An Té le Beagan Beurla

GF033i06 AN TÈ LE BEAGAN BEURLA

Beulaiche: Jonaidh Eàirdsidh Dhòmhnaill Bhig | John Joe MacKenzie

Tha stòiridh bheag eil' agam a chuala mi o chionn fhada mu dheidhinn nighean òg a dh'fhalbh á Ceap Breatainn agus chaidh i 'bhaile mór Bhoston. Agus, cha robh móran de Bheurla aice, tuigidh sinn, cò dhiù. Ach chual' i cuideigin a' bruidhinn air a' facal 'narrative'. Agus an ceann beagan ùine, fhuair i ann a— fhuair i gu cuideigin a bhiodh ma dh'fhaoidte fhios aige gu dé bu chiall dha 'n fhacal. "Ò," thuirt an duine bha sin rithe, "that's a tale," he said. And—agus goirid as a dheoghaidh sin, chual' i an ath—chual' i facal 'extinguish.' Chaidh i chun an aon fhear a rithist 's dh'fhoighnich i dha dé bu chiall dha 'n fhacal 'extinguish.' Thuirt a' fear a bha sin rithe, "Ah, put out," he said. So, bha sin glé mhath. Air a thàinig i air cuairt air n-ais a Cheap Breatainn 's a thàinig i gu taigh a h-athar 's a màthar, bha cù mór aca 's thàinig an cù a-staigh 's bha e 'miodal mun cuairt rithe. Is thuirt i ri h-athair, "Will you catch that dog by the narrative and extinguish it!"

The Girl with little English

I have another little story which I heard long ago about a young girl who left Cape Breton and went to the city of Boston. And she had little English, we understand, anyhow. But she heard someone talking about the word 'narrative' and after a while, she got to—she got to someone who might know what the word meant. "Oh," that fellow told her, "that's a 'tale'," he said. And…and shortly after that, she heard the next….she heard the word 'extinguish.' She went again to the same man and she asked him what the word 'extinguish' meant. That fellow said to her, "Ah, 'put out'," he said. So, that was fine. When she made a trip back to Cape Breton and she came to her father and mother's house, they had a big dog which came in and was slinking around her. And she said to her father, "Will you catch that dog by the narrative and extinguish it!"