大象传媒

An do cheannaich sibh pacaid de 鈥淏hleideagan Arbhair鈥� anns an uine bhig a dh鈥檉halbh? O 鈥� gabhaibh mo lethsgeul. Nach eil fios agaibh de th鈥檃nn ann am Bleideagan Arbhair? A uill, cha robh fios neo agamsa gus an cuala mi aig p脿ist鈥� e. Bha e a鈥� bruidhinn mun stuth a chuireas tu ann am bobhla airson do bhracaist. Bha e a鈥� ciallachadh Corn Flakes. Ach 鈥檚 d貌cha gun can mise d矛reach Corn Flakes fh猫in.

An do mhothaich sibh a-riamh gu bheil rudeigin air gach pacaid de Chorn Flakes, co-dhi霉 nuair nach eilear a鈥� sanasachd airson Star Wars neo gnothach dhen t-se貌rsa. 鈥楽 e eun a th鈥檃nn 鈥� coileach. Ach carson a tha a鈥� chompanaidh a tha a鈥� deanamh Corn Flakes 鈥� Kelloggs 鈥� a鈥� cur a leithid de dh鈥檈un air na pacaidean aca? Uill, chuala mi st貌iridh mu dheidhinn sin agus innsidh mi dhuibh i ann am mionaid.

Ach an toiseach, tha mi airson innse dhuibh mu dheidhinn mo chuairt o chionn ghoirid don Chuimrigh. Bha mi anns a鈥� cheann a tuath, ann an Snowdonia mar a theirear anns a鈥� Bheurla, agus abair thusa gu bheil an d霉thaich sin br猫agha. Ach a-bharrachd air a鈥� b貌idhchead, tha an sg矛re gu math inntinneach do Gh脿idheil na h-Alba. Ch矛 sinn, ann a sin, mar a dh鈥檉haodadh suidheachadh na G脿idhlig a bhith ann an Alba nan robh sinne cho l脿idir mu dheidhinn ar c脿nain 鈥榮 a tha na Cuimrich mu dheidhinn a鈥� ch脿nain aca fh猫in.

Chuala mi an t-uabhas Chuimris air a bruidhinn air na sr脿idean agus ann am b霉than. Bha i ri fhaicinn air soighnichean da-ch脿nanach air feadh an 脿ite. Agus far nach robh muinntir an 脿ite ag aontachadh ris an litreachadh air na soighnichean Cuimreach, bha iad air peant a chur thairis orra. 鈥橲 cinnteach gum biodh iad gu math trang air na soighnichean G脿idhlig ann an Alba!

Tha a鈥� Chuimris agus a鈥� Gh脿idhlig gu math eadar-dhealaichte o ch猫ile, agus cha b鈥檜rrainn dhomh bun neo b脿rr a dheanamh dhen ch貌mhradh a chuala mi. Ach chunnaic mi corra fhacal, an siud 鈥檚 an seo, air soighnichean agus air a鈥� mhap, a bha a鈥� toirt faclan G脿idhlig gu mo chuimhne. Mar eisimpleir, canaidh iad traeth airson tr脿igh, craig airson creag, afon airson abhainn agus mawr airson m貌r. Canaid iad moel airson maol, amser airson aimsir, nuair a tha i a鈥� ciallachadh 鈥渢矛m鈥� co-dhi霉 agus, far a chanas sinne 鈥減r矛omh鈥�, canaidh iadsan prif.

Ach thog aon fhacal m鈥檃ire gu h-脿raidh. B鈥檈 sin am facal aca airson 鈥渃oileach鈥� 鈥� ceiliog. Nuair a chunnaic mi sin, smaoinich mi gu robh e car coltach ris an fhacal Gh脿idhlig. Ceiliog, coileach. Ach a-bharrachd air a sin, thug e air ais do mo chuimhne an st貌iridh a chuala mi, ann am badeigin, o chionn fhada, mun Chorn Flakes. Agus ma 鈥檚 math mo chuimhne, seo mar a chuala mi e.

Bha Mgr Kellogg a鈥� coimhead airson dealbh a chuireadh air a鈥� phacaid nuair a chruthaich e Corn Flakes o chionn fhada. Bha Cuimreach ag obair dha, agus thuirt esan ri Kellogg, 鈥淐arson nach cuir sibh coileach oirre?鈥�

鈥淐arson fon ghr猫in a chuirinn coileach oirre,鈥� dh鈥檉haighnich am fear eile.

鈥淯ill,鈥� thuirt an Cuimreach, 鈥渢ha an t-ainm Kellogg uabhasach fh猫in coltach ris an fhacal airson coileach anns a鈥� ch脿nan againn fh猫in 鈥� ceiliog. Mar sin, bhiodh e gl猫 shnog nan cuireadh sibh dealbh de choileach air a鈥� phacaid.鈥�

Dh鈥檃ontaich Kellogg ris agus 鈥檚 e coileach a th鈥檃ir a鈥� phacaid fhathast. Ma 鈥檚 breug bhuam e, 鈥檚 breug thugam e!

F脿gaidh mi sibh le smuain eile mu dheidhinn e貌in agus c脿nan nan Cuimreach. Tha eun ann a tha dubh is geal, agus air a bheil ainm ann am Beurla a th脿inig gu d矛reach bhon Chuimris. D猫 th鈥檃nn? Innsidh mi sin dhuibh an ath sheachdain.

pacaid: packet; bleideagan arbhair: lit. corn flakes (but most peoplewould say corn flakes); p脿iste: child; bobhla: bowl; bracaist: breakfast: coileach: cockerel;st貌iridh: story; soighne, soighnichean: sign, signs; da-ch脿nanach: bilingual; agaontachadh: agreeing; litreachadh: spelling; aire, maire: attention, my attention; gu d矛reach:directly; a Chuimris: the Welsh language.

anns an 霉ine bhig a dh'fhalbh: in the recent past (lit. in the littletime that departed); cha robh fios neo agamsa: I didnt know either; co-dhi霉 nuair nacheilear a sanasachd X: at least when X is not being advertised; mo chuairt don Chuimrigh:my trip to Wales; mar a theirear: as it is called; abair thusa gu bheil X br猫agha: an idiomatictranslation would be X is wonderfully beautiful (the use of abair in this way is verycommon ); a bharrachd air a b貌idhchead: in addition to her beauty (sg矛re is fem.); mar adh'fhaodadh X a bhith: as X could be; an siud 's an seo: here and there; bha i ri fhaicinn: it(fem.) was to be seen; ma 's math mo chuimhne: if my memory serves me correctly; nuair achruthaich e X: when he invented X; carson fon ghr猫in a chuirinn X oirre?: why on earth (lit.under the sun) would I put X on it (fem.); uabhasach fh猫in coltach ri: very like; c脿nan nanCuimreach: the language of the Welsh.

Ann am badeigin: in some place (which the speaker maybe unable or unwilling to identify). The terminal -eigin in Gaelic words, meaning some isan extremely useful one. Bad is a place; badeigin is some place. Other examples are 脿iteigin(some place), cuideigin (some person), rudeigin (something). A lack of knowledge of theexactness of the thing, person, place can be strengthened with the use of air choreigin (orother). Thus we get latha air choreigin (some day or other), cuideigin air choreigin (somebodyor other), togalach air choreigin (some building or other). Bhris cuideigin an uinneag(someone broke the window) C貌? (who?) Chan eil fhios am 's d貌cha bleigeard air choreigin(I dont know probably some lout or other). It is important to note two things about eigin.Firstly, the initial syllable is short it is not like 猫iginn which means emergency, difficulty. Secondly, in the case of badeigin, rudeigin, (air) choreigin we have compoundwords, made of two elements, which do not follow the usual leathann ri leathann, caol ricaol spelling rule; airson is another example of such a word.

Cha b'urrainn dhomh bun neo b脿rr a dh猫anamh dhench貌mhradh: I couldn't make head or tail of the conversation. Bun (bottom) and b脿rr (top)are opposites and often appear together in figures of speech of this nature. Chan eil bun neob脿rr aig a sheanachas: his story makes no sense.