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13/06/2011

Tha litir bheag na seachdain aig Ruaraidh MacIllEathain.
This week's short letter for learners is introduced by Ruaraidh MacLean.

5 minutes

Last on

Mon 13 Jun 2011 19:00

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An Litir Bheag 318

Bha mi a鈥 coimhead pr貌gram telebhisein a ch貌rd rium. Bha e 脿s an Danmhairg. 鈥橲 e Forbrydelsen an t-ainm air. Tha sin a鈥 ciallachadh 鈥淎m Marbhadh鈥. Tha e a鈥 gabhail 脿ite ann an Copenhagen. Tha e mu dheidhinn murt agus an rannsachadh a tha na poilis a鈥 d猫anamh.

Tha a鈥 chainnt air fad ann an D脿nais, le criomagan de dh鈥橝rabais. Chan eil D脿nais agam. Mar sin, bha mi a鈥 leantainn a鈥 ch貌mhraidh le fo-thiotalan Beurla. Ach bha mi ag 猫isteachd ris an D脿nais. Bha mi a鈥 togail fhaclan a tha coltach ri feadhainn a chuala mi ann an Nirribhidh agus san t-Suain. Mar eisimpleir, canaidh na D脿n-aich tak airson taing, mar a chanas Lochlannaich eile. Canaidh iad feste airson p脿rtaidh. Tha sin co-cheangailte ri feast ann am Beurla agus 蹿猫颈蝉 ann an G脿idhlig.

聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 Agus chuala mi facal eile grunn tursan co-cheangailte ri b脿s. Thog e m鈥 aire oir tha e coltach ris an fhacal againne airson an aon rud. 鈥橲 e sin kiste. Tuigidh sibh d猫 tha sin a鈥 ciallachadh 鈥 ciste no ciste-laighe. 鈥橲 e sin bogsa fiodha anns am bi dust duine air a chur. Tha facal co-ionann ris ann an Albais 鈥 kist. Tha am facal airson an aon rud anns a鈥 Bheurla Shasannaich eadar-dhealaichte. Tha coffin a鈥 tighinn bhon t-Seann Fhraingis cofin. 罢丑脿颈苍颈驳 cofin bhon Laidinn cophinus no 鈥渂asgaid鈥.

聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 Ach ciamar a tha na faclan ann an D脿nais, G脿idhlig is Albais cho coltach ri ch猫ile? C貌 脿s a th脿inig kist no kiste no ciste an toiseach? Uill, a r猫ir choltais, 鈥檚 ann 脿 Laideann a th脿inig iad. Tha cista ann an Laideann a鈥 ciallachadh 鈥渂ogsa鈥.

聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 脌s an fhacal Laidinn cista, th脿inig cisterna, amar fon talamh anns am bi uisge. Sin an t霉s airson cistern ann am Beurla. Agus 脿 cista th脿inig an t-Seann Bheurla cest agus an Nua-Bheurla chest. Tha chest a鈥 ciallachadh bogsa fiodha ach cuideachd an cliabh ann am mac an duine. Tha cliabh coltach ri bogsa anns a bheil an cridhe agus an sgamhan.

聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 Tha e coltach gu le貌r gun tigeadh am facal G脿idhlig ciste bhon Laidinn cista. Bhiodh am facal air a chleachdadh gu tric o shean ann an co-cheangal ris an Eaglais. Agus b鈥 e Laideann c脿nan na h-Eaglais airson 霉ine mh貌r.

The Little Letter 318

I was watching a television programme I enjoyed. It was from Denmark. It is called Forbrydelsen. That means 鈥淭he Killing鈥. It takes place in Copenhagen. It鈥檚 about murder and the investigation the police make.

聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 The entire conversation is in Danish, with bits of Arabic. I don鈥檛 speak Danish. So I was following the conversation with English subtitles. But I was listening to the Danish. I was picking up words that are like some I heard in Norway and Sweden. For example, the Danes say tak for thanks, as do other Scandinavians. They say feste for party. That鈥檚 connected to feast in English and 蹿猫颈蝉 in Gaelic.

聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 And I heard another word a few times, connected to death. It caught my attention because it鈥檚 like our word for the same thing. That鈥檚 kiste. You鈥檒l understand what it means 鈥 a coffin. That鈥檚 a wooden box in which a person鈥檚 remains are placed. There鈥檚 an equivalent word in Scots 鈥 kist. The word in English for the same thing is different. Coffin comes from the Old French cofin. Cofin came from the Latin cophinus or 鈥渂asket鈥.

聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 But how are the words in Danish, Gaelic and Scots so similar to each other? Where did kist or kiste or ciste come from originally? Well, apparently they came from Latin. Cista in Latin means 鈥渂ox鈥.

聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 From the Latin word cista came cisterna, an underground tank in which water is kept. That鈥檚 the original for cistern in English. And from cista came the Old English cest and the modern English chest. Chest means a wooden box but also the human chest. A chest is like a box containing the heart and lungs.

聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 It鈥檚 likely enough that the Gaelic word ciste would come from the Latin cista. The word would be often used in olden times in connection with the Church. And Latin was the Church language for a long time.

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  • Mon 13 Jun 2011 19:00

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The Little Letter for Gaelic Learners

An Litir Bheag air LearnGaelic

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