大象传媒

Tha d脿 eun ann air a bheil ainmean ann am Beurla a th脿inig bhon Gh脿idhlig 鈥� an ptarmigan, neo t脿rmachan, agus an capercaillie, neo capall-coille. Chan eil fhios a鈥檓 c貌 脿s th脿inig am 鈥減鈥� aig toiseach an fhacail ptarmigan. Gu dearbh, ann an sia ceud deug is seachd-deug (1617), sgr矛obh an R矛gh, Seumas a Sia, gu Iarla Thulaich Bh脿rdainn, ag iarraidh air 鈥渢ermigantis鈥� a chur thuige. Bha am facal air a litreachadh le 鈥渢鈥� aig an toiseach, is chan e 鈥減鈥�.

Chan eil mi buileach cinnteach nas motha d猫 tha am facal t脿rmachan a鈥� ciallachadh. Leugh mi gu bheil e co-cheangailte ris a鈥� ghniomhair t脿rmaich a tha a鈥� ciallachadh 鈥済in鈥� neo a bhith a鈥� cumail beathaichean gus am bi 脿l aca. Ach chan eil mi a鈥� faicinn carson a bhiodh sin iomchaidh airson an t脿rmachain seach eun sam bith eile.

Tha smuain eile agam, ged nach eil mi cinnteach a bheil susbaint mh貌r sam bith innte. Ann an Ros an Iar, canaidh na Gaidheil tormachan ris 鈥� tormachan an t-sl猫ibhe. Agus tha facal ann 鈥� torman 鈥� a tha a鈥� ciallachadh n脿dar de dh鈥檉huaim 鈥� rumbling neo murmuring. Uill, bidh t脿rmachain a鈥� d猫anamh fuaim taitneach gun teagamh. Uaireannan, air mullach beinne, cluinnear iad mus fhaicear iad. Agus 鈥檚 d貌cha gun canadh cuid gur e n脿dar de thorman a tha anns an fhuaim sin.

Anns an t-seachdamh linn deug, bha t脿rmachain gu le貌r air monaidhean 脿rda ceann a deas na h-Alba, a bharrachd air a鈥� cheann a tuath. Bha iad eadhon ann an eileanan mar Ile agus Arainn. An-diugh, chan eil iad idir cho pailt 鈥檚 a bha iad uaireigin, agus 鈥檚 e an t-脿ite as fhe脿rr air an son am Monadh Ruadh, agus na beanntan eile l脿imh ris. Mar is trice, chithear iad ann an 脿iteachan nas 脿irde na d脿 mh矛le troigh ach, bho 脿m gu 脿m, bidh droch sh矛de a鈥� gheamhraidh gan iomain gu talamh 矛osal. Chaidh fear a ghlacadh turas air Eilean I霉, faisg air a鈥� chladach.

Ged nach eil an t脿rmachan cho pailt 鈥檚 a bha e uaireigin, tha e fada nas s脿bhailte nan capall-coille ann an Alba. Tha an capall-coille, eun m貌r a tha c脿irdeach don t脿rmachan agus don chirc-fhraoich, a鈥� fuireach ann an coilltean-giuthais, agus chan eil gu le貌r dhiubh sin air fh脿gail. Thogadh a鈥� cheist grunn tursan an robh e ceart a bhith a鈥� smaoineachadh gur e capall-coille dha-r矛reabh an t-ainm a bh鈥� air. Uill, o chionn c貌rr is ceithir ceud bliadhna, sgr矛obh an t-Easbaig Leslie gur e sin a bh鈥� ann 鈥� capall-coille 鈥� horse of the forest. 鈥橲 d貌cha, a-rithist, gur e am fuaim a tha an coileach a鈥� d猫anamh is coireach airson an ainm.

Ach tha eachdraidh dhuilich aig an eun seo ann an Alba. Ann an seachd ceud deug, ceithir fichead 鈥檚 a c貌ig (1785), chaidh e 脿 bith. 鈥橲 e sgrios nan coilltean agus sealg a bu choireach. Chaidh a thoirt air ais bhon t-Suain, a鈥� t貌iseachadh ann an ochd ceud deug, is seachd-deug ar fhichead (1837).

Ach tha dragh m貌r aig luchd-saidheans mu dheidhinn. Tha iad ag r脿dh nach eil ach m矛le air fh脿gail agus gu bheil iad ann an cunnart dhol 脿 bith a-rithist. Am measg eile, bidh iad a鈥�

b脿sachadh ann am feansaichean a tha a鈥� d矛on nan coilltean an aghaidh nam fiadh. Tha mi 鈥檔 d貌chas nach can sinn, anns an 脿m ri teachd, nach eil ach aon eun air a鈥� Ghaidhealtachd air a bheil ainm Beurla a th脿inig bhon Gh脿idhlig. Beannachd leibh.

Iarla Thulaich Bh脿rdainn: The Earl of Tullibardine; t脿rmaich: to beget,propagate, breed; 脿l: offspring; iomchaidh: fitting; susbaint: substance; torman: rumbling,murmuring; taitneach: agreeable, pleasant; am Monadh Ruadh: The Cairngorms;s脿bhailte: safe; coilltean-giuthais: pine woods; an t-Easbaig Leslie: Bishop Leslie; eachdraidhdhuilich: a sorry history; luchd-saidheans: scientists; feansaichean: fences

sgr矛obh X gu Y, ag iarraidh air Z a chur thuige: X wrote to Y,requesting to him send Z to him; uaireannan, air mullach beinne, cluinnear iad mus fhaiceariad: sometimes, on a mountain top, they are heard before they are seen; bha iad eadhon ann an聽eileanan mar Ile agus Arainn: they were even in islands like Islay and Arran; nas 脿irde na d脿mh矛le troigh: higher than 2 000 feet; bidh droch sh矛de a gheamhraidh gan iomain gu talamh矛osal: bad winter weather will drive them to low ground; a tha c脿irdeach don t脿rmachan agusdon chirc-fhraoich: which is related to the ptarmigan and grouse; gur e am fuaim a tha ancoileach a d猫anamh is coireach airson an ainm: that it is the noise which the cock makes whichis responsible for the name; chaidh e 脿 bith: it became extinct; s e sgrios nan coilltean agussealg a bu choireach: it is the destruction of the forests and hunting which were responsible;chaidh a thoirt air ais bhon t-Suain: it was brought back from Sweden; anns an 脿m ri teachd: inthe future (the time which is to come).

an aghaidh nam fiadh: against the deer. The noun is in thegenitive case because it follows a compound preposition. You may recall that in Litir 28 (26November 1999) I mentioned that the genitive plural form is sometimes identical to the nominative聽singular (or primary form of the word). The group of nouns represented by fiadh are ofthis type. They are masculine and their plural in the nominative case is formed by terminalslenderisation. The nominative singular fiadh becomes f猫idh in the nominative plural. So inthe genitive plural, it reverts to fiadh. Thus we get casan nam fiadh. Similarly, cat becomes caitin the nominative plural. So the heads of the cats is cinn nan cat. Another example is ceannitself (a masculine word pluralising to cinn in the nominative). We get Tom nan Ceann (the hillof the heads) . If there is no article present, the same form of the word is used, but it is lenited.Thus we get cinn chat (cats heads); casan fhiadh (legs of deer); sealladh cheann (a view ofheads). How would you say in Gaelic the sea-rock of the seals?

airson an t脿rmachain seach eun sam bith eile: for the ptarmiganrather than any other bird. Seach is a really neat and concise word meaning ratherthan. Try using it this week in conversation or with your teacher