大象传媒

F脿ilte oirbh a-rithist. Agus f脿ilte sh貌nraichte, oir 鈥檚 e seo an d脿 cheudamh Litir bho th貌isich mi air an sgr矛obhadh o chionn faisg air ceithir bliadhna. Bidh sibh toilichte cluinntinn nach bi cus gr脿mair ann an t-seachdain-sa, ach feumaidh sinn s霉il a thoirt air na ceistean a chuir mi oirbh aig deireadh na Litreach mu dheireadh.

D猫 a鈥� Gh脿idhlig a th鈥� air nineteen women? An d鈥� fhuair sibh e? Naoi boireannaich dheug. Naoi boireannaich dheug. No mas e bean a chleachd sibh, chanadh sibh naoi mnathan deug. Agus seventeen Scotsmen? Seachd Albannaich dheug. Seachd Albannaich dheug.

鈥橲 e a鈥� cheist eile a chuir mi oirbh 鈥� d猫 a鈥� Gh脿idhlig a th鈥� air eleven o鈥� clock? 鈥橲 e an fhreagairt aon uair deug. Tha d脿 rud ann a dh鈥檉heumas mi r脿dh mu dheidhinn seo. Carson nach e aon uair dheug oir tha uair boireann? Uill, 鈥檚 e as coireach nach bi an 鈥渄鈥� air a s猫imheachadh as d猫idh an 鈥渞鈥�. Bidh sin a鈥� tachairt cuideachd le cuid de dh鈥檉haclan a tha a鈥� cr矛ochnachadh le 鈥渢鈥�, 鈥渓鈥�, 鈥渘鈥� no 鈥渟鈥�.

鈥橲 e an rud eile a bu ch貌ir dhomh r脿dh gun tuirt mi aon uair deug le, mar gum biodh, 鈥渟鈥� eadar an 鈥渞鈥� agus an 鈥渄鈥�. Tha sin cumanta ann an grunn dualchainntean. Air an aon d貌igh, canaidh sinn 鈥渂貌rd鈥�, 鈥渂脿rd鈥� agus 鈥渃脿irdean鈥�. Chan eil 鈥渟鈥� sgr矛obhte ann an gin de na faclan sin.

Sin e airson gr脿mar an t-seachdain-sa. Bu toigh leam rudeigin a r脿dh a-nise mu Ghaidheal ainmeil air an robh Adhamh Fearghasdan no 鈥檚 d貌cha Adhamh MacFhearghais. Chan eil mi cinnteach d猫 chanadh e ris fh猫in ann an G脿idhlig ach 鈥檚 e Adam Ferguson a bh鈥� air ann am Beurla. Rugadh e ann an seachd-deug, fichead 鈥檚 a tr矛 (1723) aig Lag an R脿ith ann an Siorrachd Pheairt.

B鈥� e Adhamh an naoidheamh leanabh, am fear a b鈥� 貌ige, aig an Urramach Adhamh Fearghasdan agus a bhean, M脿iri Gh貌rdan, agus chaidh e gu Sgoil Ghr脿mair Pheairt. Fhuair e foghlam aig 脿rd-矛re ann an Cill R矛mhinn is an uair sin ann an D霉n Eideann far an d鈥� fhuair e tr猫anadh airson a bhith na mhinistear ann an Eaglais na h-Alba.

Bha e na mhinistear don Fhreiceadan Dubh, an r猫iseamaid ainmeil, airson naoi bliadhna agus 鈥檚 e a鈥� chiad rud a dh鈥檉hoillsich e a-riamh eadar-theangachadh gu Beurla de shearmon a rinn e ann an G脿idhlig airson na r猫iseamaid ann am meadhan ar-a-mach nan Seumasach ann an seachd-deug, ceathrad 鈥檚 a c貌ig (1745).

Ach cha robh e riaraichte mar mhinistear agus ann an seachd-deug, caogad 鈥檚 a h-ochd (1758) fhuair e obair mar leabharlannaiche do Roinn an Luchd-tagraidh, no Faculty of Advocates, ann an D霉n Eideann. Cha robh e an sin fada, ge-t脿, mus d鈥� fhuair e obair mar fhear-teagaisg pr矛obhaideach do mhic uaislean. An uair sin, ghabh e ceum m貌r air adhart nuair a fhuair e dreuchd mar Phroifeasair na Feallsanachd N脿darraich aig an oilthigh.

Chan e sin a鈥� chathair a bha e a鈥� miannachadh, ge-t脿. Bha s霉il aige air t猫 na Feallsanachd Moralta agus fhuair e mu dheireadh i ann an seachd-deug, seasgad 鈥檚 a ceithir (1764). Bha e cli霉iteach mar thidsear agus sgr矛obh e leabhraichean airson a chuid oileanach ann am feallsanachd, ach cha robh e fhathast aithnichte air feadh na r矛oghachd. Thachair sin nuair a sgr矛obh e aiste ainmeil ann an seachd-deug, seasgad 鈥檚 a seachd (1767). Innsidh mi dhuibh tuilleadh mu a deidhinn agus mu bheatha Adhaimh Fheargasdain an ath-sheachdain.

Faclan na seachdaine: f脿ilte sh貌nraichte: a special welcome; a鈥� cr矛ochnachadh: finishing; Lag an R脿ith: Logierait; Siorrachd Pheairt: Perthshire; Cill R矛mhinn: St Andrews; am Freiceadan Dubh: The Black Watch (regiment); riaraichte: satisfied; leabharlannaiche: librarian; Feallsanachd N脿darrach: Natural Philosophy; Feallsanachd Moralta: Moral Philosophy; aiste: essay.

Abairtean na seachdaine: an d脿 cheudamh Litir bho th貌isich mi air an sgr矛obhadh: the 200th Litir since I started to write them; feumaidh mi s霉il a thoirt air X: I must look at X; nach bi an 鈥渄鈥� air a s猫imheachadh: the 鈥渄鈥� won鈥檛 be lenited; tha sin cumanta ann an grunn dualchainntean: that is common in several dialects; ann an gin de na faclan sin: in any of those words: 鈥檚 e a鈥� chiad rud a dh鈥檉hoillsich e a-riamh: the first thing he ever published; eadar-theangachadh gu Beurla de shearmon: an English translation of a sermon; ann am meadhan ar-a-mach nan Seumasach: in the middle of the Jacobite rebellion; mar fhear-teagaisg pr矛obhaideach do mhic uaislean: as a private teacher to the sons of gentry; chan e sin a鈥� chathair a bha e a鈥� miannachadh: that is not the chair he desired; cha robh e aithnichte air feadh na r矛oghachd: he was not recognised throughout the land.

Puing-ghr脿mair na seachdaine: fhuair e mu dheireadh i ann an 1764: he got it (fem.) finally in 1764. Are you a little confused about where to place a pronoun if it represents the object of a sentence? In a simple sentence, the answer is generally at the end eg you would be better to say rinn e as d猫idh greis e, rather than rinn e e as d猫idh greis, although the latter is not actually wrong. It also runs off the tongue more easily. Similarly if you were asked 鈥渃脿ite an d鈥� fhuair thu na ticeadan?鈥�, you might say 鈥渃heannaich mi iad aig an st猫isean鈥�. This would be grammatically correct, but you would be considered better-spoken if you said 鈥渃heannaich mi aig an st猫isean iad鈥�. You will notice that the latter shows a divergence of the word order from the English 鈥淚 bought them at the station鈥�. The more you can think in Gaelic, the better it will be for your idiomatic use of the language. Returning to the sentence in the text, I might have said fhuair e i mu dheireadh ann an 1764 but it would not have been as 鈥渃orrect鈥� to the ear. I might also have said fhuair e mu dheireadh ann an 1764 i. This would be absolutely correct but the space between subject and object is now so great that comprehension could be affected. You might be considered to be speaking 鈥渦niversity Gaelic鈥� or 鈥減ulpit Gaelic鈥�. My own delivery was a compromise which I hope would be considered 鈥減roper鈥� without being too formal.

Gn脿ths-cainnt na seachdaine: Tha d脿 rud a dh鈥檉heumas mi r脿dh mu dheidhinn seo: there are two things I must say about this.