confusion traced to its source

[winterbadger]

One of the two framed photographs of Scotland that I have hanging in my bedroom is a Michael MacGregor photo of Achnambeithach, the farm in Glen Coe that serves as the HQ for Glencoe Mountain Rescue. Glen Coe is one of the most beautiful places I know, and that photo serves as a touchstone for me for one of the many reasons I want to live in Scotland someday--it is an incredibly beautiful country.

But I always have trouble spelling Achnambeithach (I imagine one of my readers can provide a translation of the name, if tempted properly :-), and frequently I can't find anything on it when I Google. And I realised today that one reason is that the lovely, well-chosen sans serif script that spells out the name on the print says... "Achambeithach".

Yet another reason to suspect that Scotland could use one more editor....

Comments

[magaidhbhan.livejournal.com]

If that's temptation, count me in!! :)

The first part is very clear - Ach is a common shortened form of achadh, field; nam is the article for the plural genetive. The following bit is a little trickier; my guess is that it means birches (nom. sing. is beithe, and I believe the plural is beithich if I'm remembering rightly, so the plural genetive would suit the pattern ... I know you're not interested in that, but I have to work through it myself, and you might as well feel my pain!! :)

So my guess is "The field of the birches."

[winterbadger]

See, I knew you would come through! And I don't in the least object to declension puzzling-outs...

"Field of the birches" would make sense, as there are a few small clusters of trees around the farmhouse (I don't recall if they are birches, but I do recall other birches in the glen, and even if they aren't, the name may refer to trees long gone...), and in that part of teh country even a few trees is a lot :-) and thus well worth naming a place for.

[winterbadger]

I should perhaps have added that the Glencoe Mountain Rescue history page refers to the "Elliot family of Achnambeith", but that's the only reference to it written that way I found on Google--all the others (hiking and photo pages, mostly) refer to it by the full name.

[magaidhbhan.livejournal.com]

Iiiiiiiinteresting. In that case, I think I'm probably right; one of the things that confused me a bit is that I would normally have expected a noun to revert to the nom. singular in the plural genetive (ain't this a great language?), though there are plenty of examples for the other model as well. Don't know which is older, but it's possible that both are grammatically correct Gaelic ... if slightly shortened, as Achadh nam Beitheach is maybe more than anglophones want to say for something that's essentially pronounced Ach nam BAY-ach

[winterbadger]

I desperately want to spend lots of time walking up Scottish mountains, but I despair of ever being able to pronounce their names by sight. :-)

[rethought.livejournal.com]

Oh, it's all fun...until you run out of petrol there.

Still, it is beautiful and standing waiting to be brought petrol it was dead silent. Amazing.

[winterbadger]

Yikes, that is a rather desolate place to be sitting by the side of the road. And with some of the dead curves, also slightly scary place to walk out of, depending on which direction you're going.

But beautiful, nonetheless...

[wolfette]

My friend Elaine used to guide tour groups of Highlander Fans around Glencoe (Connor's smithy/cottage and Heather's grave were supposed to be there).

One trip one of her group pointed to one of the peaks and said "what's that one called?" and Elaine looked, then replied - "Do you know? I have no idea - in all the years I've been coming here this is the first time I've been able to see the tops of the hills!"

[winterbadger]

That's pretty funny! :-)

[wolfette]

it's gorgeous countryside, that's for sure - but remember the reason it's so green for so much of the year!

[winterbadger]

Well, what's always bothered me about Virginia is not how damp it is, but how it insists on being hot (90*F+) *and* wet at the same time.

[wolfette]

ah well, you won't have that problem here!

:-)

[winterbadger]

I've never minded dreich! :-) A lot of the time I rather like it.

[magaidhbhan.livejournal.com]

Ahhh, is that how you spell it! I was living with a Skyeman/Glasgewgian who taught me that and a lot of other Scots/Anglicized Gaelic words ... but he didnt' teach me how to spell them! I've always written dreech, because i didn't know any better. Thanks! :)

[winterbadger]

Well, and that in turn suggests to me how it should be pronounced, of which I have never been sure.

Google turns up hits under "driech" as well, but only 3,000 as opposed to "dreich"'s 55,000.

[magaidhbhan.livejournal.com]

googelfight is such a great way to conduct research like that! :)

... and I am such a dork. gah.

[winterbadger]

googelfight is such a great way to conduct research like that! :)

What I find reassuring is that I see several of the experienced Advanced Members of my editing society doing the same thing.

... and I am such a dork. gah.

But only in a totally good way. It's part of your very considerable charm, my dear! :-)

[winterbadger]

Well, and this page (http://www.rampantscotland.com/parliamo/blparliamo_weather.htm) suggests a Scots word for the sort of hot, humid weather ("mochie") that I suffreed through every summer of my childhood that sounds suspiciously close to what my family always called such conditions: "muggy". It says "The word is from the Norse 'mugga' meaning mist." Interesting!