大象传媒

Bha uair ann, agus chan eil e cho fada sin air ais ann an cuid de che脿rnaidhean, nuair a bha m貌ran Ghaidheal aona-ch脿nanach. Cha robh Beurla aca idir. Nuair a thigeadh luchd-turais, cuid mhath aca nan Sasannaich, don Ghaidhealtachd, bhiodh aig cuideigin ri eadar-theangachadh a dh猫anamh, no bhiodh aig na Gaidheil ri beagan Beurla ionnsachadh. F矛or chorra uair, bhiodh an luchd-turais ag ionnsachadh beagan G脿idhlig.

Ann an d霉thchannan bochda tha na daoine, mar as trice, gu math onarach is laghach is fialaidh, ge bith c脿鈥� t猫id thu. Ach tha corra dhuine ann nach eil cho onarach is a tha a鈥� coimhead air luchd-turais mar chothrom airgead a chosnadh dha fh猫in. Agus 鈥檚 ann mar sin a bha e air a鈥� Ghaidhealtachd o shean cuideachd, tha mi cinnteach. Bha a鈥� chuid a bu mh貌 dhen t-sluagh bochd, ach onarach 鈥� ach duine no dithis an siud 鈥檚 an seo. Agus bhiodh iadsan a鈥� feuchainn ri brath a ghabhail air an luchd-turais Shasannach a h-uile cothrom a gheibheadh iad.

Bha fear ann uaireigin, a bha na Ghaidheal, ach a bh鈥� air a bhith a鈥� fuireach thall anns na h-Innsean airson bliadhnaichean m貌ra. Bha e air a bhith am measg Shasannach thall agus bha a chuid Bheurla air a dhol gu math Sasannach. Cha do chaill e a chuid Gh脿idhlig idir, ach mura robh fios aig duine gu robh G脿idhlig aige no, gu dearbh, gur e Albannach a bh鈥� ann, bhiodh e a鈥� smaoineachadh gur e Sasannach a bh鈥� ann. Co-dhi霉, bliadhna a bha seo, thill am fear seo dhachaigh don Ghaidhealtachd.

Bha e air taobh siar na d霉thcha agus bha aige ri dhol tarsainn loch-mara air choreigin airson faighinn dhachaigh. Aig an 脿m sin cha robh rathaidean no drochaidhean ann mar a tha an-diugh. Cha robh no Caledonian Mac a鈥� Bhriuthainn! Nam biodh neach-siubhail ag iarraidh dhol tarsainn loch, bha aige ri cuideigin 脿s an sg矛re fhastadh airson a dhol a-null anns a鈥� bh脿ta aige fh猫in. Agus dh鈥檉heumadh e p脿igheadh na rachadh iarraidh air.

Co-dhi霉 chaidh e a dh鈥檌onnsaigh fir an aiseig 鈥� bha dithis ann 鈥� agus dh鈥檉haighnich e dhen chiad fhear, ann am Beurla, gu d猫 a鈥� chosgais a bhiodh ann airson faighinn a-null. Nise, bha an d脿 ch脿nan aig an fhear seo, ach cha robh aig an sgiobair. Cha robh aigesan ach G脿idhlig. Dh鈥檉haighnich an d脿rna fear dhen sgiobair ann an G脿idhlig, 鈥渄猫 ghabhas tu mar fharadh bhon Sasannach seo?鈥�

鈥淚arr deich tasdan air,鈥� thuirt an sgiobair. B鈥� e an 脿bhaist airson a dhol a-null d矛reach c貌ig tasdan. Thionndaidh am fear eile air an fhear-siubhail, nach robh idir a鈥� sealltainn gu robh e a鈥� tuigsinn a鈥� ch貌mhraidh, agus thuirt e ris ann am Beurla, 鈥淐osgaidh e fichead tasdan dhuibh, tha e saor aig a鈥� phr矛s sin, agus chan urrainn don sgiobair c脿il nas lugha na sin iarraidh.鈥� Cha tuirt am fear-siubhail guth agus chaidh e air b貌rd a鈥� bh脿ta.

Nuair a bha iad letheach slighe tarsainn a鈥� chaolais, bhruidhinn am fear-siubhail ris an fhear eile ann an G脿idhlig bhr猫agha a鈥� chinn a tuath. Nise, shaoileadh tu gum biodh fear a鈥� bh脿ta rudeigin聽di霉id agus duilich ann an suidheachadh mar sin, ach cha robh. Gu dearbh, th貌isich e air trod ris an fhear eile. 鈥淣脿ire oirbh,鈥� thuirt e, 鈥渘脿ire oirbh airson a bhith cho beag-sp猫iseil don d霉thaich agaibh fh猫in 鈥檚 gu robh sibh a鈥� toirt creidsinn gur e Sasannach a bh鈥� annaibh! Tha c貌ir againn d脿 fhichead tasdan iarraidh oirbh, ach chan iarr ach na c貌ig!鈥� Gu m矛-fhortanach, chan eil freagairt an fhir eile air a gl猫idheadh ann am beul-aithris.

Faclan na seachdaine: aona-ch脿nanach: monolingual; onarach: honest; fialaidh: generous; na h-Innsean: India; a dh鈥檌onnsaigh: towards, up to; faradh: fare; an 脿bhaist: the usual; fear-siubhail: traveller; saor: cheap; beag-sp猫iseil: showing little respect;

Abairtean na seachdaine: bha uair sin, agus chan eil e cho fada sin air ais: there was a time, and it is not that long ago; bhiodh aig cuideigin ri eadar-theangachadh a dh猫anamh: somebody would have to translate; f矛or chorra uair: very occasionally; ge bith c脿鈥� t猫id thu: wherever you go (for 鈥渃脿ite an t猫id thu鈥�); bhiodh iadsan a鈥� feuchainn ri brath a ghabhail air X: they would try to take advantage of X; a h-uile cothrom a gheibheadh iad: (at) every opportunity they would get; cha do chaill e a chuid Gh脿idhlig idir: he didn鈥檛 lose his Gaelic at all; co-dhi霉, bliadhna a bha seo, thill X: anyway, this particular year, X returned; bha aige ri dhol tarsainn loch-mara air choreigin: he had to cross some sea loch or other; bha aige ri cuideigin 脿s an sg矛re fhastadh: he had to hire somebody from the area; gu d猫 a鈥� chosgais a bhiodh ann airson faighinn a-null: what would be the cost of getting over; iarr deich tasdan air: ask him for ten shillings; chan urrainn don sgiobair c脿il nas lugha na sin iarraidh: the skipper can鈥檛 ask any less than that; cha tuirt X guth: X said nothing; nuair a bha iad letheach slighe tarsainn a鈥� chaolais: when they were halfway across the narrows/strait; th貌isich e air trod ris an fhear eile: he started to scold the other man; gu robh sibh a鈥� toirt creidsinn gur e Sasannach a bh鈥� annaibh: that you were pretending to be an Englishman; tha c貌ir againn d脿 fhichead tasdan iarraidh oirbh: we should charge you 20 shillings; ach chan iarr ach na c貌ig: but we鈥檒l only ask the five; air a gl猫idheadh ann am beul-aithris: preserved in oral tradition.

Puing-ghr脿mair na seachdaine: The word 鈥淪asannach鈥� appears 7 times in the Litir, in the 3 different forms 鈥� Sasannach, Sasannaich and Shasannach. Can you explain the grammatical principles behind each? In the first para. we have cuid mhath aca nan Sasannaich (鈥渕any of them English people鈥�). Here, nan is a contraction of ann an + an (鈥渋n their鈥�); literally this means 鈥渢hey are in their English people鈥� 鈥� it is a plural noun in the dative case. Similarly, you might say tha mi nam Shasannach (I am an Englishman) 鈥� here nam is a contraction of ann an + mo, and the mo lenites the following noun. In the 2nd para, we have air an luchd-turais Shasannach. This is also a dative and Sasannach is lenited because it is an adjective qualifying the masculine noun luchd-turais (cf. air a鈥� bh貌rd mh貌r, aig a鈥� bhalach bheag). In the 3rd para. there is am measg Shasannach. Here the word is a noun in the genitive plural, which has the same form as the nominative singular, except that it is lenited because there is no article. It is genitive because it is commanded by the compound preposition am measg. In air a dhol gu math Sasannach (gone very English), the word is an adjective and in all the cases after this, it is a noun in the nominative singular case, meaning 鈥淓nglishman鈥�.

Gn脿ths-cainnt na seachdaine: N脿ire oirbh!: shame on you! The familiar or singular equivalent is n脿ire ort or mo n脿ire ort.