101: Sròn
Litir sheachdaineach do luchd-ionnsachaidh le clàr-fuaime, tar-sgrìobhadh is mìneachadh. A weekly letter to Gaelic learners with audio, transcription and explanation.
Tha an litir ag obrachadh leis an fhaclair. Tagh an taba ‘teacsa Gàidhlig’ agus tagh facal sam bith san teacsa agus fosglaidh am faclair ann an taba ùr agus bidh mìneachadh den fhacal ann. The letter is integrated with the dictionary. Select the tab ‘Gaelic text’ and choose any word and the dictionary will open and you will see the English explanation of the Gaelic word.
Sròn
Bidh luchd-ionnsachaidh na Gàidhlig uaireannan a’ cur ceist orm mu dheidhinn litreachadh a’ chànain. ’S e cuspair mòr a th’ ann agus, gu dearbh, chan eil e às aonais connspaid! Tha cuimhne agam gun do dh’fhaighnich tè dhìom turas ciamar a litreachainn a’ Ghàidhlig airson nose. “S-r-ò-n,” fhreagair mi.
“Seadh,” thuirt i, “agus ciamar a tha thu ga ràdh?”
“Stròn,” fhreagair mi.
Choimhead i orm gu geur. “Chuir thu ‘t’ ann a sin nach eil anns an fhacal ann,” thuirt i. Thuirt thu ‘stròn’ ach tha am facal air a litreachadh ‘sròn’.”
Agus bidh fios agaibh dè an ath cheist a bh’ aice: “Carson?”!
“Smaoinich air a h-uile duine as aithne dhut aig a bheil Gàidhlig,” thuirt mo bhana-charaid (agus bu chòir dhomh ràdh gu robh seo o chionn beagan bhliadhnaichean) “agus innis dhomh ciamar a chanadh iadsan am facal sin.” B’ fheudar dhomh aideachadh nach b’ urrainn dhomh smaoineachadh air duine nach canadh “stròn”.
“Uill,” thuirt i, “carson fon ghrèin a tha am facal air a litreachadh às aonais ‘t’? Carson nach eil e air a litreachadh ‘s-T-r-ò-n’?”
Tha fhios gu bheil luchd-ionnsachaidh tric a’ cur ceistean mar sin air fileantaich agus, gu h-àraidh nuair a tha iad às ceann a tuath na Gàidhealtachd, ’s dòcha nach bi cuid de na fileantaich buileach cinnteach air an adhbhar. Feuchaidh mise ri beagan taic a thoirt dhaibh.
Tha dà adhbhar ann airson sròn a litreachadh às aonais an ‘t’. ’S e a’ chiad rud nach eilear ag ràdh “stròn” anns a h-uile sgìre ann an Alba. Tha àiteachan ann far a bheilear ag ràdh “sròn”. Tha seo air a mhìneachadh gu snog ann an leabhar inntinneach a chaidh fhoillseachadh an-uiridh: The Gaelic of Islay: A Comparative Study le Seumas Grannd à Roinn na Ceilteis ann an Oilthigh Obar Dheathain.
Tha an t-Ollamh Grannd a’ sealltainn dhuinn gur e “sròn” a chanas muinntir Ìle. Is chan e Ìle a-mhàin. Thug e sùil air Earra-Ghàidheal air fad agus ’s e “sròn” a chanas daoine air feadh na sgìre, ach a-mhàin ann an trì àiteachan anns a’ cheann a tuath – Tiriodh, Colla agus Àird Ghobhar. Anns na trì àiteachan sin, thathar ag ràdh “stròn” – an aon rud ri ceann a tuath na Gàidhealtachd.
A’ coimhead air ais don àm nuair a bhathar a’ sgrìobhadh Gàidhlig o shean, leithid nuair a bhathar ag eadar-theangachadh a’ Bhìobaill gu Gàidhlig, bha sgoilearan às Earra-Ghàidheal gu mòr an sàs ann. Bha a’ Ghàidhlig fada na bu làidire ann an Earra-Ghàidheal na tha i an-diugh. Agus bha na sgoilearan cuideachd eòlach air dòigh-sgrìobhaidh Gàidhlig na h-Èireann. Eadar an dà rud sin, bha e nàdarrach gu leòr dhaibh, am facal sròn a sgrìobhadh s-r-ò-n, ged a bhiodh muinntir a’ chinn a tuath ag ràdh “stròn”.
Ach tha adhbhar eile ann cuideachd agus tha seo gu math cudromach. Ciamar a chanadh sibh, ann an Gàidhlig, “my nose”? Seadh? “Mo shròn”. Ciamar a chanadh sibh ri balach beag, “blow your nose, lad”? “Sèid do shròn, ’ille.” Bidh sibh a’ mothachadh nach eil ‘t’ sam bith a’ nochdadh anns an fhacal nuair a tha e air a shèimheachadh, deas neo tuath. Chan dèanadh ‘t’ feum neo ciall anns an fhacal anns an t-suidheachadh sin. Mar sin, tha e nas fhasa, airson dèiligeadh ris a h-uile suidheachadh anns an nochd am facal, gur e ‘sr’, an àite ‘str’, a th’ ann aig an toiseach.
Ach tha sin gam thoirt fhèin gu ceist. Ciamar a chanas sibh ann an Gàidhlig, “I am going to climb the mountain”? Bheir sinn sùil air a sin an ath-sheachdain.
Faclan na Litreach: : sròn: nose; litreachadh: spelling; cuspair: subject; tric: often; fileantaich: fluent speakers (of Gaelic); Roinn na Ceilteis: Celtic Department; Oilthigh Obar Dheathain: Aberdeen University; Earra-Ghàidheal: Argyll.
Abairtean na Litreach: : chan eil e às aonais connspaid: it’s not without controversy; dh’fhaighnich tè dhìom turas ciamar a litreachainn: one (female) once asked me how I would spell; ciamar a tha thu ga ràdh?: how do you say it?; carson fon ghrèin a tha X air a litreachadh às aonais ‘t’?: why on earth is X spelled without a ‘t’?; nach eilear ag ràdh X anns a h-uile sgìre ann an Alba:they don’t say X in every part of Scotland; tha seo air a mhìneachadh gu snog: this is nicely explained; is chan e Ìle a-mhàin: and not only Islay; nuair a bhathar ag eadar-theangachadh a’ Bhìobaill gu Gàidhlig: when the Bible was being translated into Gaelic; muinntir a’ chinn a tuath: the people of the north; nuair a tha e air a shèimheachadh, deas neo tuath: when it is lenited, south or north; cha dèanadh ‘t’ feum neo ciall: ‘t’ would not be useful or meaningful.
Puing ghràmair na Litreach: : B’ fheudar dhomh aideachadh: I had to admit. The phrase ’s fheudar do is a very useful one and means “must”. ’S fheudar do Chailean fuireach far a bheil e an-dràsta (Colin has to stay where he is for the moment). It is commonly heard in conversation with the “do”converted to a prepositional pronoun (ie dhomh, dhut, dha, dhi, dhuinn, dhuibh, dhaibh). Eg ’s fheudar dhomh falbh (I must go). It is commonly used in the past tense as b’ fheudar, eg b’ fheudar dhi dhol dhachaigh (she had to go home); b’ fheudar dhaibh an taigh mòr aca a reic (they had to sell their big house). In some places, notably in parts of Argyll, you will hear it used with “gu” for “perhaps” or “probably”. For example, you might hear a conversation like this: 1st man: Bha Alasdair gun fheum – cha chreid mi nach robh an deoch air (Alexander was useless – I reckon he was drunk). 2nd man: ’S fheudar gu robh(quite possibly). You may also hear chan fheudar nach robh in a similar situation, meaning the same thing – another of these colourful double negatives we all love so much!
Gnàthas-cainnt na Litreach: : Sèid do shròn, ’ille: blow your nose, lad. ’ille is a contraction of “a ghille”, ie the word gille in the vocative case (in which the gille is addressed by another). You will commonly hear this if a man is addressing a boy. It is also used by older men to younger men and even by men of similar age to each other in a very informal setting. It would not be used in a formal setting or to an elder.
Download the text of this week's letter as a PDF:Thoir a-nuas Litir mar PDF:
PDF documents are especially suited for printing out. Most computers can open PDF files, but if you have problems viewing them you may need to install reader software such as Tha faidhleachan PDF gu sònraichte math airson clò-bhualadh. Tha e furasta gu leòr do chuid de choimpiutairean faidhleachan PDF fhosgladh, ach ma tha trioblaid agad ‘s dòcha gum biodh e feumail bathar-bog mar Adobe Acrobat Reader. fhaighinn.
Podcast
BBC offers this litir as a podcast: Visit the programme page for more info and to download or subscribe. Tha am BBC a’ tabhainn seo mar podcast. Tadhail air an duilleag-phrògraim airson barrachd fiosrachaidh no airson podcast fhaighinn