大象传媒

A bheil fios agaibh d猫 tha am facal fillte 鈥渕uir-th矛reach鈥� a鈥� ciallachadh? Muir-th矛reach. Tha mi ga chleachdadh an-diugh mar ainmear, no noun. Ach nochd e anns an Litir d脿 bhliadhna air ais ann an riochd buadhair, no adjective. Uill, ma dh鈥檃ithnicheas sibh gu bheil e air a dh猫anamh dhen d脿 fhacal muir agus t矛r, bidh e furasta gu le貌r. Muir-th矛reach 鈥� something that lives both in the sea and on the land. Nise, nuair a chleachd mi mu dheireadh e, bha mi a鈥� d猫anamh tuairisgeul air an r貌n.

Bha mi a鈥� d猫anamh iomradh air argamaid eadar fear Pr貌stanach agus fear Caitligeach anns na h-Eileanan an Iar ri linn Mhartainn MhicIlleMh脿rtainn. Bha na Caitligich ag ithe fe貌il an r貌in aig 脿m a鈥� Charghais, no Lent. Bha am Pr貌stanach ag r脿dh gun robhar a鈥� briseadh riaghailtean na h-Eaglaise Caitligich oir chan e r貌n iasg. Thuirt an Caitligeach gun robh an r貌n ag ithe iasg, gun robh e muir-th矛reach agus gun robh e a鈥� d猫anamh braidhmean 鈥� rud nach b鈥� urrainn iasg a dh猫anamh!

Uill, chan urrainn dhomh dearbhadh a bheil sin f矛or mu 猫isg ach co-dhi霉, faodar a r脿dh gu bheil r貌in muir-th矛reach. Ge-t脿, mar ainmear tha muir-th矛reach a鈥� ciallachadh 鈥渁mphibian鈥�. 聽Agus, leis a鈥� chiall sin air an fhacal, chan e r貌n muir-th矛reach. 鈥橲 e r貌n mamail.

Th脿inig mi tarsainn air an fhacal muir-th矛reach air an eadar-l矛on an latha eile. 聽Bha mi a鈥� coimhead air l脿rach-l矛n 霉r a chaidh a chruthachadh le Dualchas N脿dair na h-Alba. Tha m貌ran e貌lach air a鈥� bhuidhinn fo ainm ann am Beurla 鈥� Scottish Natural Heritage no SNH. 鈥橲 e an t-ainm a th鈥� air an l脿raich 霉ir Faclan N脿dair SNH. Gheibhear lorg air aig www.snh.org.uk/gaelic/dictionary.

鈥橲 e an rud a tha s貌nraichte math mu fhaclairean air an eadar-l矛on gun gabh rudan a lorg gu luath le bhith a鈥� cur lorgair an s脿s. Chuir mi am facal Beurla amphibian don lorgair, bhr霉th mi am putan agus fhuair mi muir-th矛reach.Nise, ma tha sibh gu math e貌lach air n脿dar, 鈥檚 d貌cha gun can sibh 鈥� mmm 鈥� 鈥檚 e muir-th矛reach a th鈥� anns an losgann ach, gu dearbh, cha bhi losgann sam bith a鈥� dol faisg air a鈥� mhuir. Dh猫anadh an salann cron air. Bidh e a鈥� dol eadar uisge 鈥� sin f矛or uisge鈥� agus t矛r. Saoil nach e 鈥渦isge-th矛reach鈥� a bu ch貌ir a bhith againn air amphibian, seach muir-th矛reach?

Uill, dh鈥檉haodamaid an aon se貌rsa gearain a dh猫anamh mun fhacal amphibian ann am Beurla. Tha e a鈥� tighinn bho fhreumhaichean Greugach a tha a鈥� ciallachadh 鈥渂eatha dh霉bailte鈥� no double life. Tha sin ceart gu le貌r, ach chan eil e a鈥� d猫anamh iomradh air uisge is t矛r.

Chan e faclair SNH an aon fhear 霉r a nochd air an eadar-l矛on o chionn ghoirid. Nochd an seann fhaclair aig Dwelly mar ghoireas eadar-l矛n cuideachd 鈥� agus innsidh mi tuilleadh mu dheidhinn sin an ath-sheachdain. Co-dhi霉, chaidh mi do l脿rach Dwelly, chuir mi am facal amphibious a-steach don lorgair, agus bhr霉th mi am putan. Ach cha do nochd muir-th矛reach idir.

Ri linn Dwelly 鈥� agus cuimhnichibh gu bheil am faclair sin ceud bliadhna a dh鈥檃ois 鈥� bhathar a鈥� cleachdadh airson amphibious am facal fillte d脿-bheathach. D脿-bheathach.聽Double life. Coltach ris a鈥� Bheurla.

D猫 chanamaid, ma-th脿, ann an G脿idhlig, airson amphibious vehicle? Chanainn nach biodh carbad d脿-bheathach cho ciallach ri carbad muir-th矛reach. Ach d猫 mu dheidhinn amphibiousness? Muir-th矛reachas? Uill, f脿gaidh mi sin do latha eile.

ann an riochd buadhair: in the form of an adjective; ma聽dh鈥檃ithnicheas sibh: if you recognise; a鈥� d猫anamh tuairisgeul air: describing; ri linn聽Mhartainn MhicIlleMh脿rtainn: at the time of Martin Martin; ag ithe fe貌il an r貌in aig聽脿m a鈥� Charghais: eating seal meat during Lent; gun robhar a鈥� briseadh riaghailtean:聽that rules were being broken; chan e r貌n iasg: a seal is not a fish; rud nach b鈥� urrainn聽iasg a dh猫anamh: something a fish couldn鈥檛 do; faodar a r脿dh: it can be said; fo ainm聽ann am Beurla: under its English name; gun gabh rudan a lorg gu luath: that things聽can be found quickly; le bhith a鈥� cur lorgair an s脿s: by using a search engine; bhr霉th聽mi am putan: I pressed the button; 鈥檚 e muir-th矛reach a th鈥� anns an losgann: the frog is聽an amphibian; dh猫anadh an salann cron air: the salt would harm it; dh鈥檉haodamaid an聽aon se貌rsa gearain a dh猫anamh: we could make the same sort of complaint; goireas聽eadar-l矛n: internet facility; d猫 chanamaid airson?: what would we say for?

facal fillte: compound word. Faclan fillte (oftenainmearan fillte or compound nouns) are relatively common in Gaelic. The noun muir-th矛reach聽is a good example. Can you decline it satisfactorily according to case, withthe article? Here it is: am muir-th矛reach (nom. sing), leis a鈥� mhuir-th矛reach (dat. sing.),ceann a鈥� mhuir-th矛rich (gen. sing.), na muir-th矛rich (nom. pl.), leis na muir-th矛rich (dat.pl.), cinn nam muir-th矛reach (gen. pl.) You鈥檒l see that it works very similarly to asimple noun like bodach which slenderises in the nominative plural (bodaich). If youprefer d脿-bheathach for amphibian, it would work in the same way. I鈥檝e ignored thevocative forms but if you really want to address your pet frog(s) as 鈥渁mphibian(s)!鈥� Iguess you鈥檇 say 鈥渁 mhuir-th矛rich!鈥� for one and 鈥渁 mhuir-th矛reacha!鈥� for a group. If yougenuinely find those vocatives useful in your daily life, perhaps you should get out abit more!

Gheibhear lorg air: it will be found (it can be found).
Tha 鈥淟itir do Luchd-ionnsachaidh鈥� air a maoineachadh le MG ALBA