Playing the pipes
A wee while ago, I saw a film about school education in Zambia. Many children receive their education through a language they don’t speak to begin
with. Many of the pupils were speaking Soli at home. But there were two other languages in the school – Nyanja and English.
A teacher who spoke Soli at home said that Soli is not suitable in education, at least at the level of the high school. Why? Well, they don’t have
words for such as ‘fallopian tube’.
I was contemplating Gaelic. Do we ourselves have a word for ‘fallopian tube’? Well, yes.
Pìob-uighe. Literally, ‘egg tube’. Pìob-uighe. It makes sense, doesn’t it? It can be found on the internet in the Faclair Beag or An Seotal.
Pìob appears in other parts of the body. For example – a’ phìob-sgòrnain – trachea or windpipe. Pìob-sgòrnain. A’ phìob-dheas – that’s ‘the right bronchus’ – the tube that connects the trachea with the lung. And a’ phìob-chlì – the left bronchus.
There is an opinion that
pìob came from Latin. It was connected to the sound of a musical instrument. Thus, it is natural to call an instrument a ‘pìob’, such as
pìob-mhòr nan Gàidheal – the great Highland pipes.
There is also the
pìob-bheag – the small pipes. And the pìob-uilinn of the Irish. That’s the ‘elbow pipes’ or ‘uil(l)eann pipes’. The bag is inflated by movement of the elbow.
How do we say in Gaelic, ‘Do you play the bagpipes?’ Like this: ‘
Am bi thu a’ seinn na pìoba?’ Yes, seinn
means ‘play an instrument’. In old Gaelic, that was the primary meaning of the word. I was listening to a man the other day. He said that somebody was
‘a’ seinn na fìdhle’.
Here is a saying:
Bheireadh tu cho fada a’ gleusadh do phìob ʼs a bheireadh fear eile a’ seinn port
‘you’d take as long to tune your pipe as another man would to play a tune’. It represents ‘you’re all talk and no action’.
Bheireadh tu cho fada a’ gleusadh do phìob ʼs a bheireadh fear eile a’ seinn port.
Seinn na Pìoba
O chionn greis, chunnaic mi film mu dheidhinn foghlam sgoile ann an Zambia. Bidh gu leòr de chloinn a’ faighinn an cuid foghlaim tro chànan nach eil aca
aig an toiseach. Bha mòran de na sgoilearan a’ bruidhinn Soli aig an taigh. Ach bha dà chànan eile san sgoil – Njyanja agus a’ Bheurla.
Thuirt tidsear aig an robh Soli mar chànan dachaigh nach robh Soli freagarrach ann am foghlam, co-dhiù aig ìre na h-àrd-sgoile. Carson? Uill, chan eil
faclan aca airson leithid ‘fallopian tube’.
Bha mi a’ meòrachadh air a’ Ghàidhlig. A bheil facal againn fhìn airson ‘fallopian tube’? Uill, tha. Pìob-uighe. Gu litreachail, ‘egg tube’. Pìob-uighe. Tha e a’ dèanamh ciall, nach eil? Gheibhear e air an eadar-lìon anns an Fhaclair Bheag no anns an t-Seotal.
Tha pìob a’ nochdadh ann am pàirtean eile dhen bhodhaig. Mar eisimpleir – a’ phìob-sgòrnain – trachea no windpipe.
Pìob-sgòrnain. A’ phìob-dheas – sin ‘the right bronchus’ – a’ phìob a tha a’ ceangal na pìoba-sgòrnain ris an sgamhan. Agus a’ phìob-chlì – the left bronchus.
Tha beachd ann gun tàinig pìob bhon Laidinn. Bha e co-cheangailte ri fuaim aig ionnsramaid-chiùil. Mar sin, tha e nàdarrach ‘pìob’ a ghabhail air
ionnsramaid, leithid pìob-mhòr nan Gàidheal – the great Highland pipes.
Tha a’ phìob-bheag ann cuideachd – the small pipes. Agus a’ phìob-uilinn aig na h-Èireannaich. Sin na ‘elbow pipes’ no ‘uil(l)eann pipes’. Tha a’ mhala air a chur a dh’at le gluasad na h-uilinn.
Ciamar a chanas sinn ann an Gàidhlig, ‘Do you play the bagpipes?’ Mar seo: ‘Am bi thu a’ seinn na pìoba?’ Seadh, tha seinn a’ ciallachadh ‘play an instrument’. Anns an t-seann Ghàidhlig, b’ e sin prìomh chiall an fhacail. Bha mi ag èisteachd ri fear an latha eile. Thuirt e gun robh
cuideigin ‘a’ seinn na fìdhle’.
Seo agaibh seanfhacal: Bheireadh tu cho fada a’ gleusadh do phìob ʼs a bheireadh fear eile a’ seinn port
‘you’d take as long to tune your pipe as another man would to play a tune’
. Tha e a’ seasamh airson ‘
you’re all talk and no action’.
Bheireadh tu cho fada a’ gleusadh do phìob ʼs a bheireadh fear eile a’ seinn port.
