nach bi fios agaibh: perhaps you won鈥檛 know; thairis air a鈥� cheala-deug a dh鈥檉halbh: over the past fortnight; tha mi airson suathadh air: I want to touch on; ris a bheil X a鈥� d猫iligeadh: which X deals with; aig deireadh fhaclair: at the end of his dictionary; ma chanas cuideigin riut: if somebody says to you; nam biodh buadhair air a sh猫imheachadh: if an adjective were lenited; air a dh猫anamh iolra le caolachadh: made plural by slenderisation; mar a thuirt mi na bu tr脿ithe: as I said earlier; bithibh faiceallach: be careful; coinnichidh sinn a-rithist: we will meet again.

Puing-ghr脿mair na seachdaine: The Litir this week explains why we say ceithir bric dheug for 鈥渇ourteen trout鈥�. The rules for the teens are as follows: firstly you can work out 鈥渆leven trout鈥� and 鈥渢welve trout鈥� easily because they do not use the plural form of the noun. So we use a form of breac rather than bric. Next you have to work out if deug is lenited or not. The rule is that, with regard to lenition, deug works in the same way as an adjective. Breac is a masculine word 鈥� we say breac m貌r in the nominative case, not breac mh貌r. So for 鈥渆leven trout鈥� we say aona bhreac deug, not aona bhreac dheug. Breac is lenited after aon but deug is not lenited at all. For twelve, a general rule operates 鈥� deug is always lenited, regardless of the gender of the noun. Thus 鈥渢welve trout鈥� is d脿 bhreac dheug (d脿 lenites the noun); 鈥渢welve churches鈥� (a feminine noun) is d脿 eaglais dheug. With thirteen, we need to use the plural form of breac, which is bric (dictionaries will give this). Now work out how you would say 鈥渓arge trout鈥� (plural). Because breac is pluralised by slenderisation (of 鈥渆a鈥� to 鈥渋鈥�), the qualifying adjective is lenited (this is a general rule in Gaelic). Thus we say bric mh貌ra, not bric m貌ra. Now, deug operates in the same manner as an adjective. So for 鈥渢hirteen trout鈥� we say tr矛 bric dheug. And for 鈥渇ourteen trout鈥� 鈥� ceithir bric dheug, and so on up to naoi bric dheug.

Gn脿ths-cainnt na seachdaine: cho fallain ri breac: as healthy as a trout. This simile might be used as a Gaelic equivalent of 鈥渁s fit as a fiddle鈥�. Another Gaelic equivalent is cho fallain ri fiadh (as healthy as a deer).