"The story behind the picture"

[sr3nitygirl]

How might one best express the phrase "The story behind the photograph/picture" (if indeed a similar phrase exists)?

I was thinking something along the lines of "An sgeulachd air cùlaibh an deilbh", but it strikes me as being too literal.

Would it perhaps be better to use "about" rather than "behind"; thus "an sgeulachd mun dealbh"?

[akerbeltz]

thus "an sgeulachd mun dealbh"?

That jars a little... I'd probably change the noun and go with sgeul/eachdraidh an deilbh

[sr3nitygirl]

That jars a little... I'd probably change the noun and go with sgeul/eachdraidh an deilbh

Ah OK. So that makes it "story/history of the picture", hence the genitive case of the noun...

I'm curious as to the difference between sgeul and sgeulachd, beyond one being masculine and the other feminine?

Taing!

[sr3nitygirl]

I'm curious as to the difference between sgeul and sgeulachd, beyond one being masculine and the other feminine?

I asked a friend (a Leòdhasach) and, he said that, to him, sgeulachd was a 'story', while sgeul was a 'yarn'... From that I am implying that the 'story' is something more substantial than the 'yarn'

[akerbeltz]

There's nothing mystical about the gender switch, it's just the -achd ending which imparts grammatical feminine gender. Same as boireann + ach ending up as grammatically masculine.

Sgeulachd is more the kind of thing you'd read your kids from a book. Sgeul is much more vague, could be a yarn but similarly news/information, cf a bheil sgeul air Calum? Any news about Calum?

[sr3nitygirl]

Tapadh leat!

[An Gobaire]

Cha robh sgeul air.

There was no sign of him.

Cha robh duine air sgeul.

There was no sign of anyone (in the immediate vicinity).

[poor_mouse]

Agus mar sin a tha an duan ainmeil (Seann-Ghaeilge -- Old Irish):

Scél lemm dúib:
Dordaid dam,
Snigid gaim,
Ro-fáith sam...

I have news for you:
The stag bells,
Winter snows,
Summer has gone...