Main content

An Litir Bheag 796

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

Available now

4 minutes

Last on

Sun 16 Aug 2020 16:00

Clip

An Litir Bheag 796

Cuin a chluinneadh tu 蝉驳颈霉肠补苍? Uill, 始s e sin am fuaim a bhios cearc-fhraoich a鈥 d猫anamh. 厂驳颈霉肠补苍. F脿ilte oirbh uile. Tha mi a鈥 dol a thoirt s霉il an t-seachdain sa air fuaimean a bhios ainmhidhean a鈥 d猫anamh.

An toiseach 鈥 geum. 始S e sin fuaim a n矛 b貌. Airson 鈥the cattle are lowing鈥, canaidh sinn tha an crodh a鈥 d猫anamh geum. No tha an crodh a鈥 geumnaich. A鈥 geumnaich.

An t-seachdain sa chaidh, thug mi s霉il air comhart 鈥榖ark鈥 agus donnalhowl鈥 鈥 fuaimean aig coin. Tha tabhann ann cuideachd 鈥 a bark or yelp. A鈥 tabhann no a鈥 tabhannaich 鈥榖arking, yelping鈥.聽

A bheil sibh e貌lach air an fhacal mialaich? 始S e sin am fuaim as trice a n矛 cat. Tha an cat a鈥 mialaich 鈥榯he cat is miaowing鈥.聽

Tha 尘猫颈濒颈肠丑 eadar-dhealaichte bho mialaich. 始S e 尘猫颈濒别 no 尘猫颈濒颈肠丑 a n矛 caora no uan. Bleat, bleating. Tha facal s貌nraichte againn airson 鈥the bleating of a goat鈥 鈥 meig. Tha am meann a鈥 meigeallaich 鈥榯he kid goat is bleating鈥. Tha am meann a鈥 meigeallaich.聽

Air ais gu 尘猫颈濒颈肠丑. Nuair a bhios caora a鈥 尘猫颈濒颈肠丑, d猫 chanas i? Ann an G脿idhlig, bidh i ag r脿dh, 鈥楳猫 m猫鈥. Agus seo agaibh dreach G脿idhlig air rann ainmeil.

M猫 m猫, chaora dhubh, C脿ite a bheil do chl貌imh? Tha an seo, tha an seo, A鈥 f脿s air mo dhruim. Poc鈥 airson a鈥 mhaighstir, poc鈥 airson na maighd鈥, poc鈥 airson a鈥 bhalaich bhig, Tha fuireach suas an gleann.聽

B始 e sin a鈥 chiad 貌ran G脿idhlig a bha agam riamh. Tha cuimhne agam fhathast air a鈥 chiad bhliadhna agam sa bhun-sgoil. Bha mi a鈥 fuireach ann am Broughty Ferry, faisg air D霉n D猫. Fhuair an tidsear a-mach gun robh an t-貌ran sin agam. Thuirt i rium, 鈥楢 Ruairidh, an seas thu air beulaibh a鈥 chlas, agus an gabh thu 鈥Baa Baa Black Sheep鈥 ann an G脿idhlig? Bha eagal orm, ach ghabh mi e:聽

M猫 m猫, chaora dhubh, C脿ite a bheil do chl貌imh? Tha an seo, tha an seo, A鈥 f脿s air mo dhruim. Poc鈥 airson a鈥 mhaighstir, poc鈥 airson na maighd鈥, poc鈥 airson a鈥 bhalaich bhig, Tha fuireach suas an gleann.聽

The Little Letter 796

When would you hear a 蝉驳颈霉肠补苍? Well, that鈥檚 the sound that a [female red] grouse makes. 厂驳颈霉肠补苍. Welcome to you all. I鈥檓 going to look this week at sounds that animals make.

To begin with 鈥 geum. That鈥檚 the sound a cow makes. For 鈥榯he cattle are lowing鈥, we say tha an crodh a鈥 d猫anamh geum. Or tha an crodh a鈥 geumnaich. A鈥 geumnaich.

Last week, I looked at comhart 鈥榖ark鈥 and donnal 鈥榟owl鈥 鈥 dog noises. Their is also tabhann 鈥 a bark or yelp. A鈥 tabhann or a鈥 tabhannaich 鈥榖arking, yelping鈥.聽

Do you know the word mialaich? That鈥檚 the sound a cat usually makes. Tha an cat a鈥 mialaich 鈥榯he cat is miaowing鈥.聽

惭猫颈濒颈肠丑 is different from mialaich. 惭猫颈濒别 or 尘猫颈濒颈肠丑 is the sound a sheep or lamb makes. Bleat, bleating. We have a special word for 鈥榯he bleating of a goat鈥 鈥 meig. Tha am meann a鈥 meigeallaich 鈥榯he kid goat is bleating鈥. Tha am meann a鈥 meigeallaich.聽

But back to 尘猫颈濒颈肠丑. When a sheep bleats, what does it say? In Gaelic, it says, 鈥楳猫 m猫鈥. 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, 鈥楻oddy, will you stand in front of the class, and sing 鈥淏aa Baa Black Sheep鈥 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.

Broadcast

  • Sun 16 Aug 2020 16:00

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