Ceist: One by one...

[eideard]

Ciamar a chanas mi "one by one", referring to people; me "They entered one by one ?"

[neoni]

fear as dèidh fir

[eideard]

Mòran taing, a Neoni. Dè mu dheidhinn na leanas:

* aon (neo aonar) as dèidh a chèile ?

[Seonaidh]

Dè mu dheidhinn "bean as dèidh mnathan" no "tè as dèidh feadhainn"?

Anns a' Chuimris, tha co-rèir "fesul un" am "one by one". A bheil co-rèir choltach anns a' Ghàidhlig? (fesul un - tha sibh ag ràdh "bhesaol aon")

[neoni]

Mòran taing, a Neoni. Dè mu dheidhinn na leanas:

* aon (neo aonar) as dèidh a chèile ?

cha chuala mi rìamh e, ach 's coltach g' eil e ann. cuimhnich, tà, nach eil "fear" a' ciallachadh "duine" an seo, agus air sgàth 's gur e facal fireann a th' ann am boirreanach", dh'fhaodadh tu fear às dèidh fir a chleachdadh airson bhoireanach cuideachd.

tha mi a' smaoineachadh gu bheil "fear air fir" ga chleachdadh cuideachd, ach cha b' urrainn dhomh càil a lorg air an eadar-lìon le sin. fhios aig duine eile?

[neoni]

Dè mu dheidhinn "bean as dèidh mnathan" no "tè as dèidh feadhainn"?

Anns a' Chuimris, tha co-rèir "fesul un" am "one by one". A bheil co-rèir choltach anns a' Ghàidhlig? (fesul un - tha sibh ag ràdh "bhesaol aon")

cha chuala mi fhìn rud sam bith coltach ri sin, ach, a-rithist, chan eil sin a' ciallachadh cus

[GunChleoc]

a-rèir Angus Watson:

one after another/the other:

an ceann a chèile m gen, aon an dèidh aoin mf gen

[horogheallaidh]

channainsa "duine mu seach" an aite aon as deidh aon - too literal!

[faoileag]

channainsa "duine mu seach" an aite aon as deidh aon - too literal!

Isn't that a slightly different meaning?

For me, duine mu seach means 'taking regular turns within a group', eg during a game.

Bhreab na ballaich uile am ball, duine mu seach, fad an fheasgair.
The boys took turns at kicking the ball all afternoon.

Anns an taigh againnse, bidh sinne uile, duine mu seach, a' cur a-mach bion an sgudail gach madhainn Diluain.
In our house, we all put out the bin in turn every Monday morning.

Dè am beachd agaibh?

[An Gobaire]

Ciamar a gheibh iad a-steach ann "one by one" mura "take iad in turns e!"

[An Gobaire]

Co-dhiù, no need to worry about it Faoileag.

They are right.

Neach mu seach or neach fa leth means one by one in the context you are asking for. Or (tè or fear).

One by one means "one at a time" so, if you look at it like that you will see...I hope.

[faoileag]

OK, maybe I'm just being picky.

I'm not quibbling with words or grammar, but with context.

I see the 'mu seach' version as referring to a repeated, alternating turn-taking among a limited number, as compared to , for example, a long line of people in a queue, who all get to the counter/pass through the door once only.

If this is actually a wrong perception (I have limited scope for collecting examples of natural usage, but that's my feel on this based on observation so far), I am happy to give up my theory.

[An Gobaire]

Well, Roy Wentworth's dictionary of the Wester Ross dialect gives "neach mu seach" (or "ma seach") in the context of, for example:

Chaidh sinn a-bhàn an t-slaigh'd neach ma seach. We went down the slide one by one.

He also gives "fa leth", which Stòr-dàta gives as "respectively" in English.

Eg: Gabh fear fa leth. Eat them one by one.

If you want to say " a long line of people", then just say it! Chaidh iad tron doras neach mu seach nan sreath fada.

[faoileag]

Well, I don't think the examples contradict my theory, but I will relinquish terrier mode and leave the quibble be! Taing dhut airson do rannsachaidh.
Fàgamaid e an-dràsda!