20/03/2016

An t-seachdain sa chaidh, bha mi a’ bruidhinn mun fhacal-fillte geal-chasach – white-legged no white-footed. Geal-chasach. Tha e inntinneach cho tric ’s a bhios faclan eile a’ dol an co-bhuinn ri ‘casach’. Ann an Litir ceud is ochdad (180), mar eisimpleir,  dh’inns mi dhuibh mun eun – a’ chathag dhearg-chasach. Gu litreachail, ‘the red-legged jackdaw’. ’S e sin an chough no chough – a’ chathag dhearg-chasach. Tha Dwelly cuideachd ag innse dhuinn gum bi cuid anns an Eilean Sgitheanach ag ràdh ‘ròcas dhearg-chasach’ rithe. ‘The red-legged rook’.

            Dè mu dheidhinn ‘black-legged’? Dubh-chasach. Tha sin furasta gu leòr, nach eil? Dubh-chasach. Tha fionn-chasach a’ ciallachadh an ìre mhath an aon rud ri geal-chasach. Agus tha fhios gum b’ urrainn a leithid seo a ràdh – gorm-chasach, ruadh-chasach, liath-chasach, donn-chasach agus breac-chasach.

            A bharrachd air dathan, ge-tà, faodar facal eile a chur ri casach. Faodar àireamhan a chur ris. Mar eisimpleir – aon-chasach ‘one-footed’, dà-chasach ‘bipedal’, ceithir-chasach ‘quadrupedal’. Faodaidh sinn ceithir-chasach a chleachdadh mar ainmear cuideachd – a’ ciallachadh quadruped. Tha cù na cheithir-chasach. ’S e ceithir-chasach a th’ ann an caora cuideachd. Ach ’s e ochd-chasach creutair gu math eadar-dhealaichte a tha beò air grunnd na mara. Ochd-chasach – an octopus.

            Tha am facal trì-chasach ann cuideachd. Tha stòl trì-chasach agam aig an taigh. Tha cuimhne agam gun robh mi a’ cleachdadh trì-chasach gu tric ann an clasaichean saidheans nuair a bha mi aig an àrd-sgoil. Trì-chasach – a tripod. 

            Faodaidh sinn tuairisgeul a dhèanamh air cumadh chasan cuideachd le faclan dhen t-seòrsa seo. Tha caol-chasach a’ ciallachadh ‘slender-legged’. Tha clàr-chasach a’ ciallachadh ‘splay-footed’. Tha cuimir-chasach air an làimh eile – no air a’ chois eile – a’ ciallachadh ‘having shapely legs’. Cuimir-chasach. Tha balg-chasach, brabhd-chasach, brat-chasach, cam-chasach agus croma-chasach uile a’ ciallachadh ‘bow-legged’.

            Agus tha sin gam thoirt gu sgeulachd thraidiseanta a tha a’ toirt a-steach an fhacail croma-chasach. Bidh sibh eòlach air an iasg air a bheil lèabag no leòbag – the flounder. Canaidh sinn mun lèabaig gu bheil i ceàrr-ghobach – wry-mouthed. Ceàrr-ghobach no cearra-ghobach. Ach ciamar a fhuair i beul – no gob – mar sin? Uill – ’s e Calum Cille a bu choireach. Seo an stòiridh, ma-thà – ‘Calum Cille agus an Lèabag’.

            Latha a bha seo, bha Calum Cille san tràigh shìolag. ’S e sin a’ phàirt dhen tràigh fo ìre na h-ìsle-mhara aig an reothart. An tràigh-shìolag – far a bheil sìolagan ‘sandeels’ a’ fuireach. Co-dhiù, bha Calum Cille a’ coiseachd, no a’ grunnachadh anns an tràigh-shìolag. Bha e casruisgt’. Shaltair e air earball aig lèabag bheag bhòidheach bhàn. Tha sin a’ ciallachadh gun do chuir e a chas air earball na lèabaig. Shaltair e air. Ghoirtich e an t-iasg. Dhochair e a h-earball. Agus dh’èigh an lèabag bheag bhrònach aig àird a cinn:

‘A Chaluim mhòir mhosaich,

Le do chasan croma crosgach,

’S mòr a rinn thu orm de dhosgadh

Dar a shaltair thu air m’ earball.’

Uill, ghabh Calum Cille fearg. Bha an t-iasg beag ladarna seo a’ tilgeil air gun robh e croma-chasach. Thuirt e ris an leabaig, ‘Ma tha mise croma-chasach, biodh tusa cearra-ghobach.’ Agus dh’fhàg e mar sin i. Bho sin a-mach, tha an lèabag air a bhith cearra-ghobach. Co-dhiù bha Calum Cille croma-chasach gus nach robh, chan eil fhios a’m. Agus chan eil mi a’ dol a thoirt beachd sam bith air a’ chùis!

Faclan na Litreach: facal-fillte: compound word; stòl trì-chasach: three-legged stool; clasaichean saidheans: science classes; lèabag, leòbag: flounder; a’ grunnachadh: wading; casruisgte: bare-footed.

Abairtean na Litreach: gum bi cuid anns an Eilean Sgitheanach ag ràdh ‘X’ rithe: that some on Skye call it ‘X’; a’ ciallachadh an ìre mhath an aon rud ri: means pretty much the same as; tha fhios gum b’ urrainn a leithid seo a ràdh: it’s obvious that you could say this sort of thing; gorm-chasach, ruadh-chasach, liath-chasach, donn-chasach agus breac-chasach: blue-legged, russet-legged, grey-legged, brown-legged and speckly-legged; faodar facal eile a chur ri casach: another word can be added to ‘casach’; faodaidh sinn X a chleachdadh mar ainmear cuideachd: we can use X as a noun as well; creutair gu math eadar-dhealaichte a tha beò air grunnd na mara: a really different creature that lives on the seabed; faodaidh sinn tuairisgeul a dhèanamh air cumadh chasan cuideachd le faclan dhen t-seòrsa seo: we can also describe the shape of legs with words of this nature; bidh sibh eòlach air an iasg air a bheil: you’ll know the fish called; bha Calum Cille san tràigh shìolag: St Columba was on the sandeel shore (the sub-littoral zone); a’ phàirt dhen tràigh fo ìre na h-ìsle-mhara aig an reothart: the part of the beach below low-tide mark at a spring tide; shaltair e air earball aig lèabag bheag bhòidheach bhàn: he trampled on the foot of a fair, beautiful flounder; dhochair e a h-earball: he damaged her tail; A Chaluim mhòir mhosaich: big, miserable Columba; le do chasan croma crosgach: with your crooked crosswise feet; ’s mòr a rinn thu orm de dhosgadh: you caused me great calamity; bha an t-iasg beag ladarna seo a’ tilgeil air gun robh e croma-chasach: this cheeky little fish was accusing him of being bandy-legged; biodh tusa cearra-ghobach: let you be wry-mouthed; dh’fhàg e mar sin i: he left her like that; co-dhiù bha Calum Cille croma-chasach gus nach robh: whether or not Columba was bandy-legged.

Puing-chànain na Litreach: Dar a shaltair thu air m’ earball: when you trod on my tail. Dar is a conjunction meaning ‘when’ and stands in the place of nuair in certain dialects, particularly on the northern mainland. MacBain derived it from do-uair whereas nuair is derived from an-uair.

Gnàthas-cainnt na Litreach: cho tric ’s a bhios faclan eile a’ dol an co-bhuinn ri ‘casach’: how often other words work in partnership with ‘casach’.