大象传媒

A bheil sibh e貌lach air an fhacal 鈥渕aoim鈥�? Ma tha sinn a鈥� bruidhinn air daoine, tha e a鈥� ciallachadh eagal m貌r agus mar a bhios daoine a鈥� teicheadh, agus an t-eagal orra. 鈥淏iodh maoim air do naimhdean鈥� 鈥� let your enemies flee in fear.

Faodaidh eagal buaidh mh貌r a thoirt air daoine. Agus tha e doirbh smachd a thoirt air. Tha seanfhacal againn a tha a鈥� toirt iomradh air a sin: Tri霉ir a thig gun iarraidh 鈥� gaol, eud is eagal.

Ach uaireannan 鈥檚 e maoim a tha ag adhbharachadh maoim. Feumaidh mi m矛neachadh. Tha am facal maoim cuideachd a鈥� ciallachadh mar a bhios rudeigin a鈥� d貌rtadh neo a鈥� taomadh gu h-obann air rudeigin eile. Agus tha sinn a鈥� cleachdadh an fhacail le faclan eile, leithid sliabh neo talamh. Canaidh sinn maoim-sl猫ibhe neo maoim-talmhainn airson mudslide neo landslide.

Agus d猫 chanadh sibh airson avalanche? Tha e inntinneach gur e facal Frangach 鈥� avalanche 鈥� a thathar a鈥� cleachdadh ann am Beurla. Tha facal G脿idhlig againn air a shon, ge-t脿 鈥� maoim-sneachda. Tha e a鈥� d猫anamh ciall, nach eil? Agus nach cuireadh maoim-sneachda maoim oirbhse?

Ach bu mhath leam s霉il a thoirt air maoimean-talmhainn de she貌rsa s貌nraichte 鈥� maoimean-m貌intich 鈥� neo, mar a chanas iad ann am Beurla, migratory bogs.

Bha t猫 ainmeil ann an Eirinn, faisg air Luimneach, anns a鈥� bhliadhna sia ceud deug, ceithir fichead 鈥檚 a seachd-deug (1697), a thachair an d猫idh uisge trom.

Ghluais a鈥� mh貌inteach air fad s矛os am bruach, a鈥� toirt leatha p脿ircean far am biodh crodh ag ionaltradh, agus chum i a鈥� dol gus an do stad i air l猫ana aig a鈥� bhonn. Mu dheireadh, bha an l猫ana air a ch貌mhdachadh le m貌ine is poll anns an robh sia troighean deug de dhoimhneachd.

Agus bha maoim-talmhainn dhen aon se貌rsa ann an Alba, anns an iar-dheas, ann an 脿ite ris an canar M貌inteach Shalmhaigh, neo Solway Moss, anns an ochdamh linn deug. Ann an seachd ceud deug, tr矛 fichead 鈥檚 a h-ochd (1768) chunnaic am fear-siubhail is sgr矛obhadair, T貌mas Pennant, an t-脿ite. Bha e gu math br猫agha, shaoil e. Ach ceithir bliadhna as d猫idh sin, chaidh e ann a-rithist, agus bha e doirbh dha creidsinn gur e an aon 脿ite a bh鈥� ann.

Bha meudachd de mh矛le is sia ceud acaire anns a鈥� mh貌intich sin, agus bha i os cionn srath bre脿gha, anns an robh talamh torrach. Bha a鈥� mh貌inteach gu math fliuch is bog, ach bha uachdar cruaidh oirre a chum sl脿n i. Gu mi-fhortanach, ge-t脿, bhuain feadhainn m貌ine innte, agus bhris iad an t-uachdar. Th脿inig uisge trom agus, air an oidhche, chuala tuathanach anns an t-srath fuaim m貌r annasach os cionn an taigh鈥� aige.

Fhuair e lanntair, chaidh e a-mach agus chunnaic e uisge dubh a鈥� sruthadh s矛os am bruach. Thuig e gur e maoim-sl猫ibhe a bh鈥� ann agus ruith e timcheall, a鈥� toirt rabhadh do n脿baidhean. Chaidh a鈥�

mh貌ine is am poll thairis air achaidhean is taighean gu luath agus b鈥� fheudar do fheadhainn faighinn a-mach tro mhullach an taigh鈥� aca.

Dh鈥檉halbh mu thr矛 cheud acaire dhen mh貌intich air an oidhche sin, agus ch貌mhdaich i ceithir cheud acaire dhen t-srath. Bha crodh gu le貌r air a mharbhadh, ach fhuair na daoine aon bh貌 a-mach gu s脿bhailte, ged a bha i suas gu a h-amhaich ann am poll airson tr矛 fichead uair a th矛de. Bha i fallain gu le貌r as d猫idh l脿imh, ach cha d鈥檙achadh i faisg air uisge airson a ch貌rr de a beatha.

maoim: terror,panic,flight,sudden eruption (as of water); a鈥檛eicheadh: fleeing; a鈥� d貌rtadh: pouring,spilling; a鈥� taomadh: pouring,overflowing; sliabh(gen. sl猫ibhe): mountain,moor,high ground; talamh (gen. talmhainn): earth,ground,soil;Luimneach: Limerick; ag ionaltradh: grazing; shaoil e: he thought; torrach: fertile; lanntair:lantern; rabhadh: warning; n脿baidhean: neighbours.

faodaidh eagal buaidh mh貌r a thoirt air daoine: fear can have abig effect on people; tha e doirbh smachd a thoirt air: it is difficult to control; ghluais a鈥檓h貌inteach air fad: the whole moss (bog) moved; chum i a鈥� dol gus an do stad i air l猫ana aiga鈥� bhonn: it (fem.) kept going until it stopped on a meadow at the bottom; anns an robh siatroighean deug de dhoimhneachd: which was 16 feet deep (in which there were 16 feet ofdepth); bha e doirbh dha creidsinn gur e an aon 脿ite a bh鈥� ann: it was difficult for him tobelieve it was the same place; bha meudachd de X acaire anns a鈥� mh貌intich: the moss was Xacres in size; bha uachdar cruaidh oirre a chum sl脿n i: it (fem.) had a hard upper surfacewhich kept it intact; bhuain feadhainn m貌ine innte: some people cut peats there; bha crodhgu le貌r air a mharbhadh: plenty of cattle were killed; ged a bha i suas gu a h-amhaich annam poll: although she was up to here neck in mud; cha d鈥檙achadh i faisg air uisge airson a鈥檆h貌rr de a beatha: she wouldn鈥檛 go close to water for the rest of her life.

You may have noticed that the Gaelic for landslide is maoim-sl猫ibhe, eventhough, in theory, it ought to be maoim-shl猫ibhe. The theoretical point of view is given by the general rule as聽explained by Gillies in his The Elements of Gaelic Grammar (1896): 鈥淲hen two Nouns combine to form a聽Compound Noun the first is declined regularly. The second has the Genitive form always and in all the聽cases. It may be Singular or Plural. If it is Singular, it takes the Aspiration [lenition] of an Adjective in聽agreement with the first Noun 鈥� if Plural it takes the Aspirate throughout.鈥� On that basis, maoim being a聽feminine word and thus leniting [aspirating] an associated adjective, we should say maoim-shl猫ibhe, maoimthalmhainnand maoim-shneachda. The fact that we don鈥檛 simply shows how sometimes (as happens in all聽languages) the grammatical 鈥渞ules鈥� are ignored. A word of similar construction and application is crith-thalmhainn聽(earthquake). This one does follow the rule. Crith is feminine and the compound noun is crith-thalmhainn聽(with the second, singular, element lenited), and not crith-talmhainn. Note however that聽鈥渆arthquakes鈥� is crithean-talmhainn without the lenition, as would be expected according to the rule. Theplural forms of the compound nouns containing maoim also follow the rule 鈥� maoimean-sl猫ibhe, maoimean-talmhainn聽and maoimean-sneachda.