Litir do Luchd-ionnsachaidh 1372

Dè a’ Ghàidhlig a th’ air slate? Uill, ʼs e sglèat a chanas a’ chuid mhòr. Thàinig an dà fhacal bhon aon fhreumh. Bha e an toiseach anns an t-Seann Fhraingis mar esclate ‘a split piece or splinter’ oir tha e furasta sgoltadh.

Anns a’ Bheurla Mheadhanaich, ʼs e sclate a bh’ ann. Dh’atharraich sin tro thìde ann am Beurla gu slate. Agus thàinig e a-steach don Ghàidhlig mar sglèat. Ann an ceann a tuath na Gàidhealtachd, dh’atharraich am fuaimneachadh gu sglèat. Bha feadhainn eadhon ga sgrìobhadh mar S-G-L-I-A-T. Thathar a’ moladh an-diugh gun sgrìobh sinn am facal mar S-G-L-E fada-A-T.

Tha sglèat a’ toirt dhuinn fhaclan eile, leithid sglèatach ‘made of slate’, sglèatair ‘slater’ agus sglèataireachd ‘the work of a slater’.

Nuair a bha mi ann an ceann a tuath na Cuimrigh, far an robh gnìomhachas na sglèata gu math mòr uaireigin, mhothaich mi gur e am facal llech a bh’ aca airson sglèat ann an Cuimris. Air a litreachadh L-L-E-C-H. Tha sin càirdeach don fhacal againne leac. Tha leac a’ ciallachadh ‘flagstone, flat stone, slab’. Leac-teine – hearthstone. Leac an dorais – doorstep. Leac-uaighe – gravestone – co-dhiù dhen t-seann seòrsa a bha na laighe air an talamh, seach a bhith a’ stobadh an-àirde.

Ach a bheil leac uair sam bith a’ ciallachadh ‘slate’? Uill, tha. A rèir faclair Dwelly, tha e a’ ciallachadh ‘slate to write on’. Bidh sibh a’ tuigsinn gur e sin a bh’ aig clann sgoile aig aon àm. Bhiodh iad a’ sgrìobhadh air leac le cailc.

Dè mu dheidhinn nan sglèat a tha cho cumanta air mullaichean taighe? An robh daoine riamh a’ gabhail ‘leac’ air a leithid? Uill, chanainn gun robh ann an Gallaibh oir ʼs e leacan mòra a chithear air cuid de mhullaichean an sin, seach sglèatan beaga. Leacan Gallach, gu dearbh.

Ach tha fianais ann gun robhar a’ cleachdadh an fhacail leac ann an Ros an Iar airson sglèat mullaich. Tha sin a’ tighinn bhon leabhar A Hundred Years in the Highlands le Osgood MacCoinnich.

Tha MacCoinnich, a bha na uachdaran ann an sgìre Gheàrrloch, ag innse dhuinn mun taigh mhòr aca a tha aithnichte an-diugh ann am Beurla mar Flowerdale House – ainm a chaidh a chur air le luchd-turais Sasannach o chionn fhada. Bha Gàidhlig gu leòr aig Osgood agus ʼs e Gàidhlig a bha e a’ bruidhinn ri muinntir an àite.

Ann an Gàidhlig ʼs e an Taigh Dìge a chanas daoine ri Flowerdale House. Tha an t-ainm a’ ciallachadh ‘Moat House’. Chan eil dìg timcheall an taigh an-diugh, ach bha dìg timcheall an t-seann taigh a bh’ ann roimhe. Thòisich sinnsear aig Osgood air an taigh a th’ ann an-diugh a thogail ann an seachd ceud deug, trithead ʼs a h-ochd (1738). B’ esan an Tighearna Crùbach, Sir Alasdair MacCoinnich. B’ e Osgood am fionn-ogha aige.

Ghlèidh iad ainm an t-seann togalaich – an Taigh Dìge – eadhon ged nach robh an dìg ann tuilleadh. Ach, airson sgaradh a dhèanamh eadar an seann taigh agus an taigh ùr, chuir iad rudeigin ris an ainm ùr.

An àite mullach tughaidh, bha mullach sglèatach air an taigh ùr – a’ chiad togalach dhen t-seòrsa anns an sgìre. Agus b’ e ainm an taigh ùir – Taigh Dìge nan Gorm-leac. Feumaidh – aig an àm sin co-dhiù – gur e gorm-leac a bh’ aca anns an sgìre sin airson sglèat.

Faclan na Litreach: sglèat: slate [note that the original pronunciation is preserved in Argyll Gaelic – it is only in the north that it became pronounced ‘sgliat’]; A’ Bheurla Mheadhanach: Middle English; Cuimris: Welsh language; mullaichean taighe: house roofs; Leacan Gallach: Caithness Flags(tones); Ros an Iar: Wester Ross; MacCoinnich: MacKenzie; An Tighearna Crùbach: the lame (land)lord; ghlèidh: kept, preserved.

Abairtean na Litreach: Thàinig an dà fhacal bhon aon fhreumh: the two words came from the same root; bha e an toiseach anns an t-Seann Fhraingis: it was originally in Old French; thathar a’ moladh an-diugh: it is recommended today; bidh sibh a’ tuigsinn gur e sin a bh’ aig clann sgoile aig aon àm: you’ll understand that that was what schoolchildren had at one time; a’ sgrìobhadh air leac le cailc: writing on a slate with chalk; an robh daoine riamh a’ gabhail ‘leac’ air a leithid?: were people ever calling the like a ‘leac’?; chanainn gun robh ann an Gallaibh: I would say they were in Caithness; ʼs e leacan mòra a chithear air cuid de mhullaichean an sin, seach sglèatan beaga: it’s large flagstones that are seen on some roofs there, rather than small slates; bha dìg timcheall an t-seann taigh a bh’ ann roimhe: there was a moat around the old house that was there previously; chuir iad rudeigin ris an ainm ùr: they added something to the new name; an àite mullach tughaidh, bha mullach sglèatach air an taigh ùr: instead of a thatched roof, there was a slate roof on the new house; a’ chiad togalach dhen t-seòrsa anns an sgìre: the first building of its type in the area; b’ e ainm an taigh ùir – Taigh Dìge nan Gorm-leac: the name of the new house was ‘the moat house of the slates’ (literally ‘of the shiny black flat stones’); feumaidh – aig an àm sin co-dhiù – gur e gorm-leac a bh’ aca anns an sgìre sin airson sglèat: it must have been – at that time anyway – that they called a slate a ‘gorm-leac’ in that area/parish.

Puing-chànain na Litreach: B’ e Osgood am fionn-ogha aige: Osgood was his great-great grandchild. The generations work like this: ogha ‘grandchild’; iar-ogha ‘great-grandchild’; fionn-ogha ‘great-great grandchild’; dubh-ogha ‘great-great-great-grandchild’. You can also refer to a fionn-ogha as ‘iar-iar-ogha’.

Gnàthas-cainnt na Litreach: na laighe air an talamh, seach a bhith a’ stobadh an-àirde: lying on the ground, rather than sticking up (vertically).