麻豆约拍

Bho 脿m gu 脿m, bidh mi a鈥� toirt s霉il tro chruinneachaidhean de sheanfhaclan G脿idhlig. Tha an-c貌mhnaidh rudeigin annta a tha a鈥� toirt orm smaoineachadh. Agus mholainn a leithid dhuibhse cuideachd oir 鈥檚 iomadh rud a ghabhas ionnsachadh mun ch脿nan cuideachd bho bhith a鈥� leughadh seanfhaclan.

Anns an obair agam mar neach-naidheachd, uaireannan bidh agam ri seanfhacal Beurla eadar-theangachadh gu G脿idhlig, agus chan eil c脿il nas dorra na sin. 鈥淚t鈥檚 like,鈥� said the Minister, 鈥渢aking coals to Newcastle.鈥� Seadh, d猫 chanamaid airson sin? 鈥淭ha e,鈥� thuirt am Ministear, 鈥渕ar a bhith a鈥� toirt fiodhrach a Loch Abar.鈥� Dh猫anadh sin a鈥� ch霉is, nach d猫anadh? Ch矛 sibh nach gabh gual no an Caisteal Nuadh cur anns an eadar-theangachadh Gh脿idhlig, oir cha bhuin a leithid don dualchas againn.

D猫 mu dheidhinn 鈥測our eye鈥檚 bigger than your tummy鈥� mar a bhios p脿rantan ag r脿dh ri clann a tha a鈥� cur cus b矛dh air an truinnsearan. Uill, seo an dearbh she貌rsa de sheanfhacal ann an G脿idhlig 鈥� is m貌 l脿n do sh霉la na l脿n do bhroinn. Is m貌 l脿n do sh霉la na l脿n do bhroinn.

An turas mu dheireadh a bha mi a鈥� leughadh leabhar de sheanfhaclan, chunnaic mi am fear seo 鈥� is mios鈥� am fear beag na Frangach. Is mios鈥� am fear beag na Frangach. Chan eil e a鈥� coimhead uabhasach 鈥淧C鈥�, a bheil? Agus tha mi-fh矛n car deidheil air na Frangaich.

Cha chreid mi gu bheil an seanfhacal a鈥� toirt droch shealladh air na Frangaich mar sin, oir dh鈥櫭╥rich e anns an d貌igh seo. Bha fear beag ann an Srath Sp猫 o shean, air an robh Iain MacAnndra mar ainm. Bha e cli霉iteach mar bhoghadair, mar a bha na Frangaich, tha e coltach, ged a bha mise a鈥� smaoineachadh gur e a鈥� chrois-bhogha a b鈥� fhe脿rr leothasan. Co-dhi霉, bha sabaid ann agus mharbh Iain a n脿imhdean, fear as d猫idh a ch猫ile, le bhith a鈥� losgadh saighdean orra. Agus thuirt fear de na n脿imhdean aige 鈥� 鈥淚s mios鈥� am fear beag na Frangach.鈥�

鈥橲 ann tric a leughas sinn aithrisean mun Ghaidhealtachd anns an ochdamh linn deug a chaidh a sgr矛obhadh le Sasannaich, no uaireannan Cuimrich, ach chan eil cus dhiubh ann a chaidh a sgr矛obhadh le Frangaich. Ach bha mi a鈥� coimhead tro leabhar an l脿 eile, ann am Beurla, air an robh To the Highlands in 1786. 鈥橲 e eadar-theangachadh a bh鈥� ann de na chaidh a sgr矛obhadh leis an Fhrangach, Alexandre de La Rochefoucauld, agus a charaid P貌lainneach, Maximilien de Lazowski.

Chruthaich iad dealbh inntinneach de na Gaidheil, d矛reach d脿 fhichead bliadhna an d猫idh Bl脿r Ch霉il Lodair. Gu dearbh, cha b鈥� urrainn do chuid de mhuinntir na Gaidhealtachd bruidhinn mu Ch霉il Lodair gun a bhith a鈥� f脿s feargach, agus rinn m貌ran aca d矛-meas garbh air an R矛gh. Cha chanadh iad 鈥淩矛gh鈥� ris, ach 鈥淒e貌rsa鈥� no 鈥淩iaghladair鈥�. Bhiodh iad ag 貌l m貌ran. Bha iad moiteil 脿s an aodach 脿raidh aca. Agus bha am bunt脿ta a鈥� f脿s, agus a鈥� f脿s cudthromach dhaibh.

Gu dearbh, sgr矛obh de La Rochefoucauld, bhiodh call m貌r m貌r ann nam failneachadh air a鈥� bhuntata bliadhna air choreigin.

Sgriobh e gu robh na Gaidheil gu math moiteil 脿s a鈥� ch脿nan aca ach, leis gu robh sgoiltean Beurla a鈥� nochdadh air a鈥� Ghaidhealtachd, gun cailleadh iad i ann an 霉ine gun a bhith fada. Thuirt e, ge-t脿, gur e rud duilich a bhiodh ann nuair a thachradh sin. Uill, c貌rr is d脿 cheud bliadhna as d猫idh sin, tha a鈥� Gh脿idhlig fhathast be貌.

Mar a thuirt am fear eile, ged nach robh e a鈥� beachdachadh air c脿nan, 鈥淚s obair-l脿 duine a thiodhlacadh.鈥�

Faclan na seachdaine: an-c貌mhnaidh: always; neach-naidheachd: journalist; nas dorra: more difficult (comparative of duilich); deidheil air: keen on; n脿imhdean: enemies; P貌lainneach: Polish; Riaghladair: Governor; moiteil 脿s: proud of.

Abairtean na seachdaine: bidh mi a鈥� toirt s霉il tro chruinneachaidhean de sheanfhaclan: I look through collections of proverbs; a tha a鈥� toirt orm smaoineachadh: that makes me think; d猫 chanamaid airson sin?: what would we say for that?; dh猫anadh sin a鈥� ch霉is, nach d猫anadh?: that would do the job, wouldn鈥檛 it?; cha bhuin a leithid don dualchas againn: such things do not belong to our [linguistic] heritage; a tha a鈥� cur cus b矛dh air an truinnsearan: who put too much food on their plates; cha chreid mi gu bheil an seanfhacal a鈥� toirt droch shealladh air X mar sin: I don鈥檛 think the proverb gives a bad impression of X, as such; gur e crois-bhogha a b鈥� fhe脿rr leothasan: that it was the crossbow they preferred; rinn m貌ran aca d矛-meas garbh air an R矛gh: most of them treated the king with contempt; bha am bunt脿ta a鈥� f脿s, agus a鈥� f脿s cudthromach dhaibh: the potato was growing and growing important to them; bhiodh call m貌r ann nam failneachadh air X: there would be a big loss [disaster] if X failed; gun cailleadh iad i ann an 霉ine gun a bhith fada: that they would lose it (G脿idhlig is grammatically and conceptually feminine) within a short time.

Puing-ghr脿mair na seachdaine: Mholainn a leithid dhuibhse cuideachd: I would recommend the like (the same thing) to yourselves as well. Do words like mholainn, ending in 鈥揳inn, confuse you or do you recognise them immediately for what they are 鈥� the first personal singular of a conditional or past habitual verb? Its placing at the beginning of a sentence or phrase gives it away as a verb. There is no pronoun present and the 鈥� (a)inn ending announces that it means 鈥淚 would鈥︹�� or 鈥淚 used to (habitually)鈥︹��. Here are some examples: Bhrisinn a鈥� ghloinne nan robh teine ann (I would break the glass if there were a fire); cheannaichinn e nan robh e na bu shaoire (I would buy it if it were cheaper); dh鈥櫭╥stinn rithe ach chan urrainn dhomh dhol ann (I would listen to her but I cannot make it); chuirinn si霉car ann an cofaidh nuair a bha mi 貌g (I would put sugar in coffee when I was young); bhithinn a鈥� seinn anns an amar an-c貌mhnaidh (I would always be singing in the bath).

Seanfhaclan na seachdaine: A鈥� toirt fiodhrach a Loch Abar: taking coals to Newcastle (the forests of Lochaber were once famous). Is m貌 l脿n do sh霉la na l脿n do bhroinn: your eyes are bigger than your tummy. Is obair-l脿 duine a thiodhlacadh: it鈥檚 a day鈥檚 work to bury a man.