DASG Blog

Faclan na Gàidhlig ann an Albanais Chatach agus Gallach (2)

Last week we had a look at Gaelic words in Scots and Gaelic-influenced Scots, in the first instance we will have a look at other interesting words from the work and research that Dr Alasdair MacMhaoirn has done in his paper for the Transactions of the Gaelic Society of Inverness. Have a look for it in the future!

• Ochanie, from ochan an rìgh/ochan-ì.
• Oi, from ogha and likewise Oines means oghaichean.
• Panner-cappel, (bogbean) from pònair-chapaill.
• Paelig, peallag/peilig.
• Peepag, from pìobag.
• Peallad, from piullachan.
• Rannag, from raineach.
• Ruddag, from ruadhag, instead of a robin. etc.
• Ruthag, from rùdhag/portan .
• Scarf, from sgarbh.
• Scoollag, from sgiollag.
• Sheet, from suith.
• Sile, from sìol, although sile means a minnow as opposed to seed.
• Simmans, from sìoman.
• Skiach, from sgìtheach.
• Skilde, from sgoldair, another local word for muir-teachd.
• Sookag, from sùgag.
• Soorag, from sùrag.
• Tartar, from tartarach (noisy).
• Teuch, from tiugh.
• Thrang, from trang.
• Trock, from troc.

In the amount of words there were 2 words that were interesting, with a point or two to say about them:

• Boddach and bodach. This is interesting because the connection with harvesting peat, the first cut peat being cut called the bodach but the boddach here meaning a grassy divot of grass.
• Smagan and màgan. This is interesting because people say “màgan” for “losgann”. In our corpus we have many words for it, for example giulla-mhàgach, iul a’ mhàgain, losgaid, meall-mhàgan, Poll-a’ mhàgain, and smàgach. The note inside “magan, on all fours”, reminds me of a blog made by Àdhamh Ó Broin about Gaelic in Strathspey with Noel Gow, where they account a story when someone’s “ura” (baby) and the person was asked “How is the little one?” to which he replies “Ó, tha i air mhàgan a-nis” (“Oh, she’s crawling now”).

Here’s some words mixed with the two languages that were interesting in the way they were “created”:

• Bo-chiel comes from the word “bò” (cow) but the way it has been created with Gaelic as well as Scots and English.
• Broug comes from the word “brog” and “bròg” but broug means minidh (awl) and a brog. We have minidh-crom in the corpus from Embo.
• Cushie; comes from (chalman-)cuthaidh (moulting)in the way that a dove or pigeon will shed their feathers.
• Ess cockie (dipper); ess is very similar to eas, making a connection with water in some way.
• Griushan; this comes from the word “gnùis” , with griushan meaning “a fringe” in this  case.
• Lonnans; this comes from the word lòn (meadow or marshy meadow), although the word lonnans means “punnd” or “feur nan con” (common couch/quack grass).
• Maigs; this comes from the words màg, with a meaning of “màg chearbach” (clumsy) or “làmh mhàgach” (clumsy hand) or “fliopair, crubhan or pliuthan” (flipper).
• Ochanear;  this is from the phrase “àrd an ear” (eastern-direction), with a meaning of “briseadh-latha” (dawn).
• Pirlag; this comes from the word “pùrlag” a tha am facal seo, le ciall “winnet” sa bheurla (ghallda).
• Ronyal; this comes from the word“rongach” (idle, lazy), with the meaning of a “neach cearbach” (a clumsy person) or as someone from the Sutherland Machair, neach “clampach” (a clumsy person).
• San lairig; this comes from the word “laireag” [you will see from the blog before about this word] but the word means from “bodhag, ladhran agus luatharan” (sandpiper).
• Seed bird; the word is almost translated already, to a point, with “seed” being very similar to “sìol” (seed) from “Breac an t-sìl” (Grey Wagtail) meaning the same thing for “seed bird”.
• Shangans; the word comes from seangan (ant) but some of you will be know snioghan, or sneangan more so. The words comes from the Gaelic dialect of the district.
• Smeurach; although this word is used for berries for a bramble berry the word means smùrach (dross) and embers.

Right, you will all be experts about Sutherlander and Caithnessian Gaelic after the blogs we’ve have making recently! Did you know the words above? What do you think of the Scots words above influenced by Gaelic? Let us know on facebook, twitter and our own website!