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D猫 an sg矛re dhen Gh脿idhealtachd anns an cluinnear a鈥� Gh脿idhlig as fhe脿rr? Abair ceist airson Litir a chur air bhog! Bidh a bheachd no a beachd fh猫in aig gach neach. Agus chan eil mi fh矛n a鈥� dol a thoirt beachd sam bith seachad air a鈥� ghnothach. Chan eil math dhomh.

Tha mi a鈥� togail na ceist oir, air mo bheulaibh, tha alt a nochd anns an iris 鈥楢n G脿idheal鈥� anns an D霉bhlachd naoi ceud deug, fichead 始s a ceithir (1924). Leis an fh矛rinn innse, chan e 鈥楢n D霉bhlachd鈥� a tha sgr矛obhte air ceann shuas na duilleig, ach 鈥楢n D霉dlachd鈥�. Tha iad le ch猫ile a鈥� ciallachadh 鈥�December鈥�.

Co-dhi霉, b鈥� e 霉ghdar an uilt An t-Urr. Uilleam MacGill脤osa. Bha e ann am Beurla, ach seo agaibh m鈥� eadar-theangachadh dhen chiad pharagraf: 鈥楩aisg air ceud bliadhna air ais, bha deasbad aig oileanaich Gh脿idhealach a bha ceangailte ri Comann Deasbaireachd Oilthigh Dh霉n 脠ideann air a鈥� cheist, 鈥淒猫 an sg矛re de dh鈥橝lba as fhe脿rr anns a bheil G脿idhlig ga bruidhinn, agus d猫 an sg矛re as motha anns an deach an c脿nan adhartachadh?鈥� Chaidh an duais a thoirt gu ... Siorrachd Pheairt ...鈥�

Uill, 始s d貌cha gun do chuir sin iongnadh oirbh. Ach cuimhnichibh gun robhar a鈥� deasbad na ceist tr脿th anns an naoidheamh linn deug. Carson, ma-th脿, a thug na h-oileanaich an duais do Shiorrachd Pheairt? Bha ceithir adhbharan aca, agus seo iad:

Anns a鈥� chiad 脿ite, 鈥檚 ann an Siorrachd Pheairt a rugadh an fheadhainn a rinn eadar-theangachadh dhen Bh矛oball gu G脿idhlig 鈥� an t-Urr. Seumas Sti霉bhart 脿 Cill Fhinn agus a mhac, Iain. Anns an d脿rna 脿ite, 始s ann an Siorrachd Pheairt a rugadh am b脿rd G脿idhlig a bu chli霉itiche 鈥� D霉ghall Bochanan.聽

B鈥� e an treas adhbhar gun do rugadh an t-Oll. Urr. Alasdair Sti霉bhart ann an Siorrachd Pheairt. Bha esan na mhinistear ann am Maoilinn, faisg air Baile Chloichridh. Rugadh e ann an Athall. Agus carson a bha na h-oileanaich ga mholadh? Uill, sgr矛obh e, nam beachd, an leabhar-gr脿mair a b鈥� fhe脿rr a bh鈥� ann. Smaoinichibh air sin 鈥� duine a鈥� faighinn moladh m貌r airson leabhar-gr脿mair a chur ri ch猫ile!聽

Agus b鈥� e an ceathramh adhbhar gun robh Siorrachd Pheairt na b鈥� fhe脿rr na sg矛re sam bith eile, gun do rugadh Raibeart Armstrong anns a鈥� Cheannmhor. Sgr矛obh esan am faclair G脿idhlig a b鈥� fhe脿rr a bh鈥� ann aig an 脿m sin.聽

Tha a鈥� chuid as motha dhen alt mu dheidhinn Armstrong, agus thig mi gu cunntas air a bheatha ann am mionaid. Ach, ann an naoi ceud deug, fichead 始s a ceithir (1924), an robh daoine fhathast dhen bheachd gur ann an Siorrachd Pheairt a b鈥� fhe脿rr anns an robhar a鈥� bruidhinn na G脿idhlig? Uill, cha robh. Tha an t-霉ghdar ag r脿dh gun robh a鈥� Gh脿idhlig air a dhol bhuaithe anns an t-siorrachd, agus gun robh na Peairtich ga measgachadh le t貌rr Beurla.

A-nise, gu Raibeart Armstrong, fear an fhaclair. Th脿inig 鈥�A Gaelic Dictionary in Two Parts鈥� aige a-mach ann an ochd ceud deug, fichead 始s a c貌ig (1825). Rugadh Armstrong anns a鈥� Cheannmhor, aig ceann an ear Loch Tatha, ann an seachd ceud deug, ochdad 始s a h-ochd (1788). Innsidh mi dhuibh tuilleadh mun duine ainmeil seo anns an ath Litir.

Faclan na Litreach: duais: prize; Siorrachd Pheairt: Perthshire; adhbharan: reasons; D霉ghall Bochanan: Dugald Buchanan; an t-Urr. Alasdair Sti霉bhart: Rev. Alexander Stewart; Athall: Atholl; An Ceannmhor: Kenmore; Loch Tatha: Loch Tay.

Abairtean na Litreach: D猫 an sg矛re anns an cluinnear a鈥� Gh脿idhlig as fhe脿rr?: in which district is the best Gaelic heard?; chan eil mi fh矛n a鈥� dol a thoirt beachd sam bith seachad air a鈥� ghnothach: I鈥檓 not going to offer any opinion on the matter; air mo bheulaibh, tha alt a nochd anns an iris: in front of me is an article that appeared in the magazine; b鈥� e 霉ghdar an uilt An t-Urr. Uilleam MacGill脤osa: the author of the article was the Rev. William Gillies; oileanaich Gh脿idhealach a bha ceangailte ri Comann Deasbaireachd Oilthigh Dh霉n 脠ideann: Highland students who were connected with the Debating Society of Edinburgh University; d猫 an sg矛re de dh鈥橝lba as fhe脿rr anns a bheil G脿idhlig ga bruidhinn: in what district of Scotland is the best Gaelic spoken; d猫 an sg矛re as motha anns an deach an c脿nan adhartachadh?: which district has done the most to promote the language; 始s d貌cha gun do chuir sin iongnadh oirbh: perhaps that surprised you; cuimhnichibh gun robhar a鈥� deasbad na ceist: remember that the question was being debated; an t-Urr. Seumas Sti霉bhart 脿 Cill Fhinn agus a mhac, Iain: the Rev. James Stewart of Killin and his son, John; bha e na mhinistear ann am Maoilinn, faisg air Baile Chloichridh: he was minister at Moulin, near Pitlochry; duine a鈥� faighinn moladh m貌r airson leabhar-gr脿mair a chur ri ch猫ile: somebody being praised for compiling a grammar book; gun robh a鈥� Gh脿idhlig air a dhol bhuaithe: that Gaelic had sunk to a low ebb; gun robh na Peairtich ga measgachadh le t貌rr Beurla: that the Perthshire folk were mixing it [fem.] with a lot of English; bu bhochd sin: that was poor, a pity.

Puing-ch脿nain na Litreach: Bidh a bheachd no a beachd fh猫in aig gach neach: each person will have his or her opinion. His opinion 鈥� a bheachd; her opinion 鈥� a beachd (these are lenition rules connected to the third personal singular possessive pronoun). I鈥檝e used neach, the gender-neutral noun which can stand for fear or 迟猫, both of which represent a distinct gender. However, I could have said aig gach duine because, although duine can mean 鈥榤an鈥� or even 鈥榟usband鈥�, it can also stand for 鈥榩erson鈥� and not be gender-specific, depending on the context.

Gn脿thas-cainnt na Litreach: Chan eil math dhomh: I鈥檇 better not. It can also mean 鈥榯here鈥檚 no point [in me ...]鈥�