大象传媒

鈥淚 was informed by an eminent medical gentleman at Inverness that cancers are very common in this country, particularly among the labouring class of people, which he attributes to their manner of living...鈥� Nochd na faclan sin ann an cl貌 anns a鈥� bhliadhna ochd ceud deug (1800) anns an leabhar le T貌mas Garnett Observations on a Tour Through the Highlands and Part of the Western Isles of Scotland. Chaidh Garnett air chuairt air a鈥� Gh脿idhealtachd as t-samhradh d脿 bhliadhna roimhe sin. Mar lighiche agus neach-saidheans, bha 霉idh mh貌r aige ann an ceistean sl脿inte.

听听听听听听听听听听听 Air an rathad gu deas, r脿inig iad bruchlag ghr脿nda, air an robh Freeburn Inn. Bha na h-uinneagan briste ann agus cha robh an t-脿ite a鈥� coimhead math idir. Ach tha Garnett ag r脿dh gun robh am biadh m貌ran na b鈥� fhe脿rr na bha iad an d霉il. Bha iad faisg air Tom Aitinn, far a bheil Allt na Fr矛the a鈥� coinneachadh ri Uisge 脠ireann. 鈥橲 e Free Burn an dreach Beurla air Allt na Fr矛the. 鈥橲 ann 脿s an allt sin a gheibhear an t-uisge an-diugh airson an taigh-staile.

听听听听听听听听听听听 An ath latha, chaidh iad eadar Tom Aitinn agus an Aghaidh Mh貌r. Tha Garnett a鈥� d猫anamh tuairisgeul 猫ibhinn mun mh矛-thuigse a dh鈥櫭╥rich eadar e fh猫in 鈥檚 a chompanach, Mr Watts, agus muinntir na sg矛re. Seo na sgr矛obh e, air eadar-theangachadh gu G脿idhlig:

听听听听听听听听听听听 Bha a鈥� chuid mh貌r dhen latha seo, feumar aideachadh, rudeigin sg矛theil, ach bha i air a beothachadh leis na clachan-m矛le air an rathad 鈥� a thug fiosrachadh na bu d貌igheile dhuinn na tuaireaman an luchd-d霉thcha ris an do thachair sinn gu tric. Thachair e gu minig, nuair a dh鈥檉haighnich sinn de chuideigin d猫 cho fada 鈥檚 a bha e don ath [脿ite]; nan robh Beurla sam bith aca, 脿s d猫idh dhaibh me貌rachadh air a鈥� ch霉is, chanadh iad rinn 鈥檚 d貌cha sia m矛le. 脌s d猫idh dhuinn m矛le no dh脿 a bharrachd a mharcachd, nan cuireamaid an aon cheist air neach eile, chanadh esan sia no 鈥檚 d貌cha seachd m矛le. Mar sin, grunn tursan, mar a bu mhotha a dhl霉thaich sinn ri ar ceann-uidhe, 鈥檚 ann a b鈥� fhaide a bha sinn, a r猫ir nan cunntasan sin, bhuaithe.

听听听听听听听听听听听 Leis a鈥� bheachd gun d猫anadh e c霉isean na b鈥� fhasa ann a bhith a鈥� conaltradh leis na G脿idheil, bha Mgr Watts, mus do th貌isich ar turas, air beagan G脿idhlig ionnsachadh; ach, an 脿ite a bhith feumail, chuir am beagan dhen ch脿nan a bh鈥� aig mo charaid troimh-a-ch猫ile sinn, oir ged a b鈥� urrainn dha ceistean riatanach a chur, cha mh貌r gum b鈥� urrainn dha am freagairtean a thuigsinn; agus cho luath 鈥檚 a chuala iad e a鈥� bruidhinn ann an G脿idhlig, cha mh貌r gum b鈥� urrainn dhuinn toirt air gin de na daoine ris an do thachair sinn Beurla sam bith a labhairt rinn.

听听听听听听听听听听听 Agus an co-dh霉nadh aig Garnett? 鈥� 鈥�we literally experienced the truth of the adage, 鈥渁 little learning is a dangerous thing鈥�!

听听听听听听听听听听听 Ach cha robh Garnett gu tur an aghaidh na G脿idhlig. Sgr矛obh e 鈥淸that Gaelic has] a particularly expressive energy.鈥� Sin thu, a bhalaich.

听听听听听听听听听听听 Mu dheireadh, seo ceist dhuibh. C貌rr is d脿 cheud bliadhna mus deach 矛omhaigh de Dh貌mhnall Mac an De貌ir a thogail aig ceann shuas Sr脿id Bhochanain ann an Glaschu, cha mh貌r nach deach carragh-cuimhne a chur suas do chuideigin eile anns an dearbh 脿ite. C貌 bh鈥� ann? Innsidh mi dhuibh an-ath-sheachdain.

Tom Aitinn: Tomatin; Uisge 脠ireann: Findhorn River; taigh-staile: distillery; An Aghaidh Mh貌r: Aviemore; 尘别貌谤补肠丑补诲丑: contemplating; marcachd: riding; carragh-cuimhne: memorial.

air chuairt air a鈥� Gh脿idhealtachd: on a journey in the Highlands; mar lighiche agus neach-saidheans: as a physician and scientist; bha 霉idh mh貌r aige ann an ceistean sl脿inte: he had a great interest in health issues; bruchlag ghr脿nda: a mean hovel; m貌ran na b鈥� fhe脿rr na bha iad an d霉il: much better than they had expected; a gheibhear an t-uisge: that water is obtained; feumar aideachadh: it must be confessed; air a beothachadh leis na clachan-m矛le: enlivened by the milestones; na tuaireaman an luchd-d霉thcha ris an do thachair sinn: than the conjectures of the peasants whom we met; nan cuireamaid an aon cheist air neach eile: if we asked [the same question of] another person; mar a bu mhotha a dhl霉thaich sinn ri ar ceann-uidhe: the nearer we approached to the end of [our] journey; 鈥檚 ann a b鈥� fhaide a bha sinn bhuaithe: the further we were from it; chuir am beagan dhen ch脿nan a bh鈥� aig mo charaid troimh-a-ch猫ile sinn: the little my friend had of the language perplexed us; cha mh貌r gum b鈥� urrainn dha am freagairtean a thuigsinn: he could scarcely comprehend their answers; gum b鈥� urrainn dhuinn toirt air gin de na daoine ris an do thachair sinn Beurla sam bith a labhairt rinn: that we could prevail on any of the persons whom we met to speak any English; mus deach 矛omhaigh de Dh貌mhnall Mac an De貌ir a thogail: before a likeness of Donald Dewar was raised.

It鈥檚 interesting how Allt na Fr矛the (still a recognised name) at Tomatin has become Free Burn to many English speakers, giving the name a different sense. Perhaps surprisingly, 蹿谤矛迟丑, seemingly an archetypal Highland Gaelic environmental term, is thought to have an English origin. MacBain derived it from Middle English 蹿谤颈冒 鈥渄eer park, sparse woodland鈥� which is the origin of many English 鈥渇rith鈥� names eg Fritham, Frithville, and which still exists in Scots (as 鈥渇rith鈥�) for a 鈥渨ood鈥� or 鈥渃learing in a wood鈥�. A cognate occurs in Welsh 鈥� ffridd or ffrith 鈥� thought also to originate in English 蹿谤颈冒. But, in both Welsh and Gaelic, the meaning has come to include largely treeless places where deer (Scotland) or sheep/cattle (Wales) graze in rough mountainous country 鈥� thus a 鈥渉eath, moor鈥� in Scotland (often referred to as a 鈥渄eer forest鈥�) and 鈥渞ough mountain pasture鈥� in Wales.

mun mh矛-thuigse a dh鈥櫭╥rich eadar: about the misunderstanding that arose between.

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Tha 鈥淟itir do Luchd-ionnsachaidh鈥� air a maoineachadh le MG ALBA