麻豆约拍

D猫 a鈥� Gh脿idhlig a th鈥� agaibh airson 鈥渓unch鈥�? Ceist dhoirbh, nach e? Chan eil aon fhacal ann a chleachdas a h-uile duine. Chithear tric am facal 鈥渓貌n鈥�, gu h-脿raidh aig co-labhairtean G脿idhlig. 鈥橲 e f矛or sheann fhacal G脿idhlig a th鈥� ann agus, ann am faclair Dwelly, mar eisimpleir, thathar ag innse dhuinn gur e sin a bh鈥� aig na Gaidheil o shean airson a鈥� bh矛dh a dh鈥檌theadh iad d矛reach aon trup sa latha. Agus seallaibh air na faclan bracaist, d矛nnear is suipear. Th脿inig iad uile bhon Bheurla air sg脿th 鈥檚 nach robh a leithid aig na Gaidheil o shean ann.

Ach 鈥檚 e an duilgheadas a th鈥� ann le l貌n, gu bheil e cuideachd a鈥� ciallachadh biadh anns an fharsaingeachd agus, mar a chanar ann am Beurla, diet. Ma chluinneas sibh l貌n, chan urrainn dhuibh a bhith cinnteach gu bheil e a鈥� ciallachadh biadh rudeigin aotrom timcheall meadhan latha mar a bhios lunch a鈥� ciallachadh, mar is trice.

Mura h-e rud uabhasach sean a th鈥� anns an d矛nnear air a鈥� Ghaidhealtachd, tha an lunch fada nas 貌ige. Nuair a th脿inig dinner a-steach don Gh脿idhlig mar d矛nnear bha e a鈥� ciallachadh, mar bu trice, a鈥� bh矛dh a ghabhadh daoine timcheall meadhan latha. B鈥� e sin 脿m dinnearach neo tr脿th d矛nnearach. Agus 鈥檚 e sin, gu dearbh, a tha e a鈥� ciallachadh fhathast do mh貌ran de sheann daoine air a鈥� Ghaidhealtachd. Canaidh iad teatha ris a鈥� bhiadh a ghabhas iad mu ch貌ig uairean feasgar.

Ach tha an saoghal air atharrachadh. An latha an-diugh, tha a鈥� chuid mh貌r a鈥� gabhail biadh m貌r feasgar, as d猫idh dhaibh tighinn dhachaigh airson na h-oidhche. Nach e sin an d矛nnear? Ann am meadhan an latha, chan eil iad a鈥� gabhail ach ceapaire neo rola neo rudeigin aotrom. An lunch.

Bha an gnothach seo a鈥� cuairteachadh nam cheann nuair a fhuair mi lorg air leabhran beag o chionn ghoirid anns an taigh agam, leabhran a bh鈥� aig m鈥� athair airson 霉ine mh貌ir, agus nach fhaca mi airson bliadhnaichean. Eistibh ris an tiotal agus tuigidh sibh nach deach fhoillseachadh an-d猫: The Tourist鈥檚 Handbook of Gaelic and English Phrases: with pronunciation. Nuair a chaidh a sgr矛obhadh, bha m貌ran air a鈥� Ghaidhealtachd aig nach robh Beurla choilionta. Uill, tha m貌ran an-diugh, gu m矛-fhortanach, aig nach eil G脿idhlig choilionta.

Chaidh an iris agam fh矛n a chur an cl貌 ann an naoi ceud deug, is naoi ar fhichead (1929), ach tha mi a鈥� smaoineachadh gun deach an leabhran fhoillseachadh an toiseach leth-cheud bliadhna roimhe sin, ann an ochd ceud deug, tr矛 fichead 鈥檚 a naoi-deug (1879). Tha earrann ann air a bheil 鈥淟uncheon on the Hill.鈥� Bha e air a bhith feumail do na h-uaislean airson bruidhinn ris an fheadhainn a bha gan cuideachadh nuair a bha iad a鈥� sealg anns a鈥� mhonadh.

Tha abairtean feumail ann mar 鈥渃ome hither鈥� 鈥� trobhad seo 鈥� agus 鈥渨e will have a rest鈥� 鈥� gabhaidh sinn anail. Ach l脿igh mo sh霉il air an abairt seo: 鈥渨e will have luncheon鈥� 鈥� gabhaidh sinn ar greim-n貌in. Uill, 鈥檚 toil leam e. Tha e gu math n脿darrach, leis gum bi daoine tric a鈥� cleachdadh 鈥済reim鈥� airson biadh nach eil ro mh貌r. Canaidh sinn rudan mar 鈥渁n gabh thu greim?鈥� nuair a tha sinn a鈥� tabhann biadh do chuideigin. Agus 鈥檚 d貌cha gum bi cuimhn鈥� agaibh air an fhacal n貌in, a tha car coltach ri noon ann am Beurla. Thug sinn s霉il air ann an Litir d脿 fhichead 鈥檚 a c貌ig (45) anns a鈥� Mh脿rt.

Agus c貌 sgr矛obh an leabhran beag seo? Uill, s脿r-bhana-bh脿rd a bha uaireigin gu math ainmeil am measg nan Gaidheal 鈥� M脿iri NicEalair. Bheir sinn s霉il air a beatha an ath sheachdain.

bracaist: breakfast; suipear: supper; ceapaire: sandwich (but theEnglish is often used); rola: (bread) roll; earrann: section; a鈥� tabhann: offering: s脿r-bhana-bh脿rd:聽a first-class poetess; M脿iri NicEalair: Mary MacKellar.

chithear tric X: X is often seen; thathar ag innse dhuinn gur e sina bh鈥� aig na Gaidheil o shean: we are told that that is what the Gaels had (said) in oldentimes; mar is trice: usually; tha an saoghal air atharrachadh: the world has changed; tha a鈥檆huid mh貌r a鈥� gabhail biadh m貌r feasgar: the majority have their main meal in the evening;tuigidh sibh nach deach fhoillseachadh an-d猫: you will understand it was not publishedyesterday; bha m貌ran aig nach robh Beurla choilionta: there were many who did not speakperfect English; chaidh an iris agam fh矛n a chur an cl貌: my own edition was printed; tha mia鈥� smaoineachadh gun deach an leabhran fhoillseachadh an toiseach: I think the booklet wasfirst published; bha e air a bhith feumail do na h-uaislean: it would have been useful to thegentry; l脿igh mo sh霉il air an abairt seo: my eye rested on this phrase; an gabh thu greim?:will you take a bite to eat?;

This week鈥檚 text concerns the Gaelic for 鈥渓unch鈥�. In thetime of Edward Dwelly, the compiler of the famous Gaelic-English dictionary (I hope youall have a copy!), even the concept of a 鈥渄inner鈥� (d矛nnear), as part of a day of multiplemeals, was a 鈥渕odern introduction鈥�. The Gael of old, in common with many other peoples,had one meal per day, called the l貌n. But neither d矛nnear nor l貌n are time-specific, and theyare not precisely equivalent to the modern lunch. One way around this is in Gaelic is toemploy compound nouns which bring in the time element. A modern example is biadhmeadhan-latha (midday food). Two older words are biadh-n貌in (noon food) and greim-n貌in(lit. a noon bite). There is a nice symmetry in the use of greim-n貌in, as the word 鈥渓unch鈥� inEnglish derives from nuncheon (through luncheon), and ultimately from the Middle Englishnone (noon) and schench (drink). And, as we saw in Litir 45 (31 March 2000), the Englishnoon and the Gaelic n貌in both originate from the same Latin word, nona.

Gabhaidh sinn anail: we will have a rest.