12/11/2012
Tha litir bheag na seachdain aig Ruaraidh MacIllEathain.
This week's short letter for learners is introduced by Ruaraidh MacLean.
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An Litir Bheag 392
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An Litir Bheag 392
Bha mi ag innse dhuibh mu leabhar beag ùr mu dhà eilean Ghàidhealach. ’S iad sin Árainn Mhór ann an Èirinn agus Barraigh ann an Alba. Tha an leabhar trì-chànanach. ’S e a thiotal ann an Gàidhlig ùٳ na Mara. ’S e a thiotal ann an Gaeilge Dúchas na Mara. Tha am facal ùٳ beò fhathast anns an dà Ghàidhlig.
Ach dè a’ Bheurla a tha air ùٳ na Mara? ’S e an tiotal Beurla a thagh na h-ùghdaran Belonging to the Sea.
Tha na h-ùghdaran, Iain MacFhionghain agus Ruth Ní Bhraonáin a’ mìneachadh gun tàinig ùٳ on fhacal ùٳ. Tha ùٳ a’ ciallachadh ‘talamh’ no ‘fearann’. Ach tha iad ag ràdh gu bheil ùٳ a’ buntainn ris a’ mhuir, a cheart cho math ris an tìr.
Ach dè dìreach a tha ann an ùٳ? Airson a mhìneachadh, tha iad a’ tionndadh don sgoilear Ghàidhlig, Iain MacAonghuis. ’S e na tha ann an ùٳ raon-tuigse làn anns a bheil,’ tha e ag ràdh, ‘barrachd na uachdar na ùٳcha no cruinn-eòlas leotha fhèin, no faireachdainn dìreach mun eachdraidh, ach rian-fiosrachaidh foirmeil san tig iad seo uile còmhla.’
Tha e a’ leantainn le bhith ag ràdh gu bheil sealladh sònraichte aig ùٳaich air an ùٳaich aca. Bidh coigrich uaireannan a’ tomhas na Gàidhealtachd mar fhàsach falamh. Don ùٳach, ’s e fearann beothail a tha ann. Tha e eadhon gaisgeil agus a’ cur thairis le pearsaichean eachdraidheil.
Bidh mi a’ dèanamh tòrr bhùthan-obrach le muinntir na Beurla. Chan eil càirdeas aig a’ chuid mhòir dhiubh don tìr mar luchd-ùٳchais. Ach nuair a chluinneas iad mu dhùthchas nan Gàidheal, tha farmad orra.
Ach ’s e rud duilich a tha ann nach eil ùٳ nan Gàidheal fhèin cho làidir ’s a bha. Feumaidh sinn a neartachadh. Bu chòir dhuinn a bhith moiteil gur e luchd-ùٳchais a tha annainn.
Tha MacFhionghain agus Ní Bhraonáin ag ràdh gu bheil ùٳ mara fhathast beò ann an Árainn Mhór agus Barraigh. Tha sin fìor air sgàth ’s gu bheil a’ Ghàidhlig fhathast beò anns na h-eileanan sin. Guma fada beò a mhaireas i, agus a ùٳ leathaThe Little Letter 392
I was telling you about a small new book about two Gaelic islands. Those are Aranmore in Ireland and Barra in Scotland. The book is trilingual. Its title in Scottish Gaelic is ùٳ na Mara. Its title in Irish Gaelic is Dúchas na Mara. The word ùٳ is still alive in both Gaelic languages.
But what is the English for ùٳ na Mara? The English title the authors chose is Belonging to the Sea.
The authors, Iain Mackinnon and Ruth Brennan, explain that the word ùٳ came from ùٳ. Dùth means ‘land’. But they say that ùٳ is just as meaningful in relation to the sea as it is to the land.
But what exactly is ùٳ? To explain it, they turn to the Gaelic scholar, John MacInnes. ùٳ is a total field of understanding encompassing,’ he says, ‘not so much a landscape, not a sense of geography alone, nor of history alone, but a formal order of experience in which all these are merged.’
He continues by saying that indigenous people have a unique view of their country. Strangers sometimes characterize the Highlands as an empty wilderness. To the person with a native sensibility, it is a dynamic land. It is even heroic, heavily populated by historical figures.
I do many workshops with English speaking people. Most of them do not relate to the land as native people. But when they hear about the ùٳ of the Gael, they are envious.
But it is a sorry thing that the ùٳ of the Gael is not as strong as it was. We must strengthen it. We should be proud that we are an indigenous people.
Mackinnon and Brennan say that ùٳ of the sea is still alive in Aranmore and Barra. That is the case because the Gaelic language is still alive in those islands. May she survive a long time, and her ùٳ along with her.Broadcast
- Mon 12 Nov 2012 19:00tv Radio nan Gàidheal
All the letters
Tha gach Litir Bheag an seo / All the Little Letters are here.
Podcast: An Litir Bheag
The Little Letter for Gaelic Learners
An Litir Bheag air LearnGaelic
An Litir Bheag is also on LearnGaelic (with PDFs)
Podcast
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An Litir Bheag
Litirichean do luchd-ionnsachaidh ura. Letters in Gaelic for beginners.