大象传媒

Yan, tyan, tethera, methera, pimp, sethera, lethera, hovera, dovera, dick. Bha mi a鈥� cunntadh gu deich 鈥� ach d猫 an c脿nan a bh鈥� ann? Canaidh mi a-rithist e, ach leanaidh mi an uair sin gu ceithir-deug. Yan, tyan, tethera, methera, pimp, sethera, lethera, hovera, dovera, dick, yanadick, tyanadick, tetheradick, metheradick.

聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 Tha e car coltach ri Cuimris 始s d貌cha. Co-dhi霉, tha pimp a鈥� ciallachadh 鈥榗貌ig鈥� ann an Cuimris agus sa ch脿nan seo. Agus chan eil e gu tur eucoltach ris a鈥� Gh脿idhlig 鈥� yan, a h-aon, yanadick, a h-aon-deug. 始S e seo an d貌igh anns am biodh tuathanaich gu traidiseanta a鈥� cunntadh an cuid chaorach ann am Cumbria.

聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 Tha daoine ag argamaid mu th霉s an t-siostaim-chunntaidh seo. Tha cuid ag r脿dh gun t脿inig e bho Sheann Lochlannais no bhon t-Seann Bheurla. Ach tha feadhainn eile ag r脿dh gun robh e air a bhonntachadh nuair a bha Seann Bhreatannais 鈥� c脿nan Ceilteach 鈥� aig na daoine. Gu cinnteach, bha an c脿nan sin aig na daoine fad 霉ine mus d鈥� fhuair na h-Anglaich l脿mh-an-uachdair orra.

聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 Co-dhi霉, f脿gaidh mi aon ph矛os fiosrachaidh eile agaibh an-dr脿sta. Bha mi ag 猫isteachd ri t猫 a鈥� cunntadh chaorach ann am bhidio air an eadar-l矛on. Bha i a鈥� cunntadh gu fichead, a鈥� cur sg貌r na maide, agus a鈥� t貌iseachadh a-rithist is a鈥� dol gu fichead a-rithist. 始S e siostam ficheadach a bh鈥� ann. Agus d猫 am facal a bh鈥� aice airson fichead? Seadh 鈥� figgit! Nise tha sin cho coltach ris na c脿nanan G脿idhealach! Agus bha i 脿 Lincolnshire, seach iar-thuath Shasainn.

聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 Tha e a鈥� cur nar cuimhne gu bheil dualchas Ceilteach aig Sasainn cuideachd, ged nach eil e cho follaiseach an-diugh. Agus tha sin gam thoirt gu Rheged. Taobh a-muigh na C霉irn, na Cuimrigh, agus Shrath Chluaidh, b鈥� e Rheged an r矛oghachd Bhreatannach mu dheireadh ann am Breatainn. Tha mi a鈥� ciallachadh le sin Breatannach Ceilteach.

聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 Bha Rheged timcheall far a bheil Cumbria an-diugh. Cumbria 鈥� d霉thaich nan Cuimreach. Chan eil sinn buileach cinnteach c脿鈥� robh cr矛ochan na d霉thcha, ach faodaidh sinn a bhith cinnteach gun robh i ann, oir tha i cl脿raichte aig sgr矛obhadairean Cuimreach. Tha d霉il gun robh i a鈥� dol a-steach gu ceann a deas na h-Alba anns a鈥� cheann a tuath, agus gu ruige Siorrachd Iorc anns a鈥� cheann a deas.

聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 Thathar a鈥� smaoineachadh gun d鈥� fhuair an r矛oghachd a h-ainm bhon treubh Cheilteach 鈥� na Brigantes. Dh鈥檃tharraich Brigant gu Breged gu Rheged. Th脿inig i gu bith 脿s d猫idh do na R貌manaich falbh, timcheall na bliadhna ceithir cheud is caogad (450). B鈥� e a鈥� chiad r矛gh aca fear Gwrast.

聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 Bha Gwrast air a leantainn le a mhac a bu shine 鈥� Meirchion. An d猫idh b脿s Mheirchion, anns a鈥� bhliadhna c貌ig ceud, trithead 始s a c貌ig (535), chaidh an r矛oghachd a dh猫anamh na dh脿 leth 鈥� Rheged a鈥� Chinn a Tuath agus Rheged a鈥� Chinn a Deas. B鈥� e Cathair Luail pr矛omh bhaile na r矛oghachd mu thuath.

聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 Goirid an d猫idh sin, tha sinn a鈥� cluinntinn mun r矛gh a b鈥� ainmeile aig Rheged 鈥� fear Urien. Bha esan na r矛gh anns a鈥� cheann a tuath. Ach bha n脿imhdean air gach taobh dheth, gu h-脿raidh na Berniciaich air an taobh sear, ach cuideachd R矛gh Shrath Chluaidh 鈥� Breatannach eile 鈥� anns a鈥� cheann a tuath. Tuilleadh air seo an-ath-sheachdain.

Faclan na Litreach: Cuimris: Welsh; Seann Lochlannais: Old Norse; Berniciaich: Bernicians.

Abairtean na Litreach: d猫 an c脿nan a bh鈥� ann?: what language was it?; canaidh mi a-rithist e: I鈥檒l say it again; leanaidh mi an uair sin gu ceithir-deug: then I鈥檒l continue to fourteen; tha daoine ag argamaid mu th霉s an t-siostaim-chunntaidh seo: people argue about this counting system; air a bhonntachadh: established; mus d鈥� fhuair na h-Anglaich l脿mh-an-uachdair orra: before the Angles came to dominate them; a鈥� cur sg貌r na maide: putting a notch in her stick; seach iar-thuath Shasainn: rather than the north-west of England; taobh a-muigh na C霉irn, na Cuimrigh, agus Shrath Chluaidh: outside Cornwall, Wales and Strathclyde; faodaidh sinn a bhith cinnteach gun robh i ann: we can be sure that it existed; cl脿raichte aig sgr矛obhadairean Cuimreach: recorded by Welsh writers; gu ruige Siorrachd Iorc anns a鈥� cheann a deas: to Yorkshire in the south; th脿inig i gu bith 脿s d猫idh do na R貌manaich falbh: it came into being after the Romans left; thathar a鈥� smaoineachadh gun d鈥� fhuair an r矛oghachd a h-ainm: it鈥檚 thought that the kingdom got its name; air a leantainn le a mhac a bu shine: followed by his eldest son; chaidh an r矛oghachd a dh猫anamh na dh脿 leth: the kingdom was split in two; b鈥� e Cathair Luail pr矛omh bhaile na r矛oghachd mu thuath: Carlisle was the capital of the northern kingdom; tha sinn a鈥� cluinntinn mun r矛gh a b鈥� ainmeile aig Rheged: we hear about Rheged鈥檚 most famous king.

Puing-ch脿nain na Litreach: In her book 鈥楾he Inner Hebrides and their Legends鈥�, Otta Swire writes of 鈥榓 Broadford man, a shepherd at Skeabost in my mother鈥檚 childhood, who used to count sheep by 鈥渇airy counting鈥�, or so he told the children.鈥� And his counting system was 鈥榶an, tan, tethera, pethera, pimp ...鈥� ie almost identical to the system I gave in the Litir. I do not know if this man was a native of Skye and a Gael, or whether he or his family had originated in the south. Can anyone out there enlighten me? You can email me on rmac@uags.scot.

Gnathas-cainnt na Litreach: bha n脿imhdean air gach taobh dheth: there were enemies on all sides of him.