869: ‘Geal’ ann am Bàrdachd Nàdair
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.
‘Geal’ ann am Bàrdachd Nàdair
An t-seachdain sa chaidh, bha mi a’ bruidhinn mun fhacal-fillte geal-chasach – white-legged no white-footed. Geal-chasach. Tha e inntinneach cho tric ’s a bhios faclan eile a’ dol an co-bhuinn ri ‘casach’. Ann an Litir ceud is ochdad (180), mar eisimpleir, dh’inns mi dhuibh mun eun – a’ chathag dhearg-chasach. Gu litreachail, ‘the red-legged jackdaw’. ’S e sin an chough no chough – a’ chathag dhearg-chasach. Tha Dwelly cuideachd ag innse dhuinn gum bi cuid anns an Eilean Sgitheanach ag ràdh ‘ròcas dhearg-chasach’ rithe. ‘The red-legged rook’.
Dè mu dheidhinn ‘black-legged’? Dubh-chasach. Tha sin furasta gu leòr, nach eil? Dubh-chasach. Tha fionn-chasach a’ ciallachadh an ìre mhath an aon rud ri geal-chasach. Agus tha fhios gum b’ urrainn a leithid seo a ràdh – gorm-chasach, ruadh-chasach, liath-chasach, donn-chasach agus breac-chasach.
A bharrachd air dathan, ge-tà, faodar facal eile a chur ri casach. Faodar àireamhan a chur ris. Mar eisimpleir – aon-chasach ‘one-footed’, dà-chasach ‘bipedal’, ceithir-chasach ‘quadrupedal’. Faodaidh sinn ceithir-chasach a chleachdadh mar ainmear cuideachd – a’ ciallachadh quadruped. Tha cù na cheithir-chasach. ’S e ceithir-chasach a th’ ann an caora cuideachd. Ach ’s e ochd-chasach creutair gu math eadar-dhealaichte a tha beò air grunnd na mara. Ochd-chasach – an octopus.
Tha am facal trì-chasach ann cuideachd. Tha stòl trì-chasach agam aig an taigh. Tha cuimhne agam gun robh mi a’ cleachdadh trì-chasach gu tric ann an clasaichean saidheans nuair a bha mi aig an àrd-sgoil. Trì-chasach – a tripod.
Faodaidh sinn tuairisgeul a dhèanamh air cumadh chasan cuideachd le faclan dhen t-seòrsa seo. Tha caol-chasach a’ ciallachadh ‘slender-legged’. Tha clàr-chasach a’ ciallachadh ‘splay-footed’. Tha cuimir-chasach air an làimh eile – no air a’ chois eile – a’ ciallachadh ‘having shapely legs’. Cuimir-chasach. Tha balg-chasach, brabhd-chasach, brat-chasach, cam-chasach agus croma-chasach uile a’ ciallachadh ‘bow-legged’.
Agus tha sin gam thoirt gu sgeulachd thraidiseanta a tha a’ toirt a-steach an fhacail croma-chasach. Bidh sibh eòlach air an iasg air a bheil lèabag no leòbag – the flounder. Canaidh sinn mun lèabaig gu bheil i ceàrr-ghobach – wry-mouthed. Ceàrr-ghobach no cearra-ghobach. Ach ciamar a fhuair i beul – no gob – mar sin? Uill – ’s e Calum Cille a bu choireach. Seo an stòiridh, ma-thà – ‘Calum Cille agus an Lèabag’.
Latha a bha seo, bha Calum Cille san tràigh shìolag. ’S e sin a’ phàirt dhen tràigh fo ìre na h-ìsle-mhara aig an reothart. An tràigh-shìolag – far a bheil sìolagan ‘sandeels’ a’ fuireach. Co-dhiù, bha Calum Cille a’ coiseachd, no a’ grunnachadh anns an tràigh-shìolag. Bha e casruisgt’. Shaltair e air earball aig lèabag bheag bhòidheach bhàn. Tha sin a’ ciallachadh gun do chuir e a chas air earball na lèabaig. Shaltair e air. Ghoirtich e an t-iasg. Dhochair e a h-earball. Agus dh’èigh an lèabag bheag bhrònach aig àird a cinn:
‘ A Chaluim mhòir mhosaich,
Le do chasan croma crosgach,
’S mòr a rinn thu orm de dhosgadh
Dar a shaltair thu air m’ earball.’
Uill, ghabh Calum Cille fearg. Bha an t-iasg beag ladarna seo a’ tilgeil air gun robh e croma-chasach. Thuirt e ris an leabaig, ‘Ma tha mise croma-chasach, biodh tusa cearra-ghobach.’ Agus dh’fhàg e mar sin i. Bho sin a-mach, tha an lèabag air a bhith cearra-ghobach. Co-dhiù bha Calum Cille croma-chasach gus nach robh, chan eil fhios a’m. Agus chan eil mi a’ dol a thoirt beachd sam bith air a’ chùis!
Faclan na Litreach: facal-fillte: compound word; stòl trì-chasach: three-legged stool; clasaichean saidheans: science classes; lèabag, leòbag: flounder; a’ grunnachadh: wading; casruisgte: bare-footed.
Abairtean na Litreach: gum bi cuid anns an Eilean Sgitheanach ag ràdh ‘X’ rithe: that some on Skye call it ‘X’; a’ ciallachadh an ìre mhath an aon rud ri: means pretty much the same as; tha fhios gum b’ urrainn a leithid seo a ràdh: it’s obvious that you could say this sort of thing; gorm-chasach, ruadh-chasach, liath-chasach, donn-chasach agus breac-chasach:blue-legged, russet-legged, grey-legged, brown-legged and speckly-legged; faodar facal eile a chur ri casach: another word can be added to ‘casach’; faodaidh sinn X a chleachdadh mar ainmear cuideachd: we can use X as a noun as well; creutair gu math eadar-dhealaichte a tha beò air grunnd na mara: a really different creature that lives on the seabed; faodaidh sinn tuairisgeul a dhèanamh air cumadh chasan cuideachd le faclan dhen t-seòrsa seo: we can also describe the shape of legs with words of this nature; bidh sibh eòlach air an iasg air a bheil: you’ll know the fish called; bha Calum Cille san tràigh shìolag:St Columba was on the sandeel shore (the sub-littoral zone); a’ phàirt dhen tràigh fo ìre na h-ìsle-mhara aig an reothart: the part of the beach below low-tide mark at a spring tide; shaltair e air earball aig lèabag bheag bhòidheach bhàn:he trampled on the foot of a fair, beautiful flounder; dhochair e a h-earball: he damaged her tail; A Chaluim mhòir mhosaich:big, miserable Columba; le do chasan croma crosgach: with your crooked crosswise feet; ’s mòr a rinn thu orm de dhosgadh:you caused me great calamity; bha an t-iasg beag ladarna seo a’ tilgeil air gun robh e croma-chasach:this cheeky little fish was accusing him of being bandy-legged; biodh tusa cearra-ghobach: let you be wry-mouthed; dh’fhàg e mar sin i: he left her like that; co-dhiù bha Calum Cille croma-chasach gus nach robh: whether or not Columba was bandy-legged.
Puing-chànain na Litreach: Dar a shaltair thu air m’ earball: when you trod on my tail. Daris a conjunction meaning ‘when’ and stands in the place of nuair in certain dialects, particularly on the northern mainland. MacBain derived it from do-uair whereas nuair is derived from an-uair.
Gnàthas-cainnt na Litreach: cho tric ’s a bhios faclan eile a’ dol an co-bhuinn ri ‘casach’: how often other words work in partnership with ‘casach’.
Download the text of this week's letter as a PDF:Thoir a-nuas Litir mar PDF:
PDF documents are especially suited for printing out. Most computers can open PDF files, but if you have problems viewing them you may need to install reader software such as Tha faidhleachan PDF gu sònraichte math airson clò-bhualadh. Tha e furasta gu leòr do chuid de choimpiutairean faidhleachan PDF fhosgladh, ach ma tha trioblaid agad ‘s dòcha gum biodh e feumail bathar-bog mar Adobe Acrobat Reader. fhaighinn.
Litir do Luchd-ionnsachaidh
This letter corresponds to Tha an Litir seo a’ buntainn ri An Litir Bheag 565
Podcast
BBC offers this litir as a podcast: Visit the programme page for more info and to download or subscribe. Tha am BBC a’ tabhainn seo mar podcast. Tadhail air an duilleag-phrògraim airson barrachd fiosrachaidh no airson podcast fhaighinn