大象传媒

Chuir mi ceist oirbh an t-seachdain sa chaidh. C貌rr is d脿 cheud bliadhna mus deach 矛omhaigh de Dh貌mhnall Mac an De貌ir 鈥� a鈥� chiad Phr矛omh Mhinistear ann an Alba 鈥� 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?

听听听听听听听听听听听 鈥橲 e am fuasgladh Se貌ras Bochanan, an sgoilear, b脿rd is eachdraiche. Fhuair mi fios air sin bhon leabhar aig T貌mas Garnett Observations on a Tour Through the Highlands and Part of the Western Isles of Scotland a chaidh fhoillseachadh anns a鈥� bhliadhna ochd ceud deug (1800).

听听听听听听听听听听听 Chunnaic Garnett an carragh-cuimhne do Bhochanan ann an Cill Earrainn ann an Siorrachd Shruighlea. Thuirt e gun robhar ag iarraidh an toiseach a chur suas ann an Sr脿id Bhochanain. Ach feumaidh mi rudeigin a chur ri sin. Cha d鈥� fhuair Sr脿id Bhochanain a h-ainm bho She貌ras, ach bho Anndra Bochanan a rinn fortan thall thairis ann an gn矛omhachas an tombaca.

听听听听听听听听听听听 Nuair a bha T貌mas Garnett ann an sg矛re Loch Laomainn, fhuair e fios bho mhuinntir an 脿ite gun robh tr矛 m矛orbhailean co-cheangailte ris an loch. B鈥� iad sin: 猫isg gun itean, tuinn gun ghaoth agus eilean air flod.

听听听听听听听听听听听 Mh矛nich Garnett na tr矛 m矛orbhailean anns an d貌igh seo. Choinnich e ris an Urramach Iain Sti霉bhart 脿 Lus a bha ag obair air eadar-theangachadh an t-Seann Tiomnaidh gu G脿idhlig. Thuirt Mgr Sti霉bhart ris gun robh nathraichean pailt ann am m貌ran de dh鈥檈ileanan an locha. Bhiodh iad a鈥� sn脿mh bho eilean gu eilean. B鈥� iad sin na 鈥渉-猫isg鈥� gun itean.

听听听听听听听听听听听 Ciamar a bha e a鈥� m矛neachadh tuinn anns an loch eadhon nuair nach robh a鈥� ghaoth ann? Uill, gu 矛re, leis an dearbh rud a bha mi a鈥� bruidhinn mu dheidhinn o chionn grunn Litrichean 鈥� seiches. Sin mar a bhios crith-thalmhainn, eadhon fad鈥� air falbh, ag adhbharachadh gluasad uisge ann an loch, gu h-脿raidh loch fada caol. A bharrachd air sin, gluaisidh uisge ann an leithid de loch airson 霉ine mh貌r an d猫idh stoirm, eadhon nuair a tha an aimsir ci霉in a-rithist.

听听听听听听听听听听听 Nuair a bha Garnett aig Loch Laomainn, cha robh eilean air flod ann. Ach bha e an d霉il gum biodh p矛osan air am briseadh far eileanan san loch, leithid Innis M貌na. Bhiodh lusan is craobhan ceangailte ri m貌ine a鈥� dol air bhog.

听听听听听听听听听听听 Rinn e aithris air a leithid de dh鈥檈ilean ann an Loch Dochart ann an Siorrachd Pheairt. Nam biodh an t-eilean air a sh猫ideadh don chladach, bhiodh crodh uaireannan a鈥� dol air airson ionaltradh. Nam biodh a鈥� ghaoth ag atharrachadh, bhiodh an crodh air an aiseag a-null gu taobh eile an locha!

听听听听听听听听听听听 Agus bhiodh se貌rsa eile de 鈥渆ilean air flod鈥� ann cuideachd 鈥� fear a bh鈥� air a dh猫anamh le mac-an-duine. Bhiodh daoine a bha a鈥� fuireach air bruaichean Loch Laomainn a鈥� d猫anamh n脿dar de r脿th. Bhiodh iad a鈥� ceangal ri ch猫ile stocan craoibhe giuthais agus a鈥� cur 霉ir air am muin. B鈥� urrainn dhaibh daoine, crodh, fodar is rudan m貌ra eile a ghluasad tarsainn an locha air.

Aig 脿m 猫iginn, b鈥� urrainn do dhaoine a dhol am falach air a leithid de r脿th. Bhiodh iad a鈥� ceangal an r脿tha ri eilean anns an loch. Aig astar, bhiodh e a鈥� coimhead coltach ri p脿irt dhen eilean fh猫in. Tha d霉il gun deach iomadh duine a sh脿bhaladh anns an d貌igh sin air Loch Laomainn aig 脿m str矛 is f貌irneirt.

D貌mhnall Mac an De貌ir: Donald Dewar; Pr矛omh Mhinistear: First Minister; Sr脿id Bhochanain: Buchanan Street; Se貌ras Bochanan: George Buchanan; eachdraiche: historian; Cill Earrainn: Killearn; Siorrachd Shruighlea: Stirlingshire; Loch Laomainn: Loch Lomond; 蝉苍脿尘丑: swimming; 肠颈霉颈苍: calm; Innis M貌na: Inchmoan; astar: distance; 蹿貌颈谤苍别颈谤迟: violence.

cha mh貌r nach deach carragh-cuimhne a chur suas: a memorial was nearly erected; gun robhar ag iarraidh: that it was intended; tr矛 m矛orbhailean co-cheangailte ri: three marvels connected to; 猫isg gun itean: fish without fins; tuinn gun ghaoth: waves without wind; choinnich e ris an Urramach Iain Sti霉bhart 脿 Lus: he met the Rev John Stuart of Luss; eadar-theangachadh an t-Seann Tiomnaidh: the translation of the Old Testament; gun robh nathraichean pailt: that snakes were abundant; eadhon nuair nach robh a鈥� ghaoth ann: even when there was no wind; mar a bhios crith-thalmhainn, eadhon fad鈥� air falbh, ag adhbharachadh gluasad uisge: how an earthquake, even far away, causes a water movement; gluaisidh uisge ann an leithid de loch: water will move in such a loch; 霉ine mh貌r an d猫idh stoirm: a long time after a storm; bhiodh lusan is craobhan ceangailte ri m貌ine a鈥� dol air bhog: plants and trees connected to peat would float; nam biodh an t-eilean air a sh猫ideadh don chladach: if the island were blown to the shore; air an aiseag a-null: ferried over; n脿dar de r脿th: a sort of raft; bhiodh iad a鈥� ceangal ri ch猫ile stocan craoibhe giuthais agus a鈥� cur 霉ir air am muin: they would tie together pine tree trunks and put soil on top of them; 脿m 猫iginn: time of strife.

a rinn fortan thall thairis ann an gn矛omhachas an tombaca: who made a fortune overseas in the tobacco industry. You will notice that tombaca does not fit the rule that we emphasise in speech the first syllable of a word; we say tom-BACHK-uh rather than TOM-bachk-uh. But it is a loanword, possibly ultimately of Caribbean origin, that entered Europe via Spanish, so it doesn鈥檛 necessarily fit the traditional orthographic system. The stress in 产耻苍迟脿迟补 鈥減otato鈥� is indicated by an accent, but the 鈥渁鈥� in tombaca is not elongated to the extent of the 鈥渁鈥� in 产耻苍迟脿迟补. If it were a compound word, we might consider the inclusion of a hyphen to show post-hyphen stress (cf l脿mh-sgr矛obhadh, taigh-貌sta). But the Gaelic Orthographic Conventions specifically prohibit this by saying that 鈥渉yphens should not be used in borrowed or adapted words that have non-initial stress鈥�; thus we write telebhisean rather than tele-bhisean.

eilean air flod: a floating island.

听

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