大象传媒

An aithne dhuibh am facal cutach? Tha Dwelly a鈥� toirt seo dhuinn: Cutach: short,diminutive, docked, shortened, bob-tailed, curtailed, concise. Uaireannan bithear ga chluinntinn ann am far-ainm, leithid Alasdair Cutach 鈥� short Alexander. Leugh mi am facal an latha eile co-cheangailte ri ar c脿nan 鈥� G脿idhlig chutach. Thuirt cuideigin mun dualchainnt aca 鈥� 鈥橲 e G脿idhlig chutach a th鈥� againn. Saoil d猫 bha e a鈥檆iallachadh?

Uill, a r猫ir choltais, bha e a鈥� ciallachadh clipped Gaelic 鈥� G脿idhlig anns am biodh fuaimreagan aig deireadh fhaclan, air nach eil cuideam ann an cainnt, a鈥� falbh 脿s a鈥� chainnt聽uile-gu-l猫ir. D猫 an dualchainnt a bh鈥� ann, saoil? Uill, bha i air t矛r-m貌r ann am badeigin. Ma聽chluinneas sibh daoine, can, 脿 taobh an ear Chataibh a鈥� bruidhinn G脿idhlig, canaidh iad bail聽airson baile, agus duin airson duine. Tha an 鈥渆鈥� aig an deireadh a鈥� falbh.聽

Nise, a thaobh an fhacail duine, chaidh a chl脿radh mar duin ann an suirbhidh n脿iseanta ann an Siorrachd Obar Dheathain, Siorrachd Narann, Ros an Ear is Gallaibh, agus聽anns a鈥� chuid mh貌ir de Shiorrachdan Pheairt is Chataibh, a bharrachd air taobh sear聽Siorrachd Inbhir Nis.

Dh鈥檉haodamaid tuairisgeul a dh猫anamh air m貌ran de na dualchainntean sin mar鈥渇headhainn chutach鈥�, 鈥檚 d貌cha. Ach bha an neach a chaidh a chl脿radh a鈥� bruidhinn air dualchainnt Siorrachd Obar Dheathain. Tha e m矛-fhortanach nach eil comas againn a leithid聽de dhualchainnt a chluinntinn is a chl脿radh a-nise.

Bha mi a鈥� leughadh st貌iridh beag ann an dualchainnt Obar Dheathain ann an cruinneachadh air a bheil Caindel Alban 鈥� F猫ill-sgr矛obhainn do Dh貌mhnall E Meek, achaidh fhoillseachadh le Oilthigh Obar Dheathain mar iris ceithir air fhichead (XXIV) de Scottish Gaelic Studies. Bha an st貌iridh air a chl脿radh air p脿ipear le Francis Diack ann am聽Br脿igh Mh脿rr anns na ficheadan dhen fhicheadamh linn (1920s). Chaidh a sgr霉dadh leis an聽sgoilear, Seumas Grannd.

D猫 rudan eile a ch矛 sinn ann an G脿idhlig Siorrachd Obar Dheathain? Seo agaibh rud no dh脿. An toiseach, eisimpleir eile de chutadh: bhathar a鈥� leigeil 脿s an 鈥揳dh aig deireadh聽fhaclan; mar eisimpleir chanadh iad tuill airson tuilleadh. An 脿ite dol chanadh iad dul. Tha聽sin cumanta air t矛r-m貌r. Bhiodh an nn air fhuaimneachadh mar ng ann am Beurla 鈥� mar聽eisimpleir, chanadh iad 鈥渟hing鈥� airson a鈥� seinn agus 鈥渟 vating鈥� airson sa mhadainn. Agus 鈥撀爎ud eile a tha cumanta air t矛r-m貌r 鈥� chanadh iad 鈥渁ki鈥� airson agaibh, 鈥渟hi鈥� airson sibh agus聽鈥渕u choinnyi鈥� airson mu choinneimh.

鈥橲 d貌cha gur e a鈥� phuing as inntinniche a thog Seumas Grannd mun ghnothach cho coltach 鈥檚 a bha G脿idhlig Siorrachd Obar Dheathain agus dualchainnt Shrath Sp猫 鈥� air a bheil Seumas gu math e貌lach oir buinidh e do Rat Mhurchais. Shaoileadh tu, air a鈥� chiad shealladh, gum biodh am Monadh Ruadh na chnap-starra anns an t-seann aimsir do chunbhalachd cainnt eadar an d脿 sg矛re sin.聽

Tha Seumas a鈥� cur air adhart d脿 smuain a thaobh sin. Cha robh na G脿idheil anns an t-seann聽aimsir a鈥� coimhead air na beanntan sin mar chnap-starra dhaibh. Gu dearbh, bha t貌rr聽gluasaid ann eadar Srath Sp猫 is Br脿igh Mh脿rr 鈥� airson malairt agus gnothaichean s貌isealta.聽Bha gu le貌r de dhaoine a鈥� coiseachd tron L脿irig Ghr霉, mar eisimpleir.

A bharrachd air sin, nuair a tha sinn a鈥� coimhead air dualchainntean G脿idhlig, buch貌ir dhuinn a bhith mothachail do dh鈥檈achdraidh nam fineachan. Ri linn nam fineachanbha Br脿igh Mh脿rr fo smachd Clann 鈥檌c Fhearchair. Agus dh鈥櫭╥rich iadsan bho na Seathaich聽ann an Rat Mhurchais. Mar sin, bha ceangal eachdraidheil ann eadar na daoine air gach聽taobh dhen Mhonadh Ruadh.

suirbhidh: survey; Siorrachd Obar Dheathain: Aberdeenshire;聽Siorrachd Narann: Nairnshire; dualchainnt: dialect; Br脿igh Mh脿rr: Braemar.

An aithne dhuibh?: do you know/recognise?; uaireannan bithear ga聽chluinntinn ann am far-ainm: sometimes it鈥檚 heard in a nickname; G脿idhlig chutach: clipped聽Gaelic; saoil d猫 bha e a鈥� ciallachadh?: what do you think he was meaning?; fuaimreagan aig聽deireadh fhaclan: vowels at the end of words; air nach eil cuideam ann an cainnt: which are聽not stressed in speech; a鈥� falbh 脿s a鈥� chainnt uile-gu-l猫ir: are omitted from speech entirely;聽air t矛r-m貌r ann am badeigin: on the mainland somewhere; 脿 taobh an ear Chataibh: from聽east Sutherland; dh鈥檉haodamaid tuairisgeul a dh猫anamh air: we could describe; a chaidh聽fhoillseachadh le Oilthigh Obar Dheathain: which was published by Aberdeen University;聽chanadh iad: they would say; a鈥� phuing as inntinniche: the most interesting point; cho聽coltach 鈥檚 a bha X agus Y: how similar X and Y were; oir buinidh e do Rat Mhurchais:聽because he belongs to Rothiemurchus; gum biodh am Monadh Ruadh na chnap-starra anns聽an t-seann aimsir: that the Cairngorms would have been a barrier in the old days;聽cunbhalachd cainnt: commonality of speech; t貌rr gluasaid: much movement; bu ch貌ir dhuinn聽a bhith mothachail do dh鈥檈achdraidh nam fineachan: we should be cognisant of the history聽of the clans; fo smachd Clann 鈥檌c Fhearchair: under the control of the Farquharsons;聽dh鈥櫭╥rich iadsan bho na Seathaich: they arose from the Shaws.

The Litir this week concerns a story transcribed by Francis聽Diack (1867-1939), a librarian at Aberdeen University who learned Gaelic in the Braemar聽area when Aberdeenshire Gaelic was still a living community tongue. Diack spent much聽time collecting information on Gaelic in the eastern Highlands, including Banffshire and聽Aberdeenshire. The article discussed in the Litir concerns a story he collected in the聽Braemar area and which he transcribed phonetically, giving an indication of how words聽were pronounced in that dialect. The similarities between the Gaelic of Strathspey and that聽of Braemar, despite Scotland鈥檚 highest mountain range, the Cairngorms (Am Monadh聽Ruadh) lying between the two areas, might, at first sight, be a little surprising. Clan links,聽and the willingness of people to travel through the mountain passes in olden times, bringing聽about regular social intercourse, may provide an explanation.

Shaoileadh tu, air a鈥� chiad shealladh: you鈥檇 think, at [lit. onthe] first sight.
Tha 鈥淟itir do Luchd-ionnsachaidh鈥� air a maoineachadh le MG ALBA