大象传媒

Tha e inntinneach gun robh a鈥� Gh脿idhlig aig an dithis bhr脿ithrean, Gilleasbaig is Fionnladh聽Cook, eadar-dhealaichte bho ch猫ile. Carson a tha e inntinneach? Uill, thogadh iad c貌mhla聽ann an Eilean Arainn ach tha e coltach gun do ch霉m Gilleasbaig ris an dual-chainnt聽Arainnich, an 矛re mhath co-dhi霉. Leig Fionnladh le dualchainntean eile buaidh a thoirt air a鈥櫬燝h脿idhlig aige.

Tuigidh sibh, ma tha mi a鈥� bruidhinn air G脿idhlig Arainn nach eil mi a-mach air daoine a tha be貌. Chaochail an fheadhainn mu dheireadh aig an robh G脿idhlig Arainneach聽mu ghinealach air ais. Agus bha na br脿ithrean Cook be貌 grunn ghinealach air ais. Bha iad le聽ch猫ile ainmeil mar shearmonaichean anns a鈥� ch霉baid. Agus mar Arainnich cha robh iad聽leotha fh猫in. Th脿inig m貌ran do ch霉baidean G脿idhealach anns an naoidheamh linn deug 脿聽Eilean Arainn.

Bha Gillesbaig, no Archibald, Cook gu s貌nraichte ainmeil mar shearmonaiche 鈥� ann an G脿idhlig agus Beurla. Rugadh e ann an seachd ceud deug, ochdad 鈥檚 a naoi (1789).聽
Bha聽Fionnladh aon bhliadhn鈥� deug na bu shine. Bha esan na mhinistear ann an Le貌dhas a聽bharrachd air Gallaibh agus Inbhir Nis. Bha a bhr脿thair na mhinistear a-mh脿in air t矛r-m貌r.

Sgr矛obh aon phears-eaglais, a bhuineadh do Chnapadal ann an Earra-Gh脿idheal, gun robh dualchainnt Arainn gu math eadar-dhealaichte eadhon bhon dualchainnt aige fh猫in.聽

Mar聽eisimpleir, bhiodh na h-Arainnich a鈥� fuaimneachadh na litreach 鈥渁鈥� ann an d貌igh eadar-dhealaichte聽bhon a h-uile 脿ite eile. Sgr矛obh am fear seo gum biodh an 鈥渁鈥� air a ceangal ri聽fuaimreag eile airson d脿-fhoghair, no diphthong, a chruthachadh. Tha Tormod Caimbeul 脿聽Le貌dhas, a sgr矛obh mu bheatha is obair Chook anns an t猫 as 霉ire de dh鈥檌risean Chomunn聽G脿idhlig Inbhir Nis, ag r脿dh gu robh e coltach gun canadh muinntir Arainn 鈥渕weh鈥� airson聽math. Tha e coltach cuideachd gun canadh iad 鈥渂w猫tuh鈥� airson b脿ta agus 鈥渂w猫鈥� airson b脿.

Ach nuair a thathar a鈥� sgr霉dadh nan searmonan G脿idhlig aig Archibald Cook, tha e follaiseach gun do ghabh e grunn fhaclan a-staigh bho dhualchainntean eile. Is beag an t-iongnadh.

Bha e fad bhliadhnaichean na mhinistear ann an Gallaibh, baile Inbhir Nis agusann an Deimhidh faisg air Inbhir Nis. Eadar ochd ceud deug, fichead 鈥檚 a tr矛 (1823) agus trithead 鈥檚 a seachd (1837), mar eisimpleir, bha e ann am paraiste Latharain ann an Gallaibh聽far an robh a鈥� Gh脿idhlig fhathast l脿idir aig an 脿m, ged a bha i a鈥� cr矛onadh. Aig 脿m a鈥櫬燾homanachaidh bhiodh Cook a鈥� searmonachadh ann am Beurla cuideachd, agus bhiodh聽feadhainn a鈥� siubhal naoi m矛le 脿 Inbhir 脵ige airson 猫isteachd ris.

Nuair a bha e ann an Gallaibh agus ann an Siorrachd Inbhir Nis 鈥檚 iongantach mura gabh e a-steach faclan neo-Arainneach a bhuineadh do na dualchainntean sin. Mar eisimpleir,聽ann an Arainn, b鈥� e madadh am facal 脿bhaisteach airson dog. Ach bhiodh Cook cuideachd a鈥櫬燾leachdadh an fhacail c霉. An an searmon turas chleachd e na dh脿 anns an aon seantans:聽Leumaidh iad a-mach 脿 鈥檔 leapaichean, thuirt e, gun 霉rnaigh, mar chuilean madaidh agus聽leumaidh iad a-mach 脿s an eaglais mar ch霉 dhe theadhair.Bhiodh Cook cuideachd a鈥� cleachdadh an fhacail n脿baidh, an 脿ite coimhearsnach, airson neighbour. 鈥橲 d貌cha gun do thog e sin聽am measg nan G脿idheal ann an Gallaibh.聽

Agus聽chleachdadh e faclan mar t矛m is meall nach robh air an cl脿radh ann an G脿idhlig Arainn.聽Ach ge bith d猫 cho coltach no eucoltach 鈥檚 a bha an dualchainnt aige ri G脿idhlig achoitheanalan, chan eil teagamh nach robh Cook na sh脿r-shearmonaiche. Bheir sinn s霉il a聽bharrachd air a鈥� mhinistear 脿raidh seo an ath-sheachdain.

pears-eaglais: churchman; Cnapadal: Knapdale; d脿-fhoghair:聽diphthong; Tormod Caimbeul: Norman Campbell; Deimhidh: Daviot; Latharan: Latheron;聽Gallaibh: Caithness.

an dithis bhr脿ithrean, Gilleasbaig is Fionnladh Cook: the twobrothers, Archibald and Finlay Cook; eadar-dhealaichte bho ch猫ile: different from eachother; thogadh iad c貌mhla ann an Eilean Arainn: they were brought up together on the Isle of聽Arran; an 矛re mhath co-dhi霉: pretty much, anyway; leig Fionnladh le dualchainntean eile聽buaidh a thoirt air a鈥� Gh脿idhlig aige: Finlay let other dialects affect his own Gaelic; grunn聽ghinealach air ais: a few generations ago; mar shearmonaichean anns a鈥� ch霉baid: as聽preachers in the pulpit; cha robh iad leotha fh猫in: they weren鈥檛 on their own; bhiodh na h-Arainnich a鈥� fuaimneachadh X ann an d貌igh eadar-dhealaichte: the Arran folk would聽pronounce X in a different way; is beag an t-iongnadh: it鈥檚 hardly surprising; ged a bha i a鈥櫬燾r矛onadh: although it was in decline; 脿m a鈥� chomanachaidh: communion time; 鈥檚 iongantach聽mura gabh e a-steach faclan neo-Arainneach: it would hardly be surprising if he absorbed聽non-Arran words; a-mach 脿 鈥檔 leapaichean gun 霉rnaigh, mar chuilean madaidh: out of their聽beds without a prayer like a puppy; mar ch霉 dhe theadhair: like a dog off its leash; ge bith d猫聽cho coltach no eucoltach 鈥檚 a bha an dualchainnt aige: regardless of how alike or unlike [the聽others] his dialect was.

The Gaelic dialect of the Isle of Arran was characterized bythe linguist Nils Holmer as having 鈥渁 larger amount of analogies with Irish Gaelic than any聽other Scottish Gaelic dialect鈥�. What a crying shame that the state鈥檚 destructive and misguided education and social policies brought about its demise 鈥� as was the case with聽many rich and fascinating regional dialects from Caithness to the Clyde. Arran in the late聽18th and 19th Centuries supplied many Gaelic-speaking ministers to churches throughout聽Gaelic Scotland and even in 1891 some 85% of the inhabitants of Lochranza still spoke the聽language. But the writing was on the wall. Norman Campbell in his interesting paper on聽鈥淩ev. Archibald Cook of Daviot鈥� (Transactions of Gaelic Soc. of Inverness, vol. LXIV)informs us that the last fully bilingual person on Arran to speak the local Gaelic dialect was Donald Craig of Machrie who died in 1978.

Bha e fad bhliadhnaichean na mhinistear: he was a ministerfor years.
Tha 鈥淟itir do Luchd-ionnsachaidh鈥� air a maoineachadh le MG ALBA