332: The effect of Gaels on Iceland (1) 332: Buaidh nan Gàidheal air Innis Tìle (1)

B1 - Intermediate - The Little LetterB1 - Eadar-mheadhanach - An Litir Bheag

Litir shìmplidh sheachdaineach do luchd-ionnsachaidh le clàr-fuaime, tar-sgrìobhadh is eadar-theangachadh. A simple weekly letter to Gaelic learners with audio, transcription and translation.

Tha an litir bheag 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 little 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.

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Gaelic & English Text Teacsa Gàidhlig & Beurla

Buaidh nan Gàidheal air Innis Tìle (1)

Gaelic Gàidhlig

Thug na Lochlannaich buaidh air a’ Ghàidhlig. Ach an tug na Gàidheil buaidh air Lochlannais? Uill, thug gu ìre bheag. Bha mi ann an Innis Tìle o chionn ghoirid. Tha deasbad a’ dol an sin – dè a’ bhuaidh a thug na Gàidheil air an eilean?

Sgrìobh na Tìlich na faoinsgeulan mòra aca nan cànan fhèin. Cha do rinn sluagh Lochlannach eile sin. Carson? Bha na Gàidheil, gu sònraichte na h-Èireannaich, a’ dèanamh an aon rud. An tug na Gàidheil buaidh air na Tìlich mar sin?

Ma thug, ciamar a rinn iad e? Uill, tha trì dòighean ann. Anns a’ chiad dol a-mach le Lochlannaich a chaidh a dh’fhuireach ann an Innis Tìle à Alba no Èirinn. Bha na daoine sin air tighinn fo bhuaidh nan Gàidheal.

Anns an dàrna àite, le ceanglaichean cultarach a bha air an dèanamh ann an ceann a tuath na h-Alba agus Arcaibh. Ann an sin, bha Gàidheil is Lochlannaich a’ coinneachadh ri chèile.

Agus an treas dòigh – le Gàidheil a chaidh a dh’fhuireach ann an Innis Tìle. Bha cuid dhiubh nan tràillean. Bha cuid dhiubh nam mnathan aig Lochlannaich. Agus ’s dòcha gun robh feadhainn ann, aig an robh Gàidhlig mar chànan, a chaidh a dh’fhuireach ann gu saor-thoileach.

Tha facal no dhà ann an Tìlis an-diugh a thathar a’ smaoineachadh a thàinig bhon Ghàidhlig. Tha am facal kapall aca, a’ ciallachadh “làir” no “each boireann”. Thàinig sin bhon Ghàidhlig capall. Tha am facal tarfur aca, a’ ciallachadh “tarbh”. Thàinig sin bhon Ghàidhlig tarbh.

Tha ainm pearsanta no dhà ann cuideachd. ’S e eisimpleir Njáll a thàinig à Niall. Tha Njáll ainmeil mar ainm ann an Innis Tìle. Tha faoinsgeul ann – Njálsaga – sgeulachd Nèill.

Ach thèid sinn air ais don toiseach. Nuair a chaidh na Lochlannaich a dh’Innis Tìle an toiseach, bha daoine ann mu thràth. ’S e Gàidheil a bha annta. Tha an Íslendingabók ag innse dhuinn, nuair a chaidh na Lochlannaich ann an toiseach, ann an ochd ceud is seachdad (870), gun robh dìthreabhaich Ghàidhealach ann mu thràth. ’S e papar a bha aig na Lochlannaich orra. Bheir sinn sùil orrasan an-ath-sheachdain.

The effect of Gaels on Iceland (1)

English Beurla

The Norse influenced the Gaelic language. But did the Gaels influence the Norse language? Well, yes, to a small degree. I was in Iceland recently. There is a debate going on there – what effect did the Gaels have on the island?

The Icelanders wrote the sagas in their own language. No other Nordic people did that. Why? The Gaels, particularly the Irish, were doing the same thing. Did the Gaels influence the Icelanders in that way?

If they did, how did they do it? Well, there are three ways. In the first instance by Norsemen who went to live in Iceland from Scotland or Ireland. Those people had come under the influence of the Gaels.

In the second place, through cultural ties that were made in northern Scotland and Orkney. There, Gaels and Norsemen were meeting each other.

And the third way – through Gaels that went to live in Iceland. Some of them were slaves. Some of them were wives of Norsemen. And perhaps there were a few Gaelic speakers who went to live there voluntarily.

There are a couple of words in Icelandic that are thought to have come from Gaelic. They have the word kapall, meaning a “mare” or “female horse”. That came from the Gaelic capall. They have the word tarfur, meaning “bull”. That came from the Gaelic tarbh.

There are a couple of personal names also. Njáll is an example; it came from Niall. Njáll is famous as a name in Iceland. There is a saga – Njálsaga – Niall’s saga.

But we’ll go back to the beginning. When the Norse first went to Iceland, there were already people there. They were Gaels. The Íslendingabók tells us, when the Vikings went there at first in the year 870, that there were Gaelic hermits already there. The Norse called them papar. We’ll look at them next week.

Gaelic TextTeacsa Gàidhlig