A' Cur Eòlas air a' Chànan	Getting to Know the Language
"Facal air an Fhacal - Gràmar na Gàidhlig" le Michel Byrne, fo stiùireadh a' Phrof Cathair Ó Dochartaigh; SRG & Acair, Gàidhlig, £8.00 bog	"Facal air an Fhacal - Gràmar na Gàidhlig" by Michel Byrne, supervised by Prof Cathair Ó Dochartaigh; SRG & Acair, Gaelic, £8.00 softback
lèirmheas le Peadar Morgan, stiùiriche/deasaiche ChLI	review by Peadar Morgan, CLI director/editor
ri fhaighinn bho Chomhairle nan Leabhraichean	available from the Gaelic Books Council
Tha e san fhasan na làithean seo ainmean maiseach a chur air leabhraichean teacsa Gàidhlig, mar gu robhar a' feuchainn ri cumail an cleith, can, gur e faclair a bh'ann am Brìgh nam Facal. Mar sin cha bu chòir dha bhith 'na chùis iongnaidh gur e Facal air an Fhacal a th'air a' chiad ghràmair Ghàidhlig bho 1923, agus a' chiad fhear riamh sa Ghàidhlig fhèin.	It has become fashionable these days to give Gaelic text books decorative titles, as if trying to hide the fact that, for instance, Brìgh nam Facal is a dictionary. So it shouldn't be a surprise that the first Gaelic grammar since 1923, and the first ever actually in Gaelic, should be called Facal air an Fhacal.
Ach 'se gràmar a th'ann. Agus 'se gràmar a tha dhìth: 'se buannachd a th' nn - do dhaoine a tha fileanta gu leòr gu 'leughadh - gur e gràmar a th'ann nach eil feumach air a' Bheurla air son a chuid mìneachaidh no a chuid eisimpleirean, air son a chuid bheachdan no a chuid briathrachais.	But a grammar it is for all that. And a grammar is precisely what is needed: it is a bonus - to those fluent enough to read it - that it is a grammar which doesn't require English for its various interpretations, examples, ideas and terms.
Gu dearbh, chan eil an t-ùghdar, neach oideachaidh ann an Roinn Cheiltis Oilthigh Ghlaschu, no luchd fastaidh na h-obrach (a' Bhuidheann Eadar-ùghdarrasail air son na Gàidhlig san Àrdsgoil, SRG), air a bhith an eisimeil ri briathrachas stèidhte na Gàidhlig. A-mach leis na seann bhriathran teicnigeach, cuid aca co-dhiù, agus a-steach le leithid an suidheachadh roimhearach air an tuiseal thabhartach agus an suidheachadh ceangailte - no gu h-annasach dìreach an ceangailte - air a' ghinideach. 'Se ceist eile a bheil iad dad nas fhasa thuigsinn is a chuimhneachadh, agus bhiodh e duilich seann charaidean, ginideach gu h-àraidh, a chall gu tur.	Indeed the author, a tutor in Glasgow University's Celtic Department, or those commissioning the work (the schools' Secondary Review Group for Gaelic), have not felt tied to established Gaelic terminology. Out go the old technical terms, some of them anyway, and in come such as "the prepositional circumstance" for the dative case and "the connected circumstance" - or somewhat surprisingly just "the connected" - for the genitive. Its another question whether they are any easier to understand and remember, and it would be a shame to completely lose old friends such as ginideach [genitive].
Ach tha cuid dhe na briathran ùra gun teagamh a' soilleireachadh cùisean agus a' toirt buaidh chudromach air mar a thuigeas sinn a bu chòir an làimhseachadh, mar eisimpleir an t-alt pearsanta seach am buadhair seilbheach air mo, do, a, ar, ur, an. Le briathran eile, tha mi toilichte a ràdh gu bheil an leabhar a' dol leis na facail as fheàrr le Cothrom seach facail a th'air am putadh an àitichean eile, eadar am mì-chàilmhor, mar iolra air iomarra, agus am meallta, mar fireann is boireann air fireanta is boireanta. Agus coltach ri Cothrom tha an t-ùghdar air tarraing air ais bhon fhras de thàthanan a th'air èirigh ann an Gàidhlig rè nam bliadhnaichean: mar sin ainm àite seach ainm-àite, luchd teagaisg seach luchd-teagaisg.	But some of the new terms definitely do clarify matters and have an important effect on our understanding of how they should be used, for example "the personal article" rather than "the possessive adjective" for mo, do, a, ar, ur, an. With other terms, I'm pleased to say that the book comes down on the side of words preferred by Cothrom rather than those promoted elsewhere, whether the alternatives be insipid, such as iolra for iomarra [plural], or misleading, such as "male" and "female" for "masculine" and "feminine". And like Cothrom the author has eschewed the shower of hyphens which has set-in in Gaelic over the years: so ainm àite rather than ainm-àite, luchd teagaisg rather than luchd-teagaisg.
Feumar cuimhneachadh gur iad na sgoiltean prìomh thargaid an leabhair, agus mar sin nach e gràmar coileanta a th'ann. Ach a dh'aindeoin sin tha e air leth feumail is freagarrach do dh'inbhich, fiù 's ma tha iad a' smaoineachadh gu bheil fios aca mar-thà air raointean na saothrach: ainmearan, buadhairean, riochdairean, roimhearan is gnìomhairean. Tha an targaid seo cuideachd a' mìneachadh, 's math dh'fhaodte, an cruth A4 sa bheil an leabhar, agus na putanan snasail gun fheum bho innealraidh clàraidh, agus an luaidh air daoine is nithean fasanta ann an grunn math dhe na h-eisimpleirean.	It must be borne in mind that the schools are the principle target for this book, and therefore it is not a complete grammar. But in spite of that it is extremely useful and pertinent for adults, even if they think they already know about the areas covered by this venture: nouns, adjectives, pronouns, prepositions and verbs. This target presumably also explains the A4 format of the book, and the smart-looking but pointless symbols from recording equipment, and the reference to people and items of the day in a fair number of the examples.
Ma tha sin a' ciallachadh facal Beurla chleachdadh,cha robh an t-ùghdar leisg sin a dhèanamh, ged a tha cunnart, 'na leithid a leabhar mionaideach gu sònraichte, gun cuir rudeigin coimheach duine trulainn. Mar athachair dhomhsa leis a' chiad sùil le 'S ann le alien a thaa' chluas. Mar as trice ge-tà tha na faclan fasanta ceartgu leòr, ach theagamh gun gabhar aithreachas fhathast ri ùine - am bi beachd an ceann grunnan bhliadhnaichean aig clann sgoile no eile air REM, U2, Runrig, Bart, Pocahontas, Mandela, Jurassic Park? Ach bidh tha fhios air Star Trek agus air an duine ud a bhuannaich saorsa do dh'Alba, Mel Gibson!	The author hasn't held back from this even if it means using an English word. This carries the danger, particularly in a book where the message is in the detail, that something out of the ordinary can confuse, as happened to me on the first reading of 'S ann le alien a tha a' chluas. More often than not, however, the vogue words work okay, though perhaps they will yet be regretted - will school children or others be aware in a few years time of REM, U2, Runrig, Bart, Pocahontas, Mandela, Jurassic Park? But no doubt they will still be aware of Star Trek and of yon fellow who won Scotland her freedom, Mel Gibson!
Air an làimh eile tha an t-ùghdar mothachail gum bi feum air ùrachadh dhen leabhar an ceann deich bliadhna: "Tha a' Ghàidhlig air a bhith ag atharrachadh gu mòr anns an lethcheud bliadhna a dh'fhalbh, ann an dòigh a tha nàdarra do chànan sam bith, ach cuideachd fo bhuaidh throm do-sheachanta na Beurla." Tha a' bhuaidh seo, tha e ag ràdh, "gu h-àraidh follaiseach ann an dol-a-mach na buidhne ainmearaich (alt, ainmear is buadhair), a tha air a bhith a' fàs nas sìmplidhe, agus gun chomharradh sam bith gu bheil am mùthadh air tighinn gu ceann fhathast."	On the other hand the author is aware that the book will require renewing in ten-years time: "Gaelic has been changing fast in the last fifty years, in a way which is natural for any language, but also under the heavy, unavoidable influence of English." This influence, he says, "is particularly obvious in the developments in the nounal group (article, noun and adjective), which has been becoming simpler, and without any sign at all that this transformation has yet ended."
Tha e sònrachadh aon rud gur dòcha nach bi anns an ath eagran dhen leabhar, 'se sin an riochd roimhearach boireanta - an tabhartach, leithid air uinneig - agus tha e ag innse dhan leughadair, "gu math bitheanta" nach bi daoine a' cleachdadh seo. Nam biodh an rum aige, tha fhios gum biodh e air a ràdh gu bheil e car cumanta ann an cuid a dh'fhacail agus a shuidhichidhean, ach air leth ainmig ann an cuid eile.	He picks out one thing in particular that might not make it into the next edition of the book, namely "the feminine prepositional form" - the dative, such as air uinneig - and he tells the reader that "very often" folk don't in fact use this. If he had the room, no doubt he would have pointed out that that it is common enough in some words and circumstances, but extremely rare in others.
Ach bidh an leabhar seo fhèin a' toirt buaidh air slighe a' chànain, oir ged as e tuairisgeul a th'ann tha e dualtach gum bi e air a chleachdadh mar riaghailt cuideachd. Agus 's dòcha nach e droch rud a tha sin, gu h-àraidh seach gu bheil e air gèilleadh ri rudan ùra a gheibhear sa chainnt (agus mar as àbhaist ann an Cothrom!) ged nach eil iad anns na leabhraichean teacsa.	But this book itself will have an influence on the path taken by the language, for though designed to be descriptive, it is more than likely that it will find itself used proscriptively. And perhaps that's no bad thing, especially since it has yielded to new developments found in the spoken language (and in most cases in Cothrom!) though not in the Gaelic text books.
Mar eisimpleir: "Chì thu gu bheil diofar anns a' cheangailte eadar an t-ainmear [fireanta] gun alt le buadhair agus às aonais buadhair: earbaill cait ach earball cat dubh." Agus, an dèidh bhith toirt seachad "ri taobh uinneig mhòir no ri taobh uinneige mhòir", tha am mìneachadh: "Tha am buadhair boireanta sèimhichte (mas urrainnear) anns gach suidheachadh, alt ann no às. Anns a' cheangailte, ge-tà, ma thathas a' cleachdadh riochd boireanta le -e, bidh -e aig a' bhuadhair cuideachd, agus cha bhi sèimheachadh ann. Cuimhnich gu bheil an riochd fada seo (le -e) nas cumanta le faclan aona-lideach."	For example: "You will note that there is a difference in the genitive between the indefinite [masculine] noun with an adjective and without an adjective: earball cait but earball cat dubh." And, after the option of ri taobh uinneig mhòir or ri taobh uinneige mòire, comes the explanation: "The feminine adjective is (if possible) lenited in every circumstance, with or without the article. In the genitive, however, if a female form with -e is used, the adjective will also have -e, but there is no lenition. Remember that this long form (with -e) is more common in one-syllable words."
Tha dòigh nuadh cunntaidh nan sgoiltean ga daingneachadh le modh àrdail a tha gun teagamh a' freagairt air mar a sgrìobhas sinn na figearan. Mar sin, fichead 's a trì mucan, trithead 's a h-aon mucan [nb -i- goirid san leabhar, mar a bh'aca nuair a thàinig an siostam a-mach an toiseach, agus chan e trìthead mar bh'aca ann am Brìgh nam Facal bhon uair sin!] (faic Cunntas Ùr, d39).	The modern system of counting used by the schools is further entrenched with a method of enumerating objects which certainly matches up with how we write the figures. Thus, fichead 's a trì mucan, trithead 's a h-aon mucan [nb short -i- in the book, as used when the system was first introduced, and not trìthead as they used in the subsequent Brìgh nam Facal!] (see Cunntas Ùr, p39).
Theagamh gu bheil an leabhar ro throm air riaghailtean air uairean ge-tà. Nach eil riochd an iomarra an urra ris an duine agus ris gach suidheachadh? 'S aithne dhomh pìos aig seann sàr sgrìobhadair anns an deach e eadar ceuman agus ceumannan ann am beagan shreathan. Agus air duilleag 16 tha an gràmar ag ràdh gum bi s- a' seachnadh sèimheachadh an dèidh -n, ach air d32 tha an àite sròin dheirg ga thoirt seachad mar eisimpleir. Cuideachd, gun a bhith cur ri meud is iom-fhillteachd an leabhair, dh'fhaodadh uireasbhaidh no dhà bhith air an riarachadh, m.e. -te a' dèanamh buadhair fulangach fiù 's an dèidh fuaimreag leathann, samhail glaste, agus ri air a chall ann an cho . ri + seo, sin, siud.	Perhaps the book is sometimes too heavy on rules, though. Isn't the form taken in the plural a matter of personal usage and of particular circumstances? I know of a passage by a polished writer of the old school who went from ceuman to ceumannan in the space of a few lines. And on page 16 the grammar says that s- avoids lenition after -n, but on p32 an àite sròin dheirg is used as an example. Also, without adding to the size and complexity of the book, it would have been possible to have filled in one or two of the gaps, eg, -te forming the passive adjective even after a broad vowel, for instance glaste, and ri being lost in cho . ri + seo, sin, siud.
Ach ma thèid feum a chur air a' ghràmar mar gur h-e riaghailt a th'ann, tha e cuideachd a' dearbhadh an fheum a th'air obair a tha gu bhith tòiseachadh a dh'aithghearr dhan Riaghaltais a bhios a' freagairt mu dheireadh (mas fhìor) an deasbad mionaideach mu litreachadh na Gàidhlig. Seo foillsichear agus buidheann sgoile a tha le chèile gu math mòr air son nam molaidhean gu lèir ann an GOC (1981). Ach tha iad fhèin ag aomadh bho na riaghailtean ud: am bheil cho math ri a bheil, dh'fhaoite an àite dh'fhaodte, an-raoir seach a-raoir, cò leis/ris seach co leis/ris. Ceart no ceàrr, chan eil iad seo a' leantainn GOC! Tha mì-chinnt cuideachd san leabhar an e co-ionann no co-ionnan agus connrag no consan a chleachdar, a bheil seantans boireanta no fireanta, agus dè an cumadh a th'air an alt ro fhr- (an Fhraingis ach ris/bhon a' fhreumh)?	Not only is it probable that this grammar will be used proscriptively, but it also adds to the argument in favour of work which is about to start for the Government on settling for once and for all (as if!) the debate on the minutiae of Gaelic spelling. Here is a publisher and a schools' group who are both strongly behind the Gaelic Orthographic Conventions of 1981. But they themselves deviate from those conventions: am bheil alongside a bheil, dh'fhaoite in place of dh'fhaodte, an-raoir for a-raoir, cò leis/ris not co leis/ris. Right or wrong, these don't follow GOC! There is also uncertainty in the book as to whether "identical" is co-ionann or co-ionnan, whether "consonant" is connrag or consan, whether seantans [sentence] is feminine or masculine, and as to the form the article takes before fhr- (an Fhraingis but ris/bhon a' fhreumh).
Bu chòir do dh'ath-leughadh air a leithid a thogail, agus an corra easbhaidh bheag eile, ach tha e fàgail beachd gu robh grunn dhaoine cluich le saothair an ùghdair mus deach a cur an clò. Ach 'se an laigse as mò a tha san leabhar nach eil clàr amais ann, rud a tha ga fhàgail nas dorra buileach faighinn dhan fhiosrachadh a tha thu ag iarraidh gus am bi thu mion eòlach air an leabhar. Gu dearbh, tha e nas mò 'na leabhar earrannan tron fheumar leughadh seach leabhar iùil anns am faod thu tumadh gu luath.	Proof-reading should have picked these up, and the other small lapses, but it gives the impression that several cooks were stirring the author's broth before it was served up. But the biggest weakness with the book is its lack of an index, something which makes it all the more difficult to get to the information required until you are well acquainted with its contents. Indeed, it is more a collection of sections which must be read in their entirety than a guide book in which you can quickly dip.
Ach an dèidh sin uile ràdh, chan urrainnear ach taing is moladh a thoirt dhan ùghdar agus dhan sgioba uile air son leabhar cudromach a thoirt dhuinn. Bidh am mion eòlas a tha sin aig mòran fhathast, cuiridh mi geall, agus chan e droch rud idir a tha sin.	After saying all that, the author and all the crew can only be thanked for giving us an important book. I'm quite sure that many will indeed forge that necessary acquaintance - the more the better.

You can find more articles in the archive under Gaelic Column and information on the organization at C.L.I.