大象传媒

Saoil de cho fada 鈥檚 a mhaireas an siostam-cunntaidh ann an G脿idhlig a tha fhathast st猫idhichte air ficheadan, seach deichean? Cha do r脿inig e deireadh an rathaid fhathast ach chanainn gum bi sinn deiseil airson faighinn cuidhteas e taobh a-staigh trichead bliadhna, neo deich bliadhna fichead.

Dhomh fh矛n, tha rudeigin snog mu dheidhinn a bhith a鈥� cunntadh ann am ficheadan. Tha e nas n脿darraiche dhomh ann an G脿idhlig, ged a tha e n脿darrach dhomh cunntadh ann an deichean ann am Beurla. Uaireannan, tha an seann siostam a cheart cho sgiobalta ris an t-siostam deicheach. Smaoinichibh tiotan air an 脿ireamh 鈥渙ne hundred and seventy five鈥�, mar a chanadh iad ann am Beurla. Anns an t-siostam 霉r ann an G脿idhlig, chanamaid 鈥渃eud, seachdad 鈥檚 a c貌ig鈥�; anns an t-seann siostam, chanamaid 鈥渙chd fichead 鈥榮 a c貌ig-deug鈥�.

Cha mh貌r nach eil a h-uile c脿nan anns an Roinn E貌rpa air gluasad air falbh bho fhicheadan, is a dh鈥檌onnsaigh deichean. Agus chan fhada gus an lean a鈥� Gh脿idhlig orra. 鈥橲 e siostam nan deichean a thathar a鈥� teagasg anns na sgoiltean G脿idhlig.

Chanadh na Frangaich, 鈥檚 d貌cha, gu bheil iad fh猫in air beagan de dhualchas nam ficheadan a ghl猫idheadh, leis gur e 鈥渜uatre-vingts鈥� a th鈥� aca air ceithir fichead, neo ochdad. Gu 矛re, tha sin f矛or, agus chan eil facal aca airson naodhad, neo ceithir fichead 鈥檚 a deich, ach 鈥渜uatre-vingt-dix鈥�. Agus chan eil facal 脿raidh aca airson seachdad nas motha. Canaidh iad 鈥渟oixante-dix鈥�.

Ach chan eil sin co-ionann air feadh nan d霉thchannan a bhruidhneas Frangais. Anns a鈥� Bheilg agus an Eilbheis, mar eisimpleir, canaidh iad 鈥渟eptante鈥� airson seachdad, 鈥渉uitante鈥� airson ochdad agus 鈥渘onante鈥� airson naodhad.

Tha e annasach an 霉ine a thugadh ann a bhith a鈥� st猫idheachadh siostam nan deichean ann an tomhas is airgead ann an diofar r矛oghachan. Ann an seachd ceud deug, ceithir fichead 鈥檚 a deich, neo seachd ceud deug is naodhad (1790), mhol T貌mas Jefferson siostam-tomhais 霉r do na St脿itean Aonaichte, st猫idhichte air deichean. D脿 bhliadhna as d猫idh sin, rinn na h-Aimeireaganaich a鈥� chiad airgead air an t-saoghal a bha gu tur deicheach. Ach, a dh鈥檃indeoin sin, c貌rr is d脿 cheud bliadhna as d猫idh don doilear nochdadh, tha m貌ran rudan fhathast ann am Aimeireaga nach eil st猫idhichte air deichean.

Ann am Breatainn, bhathar a鈥� comharrachadh, air a鈥� mh矛os 鈥檚 a chaidh, mar a bha deich bliadhna fichead, neo trichead bliadhna, air a dhol seachad bho dh鈥檃tharraich an t-airgead don t-siostam a th鈥� againn a-nise. Ach, a dh鈥檃indeoin gu bheil sinn a鈥� p脿igheadh airson peatral ann an airgead deicheach, is a dh鈥檃indeoin gu bheil sin a鈥� ceannach peatral ann an tomhasan deicheach 鈥� litearan seach galanan 鈥� tha sinn fhathast a鈥� siubhal astar air na rathaidean ann am m矛ltean, seach ciolomeatairean. D猫 cho ciallach 鈥檚 a tha sin?!

Bho 脿m gu 脿m, bidh mi fhathast a鈥� cluinntinn daoine ann an Alba ag r脿dh, 鈥淏鈥� fhe脿rr leam puinnd is galanan. Bha c貌ir aca an seann siostam-tomhais a ghl猫idheadh. Cha tuig mi an siostam 霉r gu br脿th.鈥� Uill, chan eil mi-fh矛n cho cinnteach mu dheidhinn sin. Agus, mar dhearbhadh air a sin, seo agaibh ceist:

D猫 an cuideam, ann am puinnd, a th鈥� air galan de dh鈥檜isge? Mmm, cuiridh mi geall nach eil fios agaibh. Ach d猫 an cuideam, ann an ciolograman, a th鈥� air litear de dh鈥檜isge? Tha aonan, agus tha mi cinnteach gu robh fios agaibh air a sin. Tha sin fh猫in a鈥� sealltainn cho fada 鈥檚 a tha sinn air gluasad air falbh on t-seann siostam-tomhais mar-th脿. Aig a鈥� cheann thall, aithreachas ann neo 脿s, falbhaidh na ficheadan air an dearbh rathad a ghabh am punnd is an galan.

deicheach: decimal; ochdad: eighty; seachdad: seventy; naodhad: ninety (for more notes on the new counting system, see Litir 29, 03.12.99); co-ionann: equivalent; a鈥� Bheilg: Belgium; an Eilbheis: Switzerland; st猫idhichte: established; m矛ltean: miles; ciolomeatairean: kilometres; ciallach: sensible; cuideam: weight; ciolograman: kilograms; mar-th脿: already.

Abairtean na seachdaine: Saoil d猫 cho fada 鈥檚 a mhaireas X?: how long do you think X will last?; chanainn gum bi sinn deiseil airson faighinn cuidhteas e taobh a-staigh trichead bliadhna: I would say that we shall be ready to get rid of it within 30 years; tha e nas n脿darraiche dhomh ann an G脿idhlig: it is more natural for me in Gaelic; cha mh貌r nach eil a h-uile c脿nan air gluasad air falbh o fhicheadan: nearly all languages have moved away from twenties; gu bheil iad air beagan de X a ghl猫idheadh: that they have preserved a little of X; siostam nan deichean ann an tomhas is airgead ann an diofar r矛oghachdan: the decimal system in measures and currency in various countries; a鈥� chiad airgead air an t-saoghal a bha gu tur deicheach: the first currency in the world that was entirely decimal; litearan seach galanan: litres instead of gallons; b鈥� fhe脿rr leam puinnd: I preferred pounds; cha tuig mi an siostam 霉r gu br脿th: I鈥檒l never understand the new system; cuiridh mi geall nach eil fios agaibh: I鈥檒l bet you don鈥檛 know; aig a鈥� cheann thall: in the end; falbhaidh na ficheadan air an dearbh rathad a ghabh am punnd is an galan: the twenties will go down the same road as the pound and gallon. [And an additional note for those with a particular interest: a gallon of water weighs 8.3 pounds!]

Puing ghr脿mair na seachdaine: C貌rr is d脿 cheud bliadhna as d猫idh don doilear nochdadh: more than 200 years after the dollar appeared. I would like to make a point this week about the use of 鈥渁s d猫idh鈥�, which means 鈥渁fter鈥�. The first thing to note is that is entirely equivalent to 鈥渁n d猫idh鈥� and 鈥渁n deaghaidh鈥� which are just dialectal differences. Because it is a compound preposition, made of two elements, any noun following it goes into the genitive case. Thus we say as d猫idh mh矛osan (after months), as d猫idh an t-samhraidh (after the summer) and as d猫idh a鈥� phr貌graim seo (after this program). But where it is followed by a verbal clause, where the verb is in the active voice (we鈥檒l look at the passive situation on another occasion), the sentence takes a structure as follows: as d猫idh do Chalum obair-dachaigh a dh猫anamh (after Calum did his homework). Note the 鈥渄o鈥� (or 鈥渄ha鈥� in some dialects). Here is another example: as d猫idh do She貌naid an leabhar fhosgladh (after Janet opened the book). Note also the use of prepositional pronouns eg as d猫idh dhomh mo bhracaist a ghabhail (after I took my breakfast); as d猫idh dhuinn an taigh a pheantadh (after we painted the house); d猫 rinn thu as d猫idh dhut do dhreuchd a leigeil seachad? (what did you do after you retired?).

Aithreachas ann neo 脿s: with or without regret.