A couple of "essays"

[sr3nitygirl]

Over the last few weeks, I have written a couple of "essays" anns a Ghàidhlig; one on the town of Oban and another on the book "Calums Road".

When I wrote these, I set out to challenge myself, and I will happily admit that I referred to various sources (including FnG!) along the way (it wasn't by any means spontaneous), and as such I am certain that many grammatical errors lurk within. I'm sure I gave myself enough rope to hang myself in several places

However, I can't learn if I don't allow for criticism, and so I present them here to you, complete with English translations (or at least what I had intended!).

(I have posted them as replies to this message to separate them from this explanation)

[sr3nitygirl]

The first one is about the town of Oban.

=========================================================

Tha mi ag iarraidh dh'innse dhuibh mu dhèidhinn àite snog.
(I want to tell you about a nice place)

'S e An t-Oban an t-ainm a th' air; tha baile anns a' Ghàidhealtachd an Iar.
(It's name is Oban; a town in the West Highlands)

Nuair a bha mi a' fuireach fhathast ann an Alba, chaidh mi ann iomadach ùine.
(When I was still living in Scotland, I went there many times).

Tha taighean-òsta gu leòr ann agus ann am mìosan an t-samhraidh, tha e àite glè thrang.
(There are many hotels, and in the summer months, it is a busy place)

'S e port-aiseig cudromach a th' ann cuideachd.
(It's also an important ferry port).

Bidh na bàtaichean-aiseig a' falbh a dhol a Bagh a'Chaisteil ann am Barraigh agus Loch Bagasdail ann an Uibhist a Deas.
(Ferry boats leave to go to Castlebay on Barra and Lochboisdale on South Uist)

Bidh na bàtaichean-aiseig eile a' dol do dh' Ile, agus Muile.
(Other ferries go to Islay and Mull)

Ciamar a chaidh sibh ann?
(How do you get there?)

Uill, 's urrainn dhuibh draibheadh ann, no 's urrainn dhuibh trèana no bus a' ghabhail bho Ghlaschu.
(Well, you can drive there, or you can take a train or bus from Glasgow).

'S fheàrr leam a' dhol ann air an trèan. Tha an turas glè àlainn!
(I prefer to go there by train. It's a lovely journey).

Ma tha thu a 'dol a dh'Alba, bu chòir dhuibh a dhol dhan Oban. Tha mi a' smaoineachadh gun còrd e ruibh!
(If you are going to Scotland, you should go to Oban. I think you will enjoy it).

[sr3nitygirl]

The second is a "dissertation" on "Calums Road":

=====================================================

Bu toigh leum innseadh dhuibh mu dhèidhinn leabhair inntinnich.
I'd like to tell you about an interesting book

'S e an t-ainm a tha air "Rathad Chaluim", no "Calums Road" anns a' Bheurla.
It's name is "Calums Road".

Tha e an sgeulachd bhrosnachail mu Chalum MacLeòid.
It's the inspiring story of Calum MacLeod

Rugadh Calum MacLeòid ann an naoi ceud deug aon deug ann an Glaschu.
Calum was born in 1911 in Glasgow

Bha athair na sheòladair.
His father was a sailor

An ath-bhliadhna, thàinig Calum fhèin is a mhàthair gu Arnais Mu Dheas ann an Ratharsair a Tuath.
The next year, Calum and his mother came to South Arnish in North Raasay.

Thogadh Calum ann an Arnais is dh'fhuirich e an sin fad a bheatha.
Calum was raised in Arnish and lived there his whole life

Nuair a bha e aig an sgoil, dh'ionnsaich e gu buileach anns a' Ghàidhlig.
When he was at school, he learned entirely in Gaelic

As dèidh na sgoile, bha e na chroitear.
After he finished at school, he was a crofter

Dh'obair e anns an taigh-solais air Eilean Rònaidh cuideachd.
He worked in the lighthouse on Rona, too

Ach, bha na daoine a' falbh bho Ratharsair a Tuath.
But the people were leaving from North Raasay

Carson an bha iad a' falbh?
Why were they leaving?

Uill,, cha robh rathad ann gu Ratharsair a Tuath.
Well, there wasn't a road to North Raasay

Bha ceann an rathaid faisg air Caisteal Bhròchail, dhà mhìle bho Arnish.
The end of the road was near Castle Brochail, two miles from Arnish

Dh'fheumadh na daoine a' choiseachd no a' ghabhail bàta a' ruigsinn na bailtean ann an Ratharsair a Tuath.
The people would have to walk or take a boat to reach the towns in North Raasay.

Cha thogadh a' Chomhairle rathad ann.
The council wouldn't build a road there

Chuir Calum roimhe a' thogail an rathad aige-fhèin.
Calum decided to build his own road

Thog e eadar deich is còig deug bliadhna bhuaithe 'ga dhèanamh.
It took him between 10 and 15 years to make

Bha a sgeulachd-san anns na pàipearan is air an rèidio is telebhisean.
His story was in the papers and on the radio and television


Bha Calum na sgrìobhadair cuideachd, is sgrìobh e sgeulachd mu Na Fuadaichean air Eilean Ratharsair.
Calum was also a writer, and he wrote a story about The Clearances on Raasay


'S e an t-ainm a bha air "Fàsachadh An-Iochdmhor Ratharsair", no "The Cruel Clearances of Raasay".
It was called The Cruel Clearances of Raasay


Co-dhiù, mholainn dhuibh leughadh an leabhar "Rathad Chaluim", Tha mi a' smaoineachadh gun còrd e ruibh!
Anyway, I would recommend you read the book "Calums Road". I think you will enjoy it!

[GunChleoc]

Cuiridh mi comharra far a bheil na mearachdan. Feuch am faigh fhu fhèin a-mach dè am bu chòir a bhith ann, is an uair sin nì mi ceartachadh a-rithist. Tha mi an dòchas gum bi seo nas fheumaile dhut.

I will mark where the mistakes are. Try to find out yourself what should go there, and then I'll correct again. I hope this will be more useful to you


Tha mi ag iarraidh dh'innse dhuibh mu dhèidhinn àite snog.
(I want to tell you about a nice place)

'S e An t-Oban an t-ainm a th' air; tha baile anns a' Ghàidhealtachd an Iar.
(It's name is Oban; a town in the West Highlands)

Nuair a bha mi a' fuireach fhathast ann an Alba, chaidh mi ann iomadach ùine.
(When I was still living in Scotland, I went there many times).

Tha taighean-òsta gu leòr ann agus ann am mìosan an t-samhraidh, tha e àite glè thrang.
(There are many hotels, and in the summer months, it is a busy place)

'S e port-aiseig cudromach a th' ann cuideachd.
(It's also an important ferry port).

Bidh na bàtaichean-aiseig a' falbh a dhol a Bagh a'Chaisteil ann am Barraigh agus Loch Bagasdail ann an Uibhist a Deas.
(Ferry boats leave to go to Castlebay on Barra and Lochboisdale on South Uist)

Bidh na bàtaichean-aiseig eile a' dol do dh' Ile, agus Muile.
(Other ferries go to Islay and Mull)

Ciamar a chaidh sibh ann?
(How do you get there?)

Uill, 's urrainn dhuibh draibheadh ann, no 's urrainn dhuibh trèana no bus a' ghabhail bho Ghlaschu.
(Well, you can drive there, or you can take a train or bus from Glasgow).

'S fheàrr leam a' dhol ann air an trèan. Tha an turas glè àlainn!
(I prefer to go there by train. It's a lovely journey).

Ma tha thu a 'dol a dh'Alba, bu chòir dhuibh a dhol dhan Oban. Tha mi a' smaoineachadh gun còrd e ruibh!
(If you are going to Scotland, you should go to Oban. I think you will enjoy it).

Mar a chì thu, chan eil cus mearachdan ann!

[sr3nitygirl]

Moran taing a GhunChleoc. Bidh sin math.
"ás an dris, ann san droigheann "


Tha mi ag iarraidh innseadh dhuibh mu dhèidhinn àite snog.
(I want to tell you about a nice place)

'S e An t-Oban an t-ainm a th' air; baile anns a' Ghàidhealtachd an Iar.
(It's name is Oban; a town in the West Highlands)

Nuair a bha mi a' fuireach fhathast ann an Alba, chaidh mi ann iomadach amannan.
(When I was still living in Scotland, I went there many times).

Tha taighean-òsta gu leòr ann agus ann am mìosan an t-samhraidh,tha àite glè thrang.
(There are many hotels, and in the summer months, it is a busy place)

'S e port-aiseig cudromach a th' ann cuideachd.
(It's also an important ferry port).

Bidh na bàtaichean-aiseig a' falbh a' dol a Bhàgh a' Chaisteil ann am Barraigh agus Loch Bagasdail ann an Uibhist a Deas.
(Ferry boats leave to go (going?) to Castlebay on Barra and Lochboisdale on South Uist)

Or would this construction be better?

Bidh na bàtaichean-aiseig a' falbh airson Bàigh a' Chaisteil ann am Barraigh agus Loch Bagasdail ann an Uibhist a Deas.
(Ferry boats leave for Castlebay on Barra and Lochboisdale on South Uist)


Bidh na bàtaichean-aiseig eile a' dol do dh' Ile, agus Muile.
(Other ferries go to Islay and Mull)

Ciamar a chaidh sibh ann?
(How do you get there?)

Uill, 's urrainn dhuibh dhraibheadh ann, no 's urrainn dhuibh trèana no bus a' ghabhail bho Ghlaschu.
(Well, you can drive there, or you can take a train or bus from Glasgow).

'S fheàrr leam dhol ann air an trèan. Tha an turas glè àlainn!
(I prefer to go there by train. It's a lovely journey).

Ma tha sibh a' dol a dh'Alba, bu chòir dhuibh a dhol dhan Oban. Tha mi a' smaoineachadh gun còrd e ruibh!
(If you are going to Scotland, you should go to Oban. I think you will enjoy it).

[GunChleoc]

Tha mi ag iarraidh innseadh dhuibh mu dhèidhinn àite snog.
One writes "innse" nowadays, but you left out the dh' which was the point. Well done!


'S e An t-Oban an t-ainm a th' air; baile anns a' Ghàidhealtachd an Iar.
Ceart! No: 'S e baile anns a' Ghàidhealtachd an Iar a th' ann.


chaidh mi ann iomadach amannan.
tursan is the best time word here. If you have Colin Mark's dictionary, there's a section on time words in the back. It's hard to pick the correct one just from a tr*nsl*t**n.


tha àite glè thrang.
tha an t-àite glè thrang, no: 's e àite glè thrang a th' ann.

Bidh na bàtaichean-aiseig a' falbh a' dol a Bhàgh a' Chaisteil
Glè mhath!

Or would this construction be better?

Bidh na bàtaichean-aiseig a' falbh airson Bàigh a' Chaisteil
gu Bàgh a' Chaisteil / a Bhàgh a' Chaisteil is better than airson. In any case, a' Chaisteil is already in the genitive, so you don't need to slenderise Bàgh


Uill, 's urrainn dhuibh dhraibheadh ann
This was just a missing sràc: 's urrainn dhuibh dràibheadh ann


'S fheàrr leam dhol ann air an trèan. Tha an turas glè àlainn!
Glè mhath! 'S fheàrr leam dol ann would also have been fine, or 'S fheàrr leam a dhol ann

Ma tha sibh a' dol a dh'Alba, bu chòir dhuibh a dhol dhan Oban. Tha mi a' smaoineachadh gun còrd e ruibh!
Glè mhath!

Very well done, be careful with using 's e /b' e etc. with nouns rather than tha.

Before we move on to the next piece, is everything clear or you you have questions?

[sr3nitygirl]

A Ghunchleoc,

Thank you SO much for taking the time to look over these, and for correcting my mistakes and giving me guidance. It means a great deal to me that you offer your time to help me (and everyone else on FnG) become more proficient.

I think I am pretty clear on these, and I'll spend more time reviewing where I went wrong!

Hopefully my brain will absorb all the wee details

Again, Ceud mìle mìle taing!

[sr3nitygirl]

Actually, I do have one query on the use of the assertive verb, and when it's preferable to use it rather than 'bith'.

My understanding of using 'S e was that it was a verb of 'essence', asserting that a 'thing' is a 'thing'.

For example; 'S e boireannach a th' annam, where I am asserting that I am a woman.

Is the use of the assertive verb similar to the use of the possessive pronouns (mo, do, etc) when expressing a close 'personal' relationship to something, or is the use of the assertive verb simply that; an positive assertion of something, not neccessarily personal?

And by extension, in my example above ( 'S e boireannach a th' annam), is it equally valid to say 'tha mi nam bhoireannach' or should the 'S e form be used.

I have heard that some people are quite adamant that the use of the possessive pronouns be restricted to very close personal relationships (my brother, my hand) and not be used for things like "my coat", "my dog", etc, and I am just trying to figure out if there's a similar line of thought when using the assertive verb.

Sorry if I'm not too clear, but I guess it reflects my uncertainty on this right now

[faoileag]

Basically, the assertive verb asserts that item A is item B.
I am a woman. That building is a church. I'm Catrìona. Love is a powerful feeling. A train is a means of transport,etc etc
It normally answers the questions What and Who.

The verb 'bith' describes a state - it answers the questions How, Where, When etc.
I'm cold. That building is falling down. Catriona is at the party. Love is painful. The train is late.


So:
'S e ...a th' ann...
is the most common way of stating permanent or long-lasting identifications:
'S e boireannach a th' annad.
'S e àite snog a th' ann an Ulapul.
'S e Mazda a th' anns a' chàr agam.

Tha mi nam...
is the most common way of stating temporary identifications, i.e. the role or mode you currently are/were/will be in.
Tha mi nam oileanach
Bha e na shaighdear
Nuair a bha mi nam leanabh - when I was a baby

You may have met:
Tha mi nam chadal
Bha e na shuidhe

- same sort of idea behind it.

There are many more ways of using the assertive verb (Is / Bu), and you will acquire them as you go along, but that's enough to be going on with!

[GunChleoc]

Tha thu làn di-beathte!

Bheir mi sùil air an aiste eile latha eile, cuir nam chuimhne ma dhìochuimhnicheas mi.

[sr3nitygirl]

Ceud mìle taing, a' Fhaoileag.
That's a really useful explanation!

A' GhunChleoc, glè mhath ma-thà! Mìle taing!

[sr3nitygirl]

I actually came across another one of those interesting uses of the assertive verb that I hadn't seen before; using ann to stress something.

For example,

'S ann à Obar Bhrothaig a tha mi.
It is Arbroath (that) I am from.

...plus it's respective forms using An ann, Nach ann and Chan ann.

An ann à Obar Bhrothaig a tha Steaphanaidh
Is it Arbroath (that) Stephanie is from?

Interesting and useful

[faoileag]

Yes, a very handy and pleasing one.

You use

'S e... a tha... if it's a noun or pronoun,

and

'S ann ... a tha... if it's anything else.


That construction, of bringing things forward to stress them is called 'fronting', logically enough.

'S ann à Obar Bhrothaig a tha mi.
'S e Steaphanaidh a tha à Obar B.
'S ann gu bheil mi à OB.
'S ann sgìth a tha mi.
'S ann dhan leabaidh a bhios mi a' dol a-nis....Oidhche mhath!

[GunChleoc]

Glè mhath! I have marked again where the mistakes are, try to rewrite and I will then give you final corrections if necessary. I have used colour in two instances, because there are two things following another.

Bu toigh leum innseadh dhuibh mu dhèidhinn leabhair inntinnich.
I'd like to tell you about an interesting book

'S e an t-ainm a tha air "Rathad Chaluim", no "Calums Road" anns a' Bheurla. -> look at the word order
It's name is "Calums Road".

Tha e an sgeulachd bhrosnachail mu Chalum MacLeòid.
It's the inspiring story of Calum MacLeod

Rugadh Calum MacLeòid ann an naoi ceud deug aon deug ann an Glaschu.
Calum was born in 1911 in Glasgow

As dèidh na sgoile, bha e na chroitear.
After he finished at school, he was a crofter

Dh'obair e anns an taigh-solais air Eilean Rònaidh cuideachd.
He worked in the lighthouse on Rona, too

Carson an bha iad a' falbh?
Why were they leaving?

Dh'fheumadh na daoine a' choiseachd no a' ghabhail bàta a' ruigsinn na bailtean ann an Ratharsair a Tuath.
The people would have to walk or take a boat to reach the towns in North Raasay.

Chuir Calum roimhe a' thogail an rathad aige-fhèin.
Calum decided to build his own road

Thog e eadar deich is còig deug bliadhna bhuaithe 'ga dhèanamh.
It took him between 10 and 15 years to make

Bha Calum na sgrìobhadair cuideachd, is sgrìobh e sgeulachd mu Na Fuadaichean air Eilean Ratharsair.
Calum was also a writer, and he wrote a story about The Clearances on Raasay

'S e an t-ainm a bha air "Fàsachadh An-Iochdmhor Ratharsair", no "The Cruel Clearances of Raasay". -> word order
It was called The Cruel Clearances of Raasay

Co-dhiù, mholainn dhuibh leughadh an leabhar "Rathad Chaluim", Tha mi a' smaoineachadh gun còrd e ruibh!
Anyway, I would recommend you read the book "Calums Road". I think you will enjoy it![/quote]

[sr3nitygirl]

Ceud taing a-rithist, a GhunChleoc.

I had a feeling that this one was going to be something of a mine-field, albeit one I planted myself

I'll start with the relatively simple ones - the silly mistakes I made...

Bu toigh leum innseadh dhuibh mu dhèidhinn leabhair inntinnich.
I'd like to tell you about an interesting book

Bu toigh leam innseadh dhuibh mu dhèidhinn leabhair inntinnich.

'S e an t-ainm a tha air "Rathad Chaluim", no "Calums Road" anns a' Bheurla. -> look at the word order
It's name is "Calums Road".

'S e "Rathad Chaluim" an t-ainm a th' air, no "Calums Road" anns a' Bheurla

Tha e an sgeulachd bhrosnachail mu Chalum MacLeòid.
It's the inspiring story of Calum MacLeod

'S e an sgeulachd bhrosnachail a th' innte mu Chalum MacLeòid.

Rugadh Calum MacLeòid ann an naoi ceud deug aon deug ann an Glaschu.
Calum was born in 1911 in Glasgow

Rugadh Calum MacLeòid ann an naoi ceud deug a h-aon deug ann an Glaschu.

As dèidh na sgoile, bha e na chroitear.
After he finished at school, he was a crofter

An dèidh na sgoile, bha e na chroitear.

Dh'obair e anns an taigh-solais air Eilean Rònaidh cuideachd.
He worked in the lighthouse on Rona, too

Dh'obair e anns an taigh-sholais air Eilean Rònaidh cuideachd.

Carson an bha iad a' falbh?
Why were they leaving?

Carson a bha iad a' falbh?

Bha Calum na sgrìobhadair cuideachd, is sgrìobh e sgeulachd mu Na Fuadaichean air Eilean Ratharsair.
Calum was also a writer, and he wrote a story about The Clearances on Raasay

Bha Calum na sgrìobhadair cuideachd, is sgrìobh e sgeulachd mu Na Fuadaichean ann an Eilean Ratharsair.

'S e an t-ainm a bha air "Fàsachadh An-Iochdmhor Ratharsair", no "The Cruel Clearances of Raasay". -> word order
It was called The Cruel Clearances of Raasay

'S e "Fàsachadh An-Iochdmhor Ratharsair" an t-ainm a bh' air , no "The Cruel Clearances of Raasay".



Hopefully I have these corrected.
I'll tackle the tougher ones once I have a chance to go over them!