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An Litir Bheag 796

Litir Bheag na seachdain sa le Ruairidh MacIlleathain. Litir Ă ireamh 796. Roddy Maclean is back with this week's short letter for GĂ idhlig learners.

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4 minutes

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Sun 16 Aug 2020 16:00

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An Litir Bheag 796

Cuin a chluinneadh tu ČőČ”Ÿ±Ă賊ČčČÔ? Uill, ÊŒs e sin am fuaim a bhios cearc-fhraoich a’ dĂšanamh. ł§Č”Ÿ±Ă賊ČčČÔ. FĂ ilte oirbh uile. Tha mi a’ dol a thoirt sĂčil an t-seachdain sa air fuaimean a bhios ainmhidhean a’ dĂšanamh.

An toiseach – geum. ÊŒS e sin fuaim a nĂŹ bĂČ. Airson ‘the cattle are lowing’, canaidh sinn tha an crodh a’ dĂšanamh geum. No tha an crodh a’ geumnaich. A’ geumnaich.

An t-seachdain sa chaidh, thug mi sĂčil air comhart ‘bark’ agus donnal ‘howl’ – fuaimean aig coin. Tha tabhann ann cuideachd – a bark or yelp. A’ tabhann no a’ tabhannaich ‘barking, yelping’. 

A bheil sibh eĂČlach air an fhacal mialaich? ÊŒS e sin am fuaim as trice a nĂŹ cat. Tha an cat a’ mialaich ‘the cat is miaowing’. 

Tha łŸĂšŸ±±ôŸ±łŠłó eadar-dhealaichte bho mialaich. ÊŒS e łŸĂšŸ±±ô±đ no łŸĂšŸ±±ôŸ±łŠłó a nĂŹ caora no uan. Bleat, bleating. Tha facal sĂČnraichte againn airson ‘the bleating of a goat’ – meig. Tha am meann a’ meigeallaich ‘the kid goat is bleating’. Tha am meann a’ meigeallaich. 

Air ais gu łŸĂšŸ±±ôŸ±łŠłó. Nuair a bhios caora a’ łŸĂšŸ±±ôŸ±łŠłó, dĂš chanas i? Ann an GĂ idhlig, bidh i ag rĂ dh, ‘MĂš mù’. Agus seo agaibh dreach GĂ idhlig air rann ainmeil.

MĂš mĂš, chaora dhubh, CĂ ite a bheil do chlĂČimh? Tha an seo, tha an seo, A’ fĂ s air mo dhruim. Poc’ airson a’ mhaighstir, poc’ airson na maighd’, poc’ airson a’ bhalaich bhig, Tha fuireach suas an gleann. 

BÊŒ e sin a’ chiad ĂČran GĂ idhlig a bha agam riamh. Tha cuimhne agam fhathast air a’ chiad bhliadhna agam sa bhun-sgoil. Bha mi a’ fuireach ann am Broughty Ferry, faisg air DĂčn DĂš. Fhuair an tidsear a-mach gun robh an t-ĂČran sin agam. Thuirt i rium, ‘A Ruairidh, an seas thu air beulaibh a’ chlas, agus an gabh thu “Baa Baa Black Sheep” ann an GĂ idhlig? Bha eagal orm, ach ghabh mi e: 

MĂš mĂš, chaora dhubh, CĂ ite a bheil do chlĂČimh? Tha an seo, tha an seo, A’ fĂ s air mo dhruim. Poc’ airson a’ mhaighstir, poc’ airson na maighd’, poc’ airson a’ bhalaich bhig, Tha fuireach suas an gleann. 

The Little Letter 796

When would you hear a ČőČ”Ÿ±Ă賊ČčČÔ? Well, that’s the sound that a [female red] grouse makes. ł§Č”Ÿ±Ă賊ČčČÔ. Welcome to you all. I’m going to look this week at sounds that animals make.

To begin with – geum. That’s the sound a cow makes. For ‘the cattle are lowing’, we say tha an crodh a’ dùanamh geum. Or tha an crodh a’ geumnaich. A’ geumnaich.

Last week, I looked at comhart ‘bark’ and donnal ‘howl’ – dog noises. Their is also tabhann – a bark or yelp. A’ tabhann or a’ tabhannaich ‘barking, yelping’. 

Do you know the word mialaich? That’s the sound a cat usually makes. Tha an cat a’ mialaich ‘the cat is miaowing’. 

ČŃĂšŸ±±ôŸ±łŠłó is different from mialaich. ČŃĂšŸ±±ô±đ or łŸĂšŸ±±ôŸ±łŠłó is the sound a sheep or lamb makes. Bleat, bleating. We have a special word for ‘the bleating of a goat’ – meig. Tha am meann a’ meigeallaich ‘the kid goat is bleating’. Tha am meann a’ meigeallaich. 

But back to łŸĂšŸ±±ôŸ±łŠłó. When a sheep bleats, what does it say? In Gaelic, it says, ‘MĂš mù’. And here is the Gaelic form of a famous verse.

Baa, baa, black sheep, where is your wool? Here it is, here it is, growing on my back. A bag for the master, a bag for the maid, a bag for the little boy who lives up the glen.

That was the first Gaelic song I ever knew. I can still remember my first year in primary school. I was living in Broughty Ferry, near Dundee. The teacher found out that I knew that song. She said to me, ‘Roddy, will you stand in front of the class, and sing “Baa Baa Black Sheep” in Gaelic? I was scared, but I sang it.

Baa, baa, black sheep, where is your wool? Here it is, here it is, growing on my back. A bag for the master, a bag for the maid, a bag for the little boy who lives up the glen.

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  • Sun 16 Aug 2020 16:00

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Tha gach Litir Bheag an seo / All the Little Letters are here.

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The Little Letter for Gaelic Learners

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