331: Placenames of Iceland 331: Ainmean-àite Innis Tìle
Litir shìmplidh sheachdaineach do luchd-ionnsachaidh le clàr-fuaime, tar-sgrìobhadh is eadar-theangachadh. A simple weekly letter to Gaelic learners with audio, transcription and translation.
Tha an litir bheag ag obrachadh leis an fhaclair. Tagh an taba ‘teacsa Gàidhlig’ agus tagh facal sam bith san teacsa agus fosglaidh am faclair ann an taba ùr agus bidh mìneachadh den fhacal ann. The little letter is integrated with the dictionary. Select the tab ‘Gaelic text’ and choose any word and the dictionary will open and you will see the English explanation of the Gaelic word.
Ainmean-àite Innis Tìle
Bha mi ann an Innis Tìle o chionn ghoirid. Chunnaic mi ainmean-àite inntinneach. Chuir iad ainmean-àite ann an Alba nam cheann. Mar eisimpleir, am prìomh bhaile, Reykjavik. Bidh sibh eòlach air an fhacal ann an Albais agus sa Bheurla Shasannaich – reek. ’S e Auld Reekie a bh’ air Dùn Èideann mar frith-ainm. Tha Reykjavík a’ ciallachadh – “reeky bay” no “bàgh na toite”. Tha grunn àiteachan ann an Innis Tìle le reykja- anns an ainm. Sin àiteachan far a bheil toit ag èirigh às an talamh.
Tha mi a’ dol a dh’innse dhuibh ainmean-àite à Innis Tìle. Cuiridh mi geall gun tuig sibh feadhainn aca. An toiseach Barnafoss. Barnafoss. Tha sin a’ ciallachadh fors no eas na cloinne, the waterfall of the bairns. Barnafoss. Tha stòiridh ann gun do thuit dithis bhalach dom bàs anns an eas.
Seo fear eile – Bláfell. Bláfell. Smaoinichibh air Blàbheinn anns an Eilean Sgitheanach. Tha sin leth-Lochlannach is leth-Ghàidhlig. Beinn ghorm, blue mountain, Bláfell.
Agus Breiðavík. Breiðavík. Mar Brèibhig ann an Leòdhas. Bagh leathann, broad bay, Breiðavík.
Agus tha baile Djúpavík ann an Innis Tìle. ’S e an aon ainm a bha an toiseach air Diabaig, baile beag ann an Toirbheartan. Bàgh domhainn, deep bay, Djúpavík. Agus Fljót – abhainn mhòr. Tha sin càirdeach don Bheurla flood. Tha e againn air a’ Ghàidhealtachd aig Loch Fleòid air Machair Chat.
Agus dè a’ Ghàidhlig air pike? Tha mi a’ ciallachadh an èisg. Geadas. Tha trì àiteachan ann an Alba air a bheil Loch no Lochan nan Geadas. Thàinig am facal bhon t-Seann Lochlannais gedda. Tha dà loch ann an Innis Tìle air a bheil Gedduvatn – loch nan geadas.
Mu dheireadh, seo fear a tha furasta – Rif. Tha àite ann an Leòdhas air a bheil Riof. Thàinig am facal a-steach don Ghàidhlig. Tha e ann am faclair Dwelly. Agus tha e a’ ciallachadh, ann am Beurla, reef. Tha e furasta nuair a tha an aon chiall is fuaimneachadh air anns na trì cànanan.
Placenames of Iceland
I was in Iceland recently. I saw interesting place-names. They reminded me of place-names in Scotland. For example, the capital city, Reykjavik. You’ll know the word in Scots and English – reek. Edinburgh had the nickname Auld Reekie. Reykjavík means “reeky bay” or “smoky bay”. There are several places in Iceland with reykja- in the name. Those are places where smoke rises from the ground.
I’m going to tell you place-names from Iceland. I bet you’ll understand some of them. Firstly, Barnafoss. Barnafoss. That means “the waterfall of the bairns”. Barnafoss. There is a story that two lads fell into the waterfall.
Here is another one – Bláfell. Bláfell. Think of Blaven on Skye. That’s half Norse and half Gaelic. Blue mountain, Bláfell.
And Breiðavík. Breiðavík. Like Brevig in Lewis. Broad bay, Breiðavík.
And there is the village of Djúpavík in Iceland. It’s the original name of Diabaig, a village in Torridon. Deep bay, Djúpavík. And Fljót – big river. That’s related to the English flood. We have it in the Highlands at Loch Fleet on the coastal plain of East Sutherland.
And what’s the Gaelic for pike? I mean the fish. Geadas. There are three places in Scotland called Loch or Lochan nan Geadas. The word came from the Old Norse gedda. There are two lochs in Iceland called Gedduvatn – the loch of the pike.
Finally, here’s one that’s easy – Rif. There’s a place in Lewis called Riof. The word came into Gaelic. It’s in Dwelly’s dictionary. And it means, in English, reef. It’s easy when it has the same meaning and pronunciation in the three languages.
Ainmean-àite Innis Tìle
Bha mi ann an Innis Tìle o chionn ghoirid. Chunnaic mi ainmean-àite inntinneach. Chuir iad ainmean-àite ann an Alba nam cheann. Mar eisimpleir, am prìomh bhaile, Reykjavik. Bidh sibh eòlach air an fhacal ann an Albais agus sa Bheurla Shasannaich – reek. ’S e Auld Reekie a bh’ air Dùn Èideann mar frith-ainm. Tha Reykjavík a’ ciallachadh – “reeky bay” no “bàgh na toite”. Tha grunn àiteachan ann an Innis Tìle le reykja- anns an ainm. Sin àiteachan far a bheil toit ag èirigh às an talamh.
Tha mi a’ dol a dh’innse dhuibh ainmean-àite à Innis Tìle. Cuiridh mi geall gun tuig sibh feadhainn aca. An toiseach Barnafoss. Barnafoss. Tha sin a’ ciallachadh fors no eas na cloinne, the waterfall of the bairns. Barnafoss. Tha stòiridh ann gun do thuit dithis bhalach dom bàs anns an eas.
Seo fear eile – Bláfell. Bláfell. Smaoinichibh air Blàbheinn anns an Eilean Sgitheanach. Tha sin leth-Lochlannach is leth-Ghàidhlig. Beinn ghorm, blue mountain, Bláfell.
Agus Breiðavík. Breiðavík. Mar Brèibhig ann an Leòdhas. Bagh leathann, broad bay, Breiðavík.
Agus tha baile Djúpavík ann an Innis Tìle. ’S e an aon ainm a bha an toiseach air Diabaig, baile beag ann an Toirbheartan. Bàgh domhainn, deep bay, Djúpavík. Agus Fljót – abhainn mhòr. Tha sin càirdeach don Bheurla flood. Tha e againn air a’ Ghàidhealtachd aig Loch Fleòid air Machair Chat.
Agus dè a’ Ghàidhlig air pike? Tha mi a’ ciallachadh an èisg. Geadas. Tha trì àiteachan ann an Alba air a bheil Loch no Lochan nan Geadas. Thàinig am facal bhon t-Seann Lochlannais gedda. Tha dà loch ann an Innis Tìle air a bheil Gedduvatn – loch nan geadas.
Mu dheireadh, seo fear a tha furasta – Rif. Tha àite ann an Leòdhas air a bheil Riof. Thàinig am facal a-steach don Ghàidhlig. Tha e ann am faclair Dwelly. Agus tha e a’ ciallachadh, ann am Beurla, reef. Tha e furasta nuair a tha an aon chiall is fuaimneachadh air anns na trì cànanan.
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Litir do Luchd-ionnsachaidh
This letter corresponds to Tha an Litir seo a’ buntainn ri Litir do Luchd-ionnsachaidh 635
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