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Tha am facal rathad inntinneach. Tha am faclair Teach Yourself Gaelic a’ toirt dhuinn na leanas mar chiall air an fhacal: road, route, way. Tha MacBheathain, anns an Etymological Dictionary of the Gaelic Language ag ràdh gun tàinig am facal bhon Bheurla Mheadhanaich roade – le ‘e’ aig an deireadh – a’ ciallachadh ‘r´Ç²¹»å’. ’S dòcha gur e as coireach gun tugadh a-steach facal-iasaid bhon Bheurla gun deach rathaidean a leasachadh ann an dùthaich na Beurla mus deach an leasachadh ann an ³Ò²¹°ù²ú³ó-³¦³ó°ùì´Ç³¦³ó²¹²Ô na h-Alba.

            Tha ‘rathad mòr’ a’ ciallachadh main road, trunk road, highway. Aig aon àm bhiodh na Gàidheil a’ gabhail ‘rathad mòr an rìgh’ air na rathaidean as motha eadar sgìrean. A bharrachd air sin, ’s e ‘rathad-iarainn’ a bhathar a’ gabhail air railway line, ged as e ‘loidhne-rèile’ a chanas daoine mar as trice an-diugh.

            Tha ‘rathad’ air a chleachdadh ann an grunn ghnàthasan-cainnt, gun a bhith a’ ciallachadh road. Mar eisimpleir, canaidh sinn a-mach às mo rathad no teich às mo rathad airson get out of my way. Ma tha cuideigin air bàs fhaighinn, dh’fhaodamaid a ràdh, ‘Chaidh e às an rathad’. Air an làimh eile, ma chanas sinn ‘Chan eil e às an rathad’, tha e a’ ciallachadh it’s not too bad.

            Leis gu bheil rathad a’ ciallachadh route, way, a bharrachd air road, bidh sinn ga chleachdadh ann an Gàidhlig ann an dòigh eadar-dhealaichte bho road ann am Beurla. Anns an t-seann aimsir, ge-tà, bhiodh daoine ag eadar-theangachadh rathad gu road nam biodh iad a’ bruidhinn ri luchd na Beurla.

            Nam biodh iad, can, air ceum-coiseachd eadar dà bhaile bheag air a’ Ghàidhealtachd, bhiodh iad a’ gabhail ‘rathad’ air. B’ e an Làirig Dhrù, mar eisimpleir, an ‘rathad’ eadar Rat Mhurchais ann an Srath Spè agus Màrr. ’S e rathad-dròbhaidh a bh’ ann, a bharrachd air a bhith na phrìomh rathad coiseachd tron Mhonadh Ruadh. Eadhon an-diugh, cha chleachdadh tu am facal road ann am Beurla co-cheangailte ris an Làirig Dhrù. Walking track no walkers’ route ’s dòcha. Ach chan e road.

            Carson a tha mi a’ beachdachadh air road agus rathad? Uill, bha mi a’ leughadh mu dheidhinn turas a rinn an Caiptean Edmund Burt air a’ Ghàidhealtachd anns an ochdamh linn deug. Bha Burt na mhaor don t-Seanalair Wade a thog mòran rathaidean air a’ Ghàidhealtachd. Rathaidean ceart. Agus sgrìobh Burt rudan inntinneach mun Ghàidhealtachd.

            Dh’fhalbh e air chuairt le eich – fear-paca agus fear a bha e fhèin a’ marcachd. ’S iomadh rud a bha a’ cur dragh air mu a thuras. Cha robh mòran àiteachan far am faigheadh e biadh. Bha aige ri a dhol tro bhoglaichean, agus bha na h-eich Shasannach aige ro throm. Chaidh iad an sàs gu domhainn anns na boglaichean. Cha robh cùisean cho dona, ge-tà, do na gearrain Ghàidhealach. Agus bha e duilich do Bhurt a rathad fhèin – agus sin agaibh am facal a-rithist – a dhèanamh tro na boglaichean anns na bòtannan mòr’ aige.

            Ach an rud a bu mhotha a chuir dragh air – b’ e sin gun robh a luchd-iùil a’ gabhail road air na frith-rathaidean air an robh iad a’ coiseachd. Bha iad ag eadar-theangachadh ‘rathad’ gu road. Agus do dh’Edmund Burt, chan e roads a bh’ annta! Dh’fheumte feitheamh ris an t-Seanalair Wade gus am biodh a leithid ann air a’ Ghàidhealtachd!

Faclan na Litreach: MacBheathain: MacBain; Làirig Dhrù: Lairig Ghru; Rat Mhurchais: Rothiemurchus; Srath Spè: Strathspey; rathaidean ceart: proper roads.Ìý

Abairtean na Litreach: gun tàinig am facal bhon Bheurla Mheadhanaich: that the word came from Middle English; ’s dòcha gur e as coireach gun tugadh a-steach facal-iasaid bhon Bheurla: perhaps the reason that a loanword was taken from English; bidh sinn ga chleachdadh ann an dòigh eadar-dhealaichte: we use it in a different way; anns an t-seann aimsir: in olden times; nam biodh iad, can, air ceum-coiseachd eadar dà bhaile bheag: if they were, say, on a walking track between two small settlements; ’s e rathad-dròbhaidh a bh’ ann: it was a droving route; a bharrachd air a bhith na phrìomh rathad coiseachd tron Mhonadh Ruadh: in addition to being a main walking route through the Cairngorms; bha Burt na mhaor don t-Seanalair Wade: Burt was an agent for General Wade; dh’fhalbh e air chuairt le eich – fear-paca agus fear a bha e fhèin a’ marcachd: he went on a journey with horses – a packhorse and one he was riding himself; ’s iomadh rud a bha a’ cur dragh air mu a thuras: many things annoyed him about his journey; far am faigheadh e biadh: where he could get food; bha na h-eich Shasannach aige ro throm: his English horses were too heavy; chaidh iad an sàs anns na boglaichean: they got stuck in the bogs; na gearrain Ghàidhealach: the Highland ponies [of his companions]; bha e duilich do Bhurt a rathad fhèin a dhèanamh tro na boglaichean anns na bòtannan mòr’ aige: it was difficult for Burt to make his way through the bogs in his big boots; an rud a bu mhotha a chuir dragh air: the thing that most annoyed him; gun robh a luchd-iùil a’ gabhail road air na frith-rathaidean: that his guides were calling the hill tracks ‘road’; dh’fheumte feitheamh ris an t-Seanalair Wade gus am biodh a leithid ann air a’ Ghàidhealtachd: one would have to wait for General Wade until such things existed in the Highlands.Ìý

Puing-chànain na Litreach: mus deach an leasachadh ann an ³Ò²¹°ù²ú³ó-³¦³ó°ùì´Ç³¦³ó²¹²Ô na h-Alba: before they were developed in the wild lands/Highlands of Scotland. Before the ‘retreat’ of Gaelic into the Highlands, that mountainous part of the country was known in Gaelic as Na ³Ò²¹°ù²ú³ó-³¦³ó°ùì´Ç³¦³ó²¹²Ô ‘the rough lands’. The phrase is generally used today to refer to the area around Moidart and Knoydart in the West Highlands.

Gnàthas-cainnt na Litreach: Chaidh e às an rathad: He perished.