大象传媒

Nuair a bha mi ann an Alba Nuaidh, bha mi ag innse do dhaoine gun robh c貌rr math is ceud facal ann airson talamh 脿rd ann an G脿idhlig ann an Alba. Agus c貌rr is ceathrad facal airson bhoglaichean. Sheall mi dhaibh an se貌rsa briathrachais a bh鈥� aig Donnchadh B脿n Mac an t-Saoir airson n脿dar 鈥� agus cho beartach 鈥檚 a bha e.

听听听听听听听听听听听 B鈥� fhe脿rr leam gun robh barrachd 霉ine air a bhith agam airson a bhith a鈥� faicinn na thachair don bhriathrachas sin nuair a chaidh a chur an s脿s anns an d霉thaich 霉ir. Saoilidh mi gu bheil PhD no dh脿 a鈥� feitheamh ri oileanaich 猫asgaidh 鈥� an d脿 chuid air a鈥� bhriathrachas ann an Alba agus ann an Alba Nuaidh. Ach bha aon rud follaiseach dhomh 鈥� cha bhiodh am facal maol 鈥榤eall le coltas maol air鈥� gu m貌ran feum. No creachann 鈥榤ullach beinne le gl猫 bheag a鈥� f脿s air鈥�. Oir chan fhaca mi a leithid de dh鈥櫭爄te.

听听听听听听听听听听听 Far nach eil tuathanas no baile no 鈥檚 d貌cha boglaichean, tha Alba Nuadh c貌mhdaichte le coille. Is beag an t-iongnadh gun do ghabh cuid 鈥榯矛r nan craobh鈥� oirre. Tha coille ann bho bhonn nan gleann gu mullaichean nam beann 鈥� agus chan eil na beanntan cho 脿rd ris an fheadhainn ann an Alba.

听听听听听听听听听听听 Bidh iad a鈥� cleachdadh an fhacail beinn ann an Alba Nuaidh. Bidh iad a鈥� cleachdadh bruthach is cnoc cuideachd. Airson ridge, canaidh iad rids, seach druim, ged a chuala mi brath air 脿ite air an robh Druim M貌r a鈥� Ridse. Tha sin ann am Br脿igh na h-Aibhneadh ann an Ceap Breatainn. Ach chan eil mi cinnteach cia mheud eile de na faclan airson talamh 脿rd a mhair be貌 air taobh thall a鈥� chuain.

听听听听听听听听听听听 Chaidh mi a choimhead air a鈥� choille cuide ri Goiridh D貌mhnullach 脿 Br脿igh na h-Aibhneadh. Tha Goiridh fileanta ann an G脿idhlig. 鈥橲 e f矛or ghaisgeach a鈥� ch脿nain a th鈥� ann. Tha e air faclan co-cheangailte ri n脿dar a chruinneachadh ann an Siorramachd Inbhir Nis.

听听听听听听听听听听听 Mar eisimpleir 鈥檚 e 产猫颈濒濒别补驳 a chanas iad airson cairt na craoibhe-beithe. Agus 鈥檚 e cairt a th鈥� aca airson bark, seach 谤霉蝉驳. Ach, coltach rinn fh猫in, 鈥檚 e beithe a chanas iad airson birch, agus 蹿别脿谤苍补 airson alder. Agus ch貌rd ainm aca rium 鈥� airson craobh a tha na laighe marbh air l脿r na coille 鈥� craobh-laighidh. Saoilidh mi gun cleachd mi sin ann an Alba.

听听听听听听听听听听听 Ach bha aon fhacal a chuala mi ann an Ceap Breatainn nach do thuig mi an toiseach. Bha sinn air chuairt faisg air a鈥� chladach agus faisg air a鈥� choille. Uill, tha a h-uile 脿ite faisg air a鈥� choille! Bha sgudal ann a bha cuideigin air fh脿gail ann 鈥� seann 脿irneis air choreigin. Agus thuirt cuideigin, 鈥楤ha iad a鈥� smaoineachadh gur e seo an droighneach.鈥�

听听听听听听听听听听听 Choimhead mi air an duine. 鈥楧猫 tha thu a鈥� ciallachadh?鈥� dh鈥檉haighnich mi. 鈥楿ill,鈥� fhreagair e, 鈥樷�檚 e droighneach 脿ite far am bi daoine a鈥� cur sgudal. D猫 tha sibhse ag r脿dh anns an t-seann d霉thaich?鈥� 鈥楲agais no 貌trach,鈥� fhreagair mise. 鈥楾ha droighneach a鈥� ciallachadh coille anns a bheil preasan droighneach a鈥� f脿s.鈥�

听听听听听听听听听听听 An uair sin, thuig mi an suidheachadh. Nuair a chaidh na G脿idheil a dh鈥橝lba Nuaidh cha robh ann ach coille. Agus rinn iad 貌trach anns an 脿ite a bu lugha a bha feumail dhaibh 鈥� an droighneach. Agus dh鈥檃tharraich ciall an fhacail thall anns an d霉thaich 霉ir.

c貌rr math is ceud facal ann airson talamh 脿rd: well over a hundred words for elevated ground; c貌rr is ceathrad facal airson bhoglaichean: more than forty for bogs; sheall mi dhaibh: I showed them; an se貌rsa briathrachais a bh鈥� aig Donnchadh B脿n Mac an t-Saoir: the type of vocabulary Duncan Ban MacIntyre had; b鈥� fhe脿rr leam gun robh barrachd 霉ine air a bhith agam: I wish I had had more time; nuair a chaidh a chur an s脿s: when it was put into use; meall le coltas maol air: a rounded hill with a bare appearance; mullach beinne le gl猫 bheag a鈥� f脿s air: a mountain summit with very little growing on it; chan fhaca mi a leithid de dh鈥櫭爄te: I never saw such a place; c貌mhdaichte le coille: covered with forest; is beag an t-iongnadh gun do ghabh cuid 鈥榯矛r nan craobh鈥� oirre: it鈥檚 little wonder that some people called it 鈥榯he land of the trees鈥�; ged a chuala mi brath air 脿ite: although I heard of a place; a mhair be貌 air taobh thall a鈥� chuain: that survived on the far side of the ocean; tha e air faclan co-cheangailte ri n脿dar a chruinneachadh ann an Siorramachd Inbhir Nis: he has collected words connected to nature in Inverness County; 鈥檚 e 产猫颈濒濒别补驳 a chanas iad airson cairt na craoibhe-beithe: it鈥檚 beilleag they say for the bark of the birch tree; nach do thuig mi an toiseach: that I didn鈥檛 understand to begin with; anns a bheil preasan droighneach a鈥� f脿s: in which prickly bushes grow; dh鈥檃tharraich ciall an fhacail: the meaning of the name changed.

Droighneach means a wood in which the droigheann dubh 鈥榖lackthorn鈥� or similar prickly bushes 鈥榩reasan droighneach鈥� grow. The name pops up in various parts of the Scottish G脿idhealtachd eg Gleann Droighneach (Islay), Loch na Droighniche (Assynt) and Br脿igh Coille na Droighniche in Skye. The last is adjacent to the village of Drynoch whose name is simply an anglicised form of droighneach. In Nova Scotia droighneach came to mean 鈥榬ubbish dump鈥� presumably because, in such a heavily forested land, a prickly wood was reckoned to be the place of least importance and was used for dumping unwanted materials.

rinn iad 貌trach anns an 脿ite a bu lugha a bha feumail dhaibh: they made a rubbish dump in the place that was least useful to them.

听

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