834: Gàire agus Fiamh-ghàire
Litir sheachdaineach do luchd-ionnsachaidh le clàr-fuaime, tar-sgrìobhadh is mìneachadh. A weekly letter to Gaelic learners with audio, transcription and explanation.
Tha an litir ag obrachadh leis an fhaclair. Tagh an taba ‘teacsa Gàidhlig’ agus tagh facal sam bith san teacsa agus fosglaidh am faclair ann an taba ùr agus bidh mìneachadh den fhacal ann. The letter is integrated with the dictionary. Select the tab ‘Gaelic text’ and choose any word and the dictionary will open and you will see the English explanation of the Gaelic word.
Gàire agus Fiamh-ghàire
Dè a’ Ghàidhlig air smile? Ciamar a chanas sinn she was smiling? An cleachdadh sibh fhèin gàire? Bha i a’ dèanamh gàire ? Uill, ’s dòcha gu bheil sin a’ ciallachadh she was laughing. An canadh tu gu bheil am Mona Lisa aig Leonardo da Vinci a’ dèanamh gàire? Cha chreid mi gun canadh.
Bha mi fortanach gu leòr a dhol don Louvre ann am Paris turas. Cha robh e cus ro thrang. Uill, bha sin fìor gus an do ràinig sinn am Mona Lisa! Bha an seòmar sin loma-làn daoine agus thug e ùine mhòr fhaighinn faisg gu leòr air an dealbh airson gnùis a’ bhoireannaich fhaicinn. Agus dè an tuairisgeul a dhèanainn dhith?
’S iomadh facal a th’ againn airson smile ann an Gàidhlig – mar eisimpleir fiamh-ghàire, faite-gàire agus snodha-gàire. Cuideachd, tha mìog, snodha, leamh-ghàire, niamh-ghàire, plìonas agus braoisg ann. ’S dòcha gur e fiamh-ghàire a chanadh tu a th’ air aodann a’ Mhona Lisa. Ach, leis an fhìrinn innse, nuair a bha mi a’ coimhead air an dealbh, cha robh mi buileach cinnteach an robh i a’ dèanamh gàire de sheòrsa sam bith!
Tha an diofar eadar gàire agus, can, fiamh-ghàire, gu litreachail ‘the hint of a laugh’ agus faite-gàire, gu litreachail ‘a shy or timid laugh’ nam cheann an-dràsta oir chunnaic mi dealbh ainmeil eile o chionn ghoirid.
Bha mi ann an Cruinneachadh Uallais ann am meadhan Lunnainn. ’S e seann taigh mòr a th’ ann a tha a làn dealbhan is àirneis is buill-airm a tha iongantach fhèin prìseil. Bhuineadh cuid dhen stuth do Mharie Antoinette, banrigh na Frainge aig àm an ar-a-mach. Chaill i a ceann air a’ ghuillotine ann am Paris agus thàinig mòran dhen stuth aice air a’ mhargaidh an dèidh sin.
’S dòcha gur e an dealbh as ainmeile anns a’ chruinneachadh fear leis an Dùitseach Frans Hals a chaidh a dhèanamh ann an sia ceud deug, fichead ’s a ceithir (1624). ’S e an tiotal a th’ air The Laughing Cavalier. Cleas a’ Mhona Lisa, thog mi ceist sa mhionaid mu a ghnùis. Chan e lachanaich no gàire mhòr a tha e a’ dèanamh ach fiamh-ghàire de sheòrs’ air choreigin. ’S e The Smiling no The Smirking Cavalier a bu chòir a bhith air, chanainn, seach The Laughing Cavalier. Tha a stais, a tha a’ dol an-àirde aig gach ceann, a’ toirt a’ chreidsinn gu bheil cumadh a bheòil ann an cumadh fiamh-ghàire barrachd na bhitheadh e às aonais stais. Ach feumaidh mi aideachadh gu bheil nàdar de dh’fhiamh-ghàire na shùilean cuideachd.
Chan eil fios le cinnt cò e am fear anns an dealbh. Ach chanainn gun robh e beartach. Tha a chuid aodaich, a th’ air a dhèanamh de shìoda, dìreach àlainn. Anns an dòigh sin, tha an dealbh nas tarraingiche na ’m Mona Lisa. Ach tha aon rud sa chumantas eadar an dà dhealbh. Co-dhiù tha na cuspairean ri fiamh-ghàire gus nach eil, tha na sùilean aca a’ coimhead gu dìreach air an neach-amhairc eadhon nuair a ghluaiseas e bho thaobh gu taobh, no suas is sìos. Tha iad le chèile nan sàr-dhealbhan le sàr-dhealbhadairean.
Faclan na Litreach: plìonas: smirk; braoisg: contented smile; tarraingeach: attractive; Cruinneachadh Uallais: The Wallace Collection; stais: moustache; beartach: wealthy.
Abairtean na Litreach: An canadh tu gu bheil am Mona Lisa a’ dèanamh gàire?: would you say that the Mona Lisa is laughing/smiling?; cha chreid mi gun canadh:I don’t think so; cha robh e cus ro thrang: it wasn’t too busy; faisg gu leòr airson gnùis a’ bhoireannaich fhaicinn: close enough to see the face of the woman; dè an tuairisgeul a dhèanainn dhith?: what description would I give of her?; buileach cinnteach an robh i a’ dèanamh gàire de sheòrsa sam bith: entirely sure that she was making any sort of a smile; làn dealbhan is àirneis is buill-airm a tha iongantach fhèin prìseil: full of paintings and furniture and weaponry that is amazingly valuable; bhuineadh cuid dhen stuth do X: some of the stuff belonged to X; banrigh na Frainge aig àm an ar-a-mach: the Queen of France at the time of the Revolution; thog mi ceist sa mhionaid mu a ghnùis: I immediately raised a question about his expression; fiamh-ghàire de sheòrs’ air choreigin: a smile of some sort or other; a’ dol an-àirde aig gach ceann: going up at each end; gu bheil cumadh a bheòil ann an cumadh fiamh-ghàire barrachd na bhitheadh e às aonais stais: that the shape of his mouth is in the form of a smile more than it would be without a moustache; gu bheil nàdar de dh’fhiamh-ghàire na shùilean: that there is something of a smile in his eyes; tha a chuid aodaich, a th’ air a dhèanamh de shìoda, dìreach àlainn: his clothes, which are made of silk, are very beautiful; tha na sùilean aca a’ coimhead gu dìreach air an neach-amhairc: their eyes look directly at the observer.
Puing-chànain na Litreach: Gàire is sometimes used for ‘smile’ when it really means ‘laugh’. Lachan, lachanaich (borrowed into Gaelic from Scots) is unequivocal – it’s a proper laugh, with noise and can be extended in duration. Gàireis more subtle and can be combined with many other words to make a range of compound nouns. Lachan-gàire is a noisy laugh; craos-ghàire is a hearty, noisy laugh with wide-open mouth; gàire-fanaid is a scornful laugh. But gàire compounds can also mean slight smiles, without any laugh eg fiamh-ghàire, snodha-gàire, faite-gàire.
Gnàthas-cainnt na Litreach: Cleas a’ Mhona Lisa: like the Mona Lisa.
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Litir do Luchd-ionnsachaidh
This letter corresponds to Tha an Litir seo a’ buntainn ri An Litir Bheag 530
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