1. Cumasach - can this mean "portly, on the large side"?

Séadna chapter 23: duine uasal breagh groídhe cumasach dob’ eadh an fear d’osgail é: I am assuming groí means "hearty, spirited" and cumasach means "portly".

Norma Borthwick's translation was "the man who opened it was a fine, brave, portly gentleman". I am not sure why "brave" is in here, unless it is some kind of translation of groí. And shouldn't the translation start from the back of the adjectives? A portly, hearty, fine gentleman?

2. Buille beag - this can mean somewhat, as in: tá an tráthnóna buille beag glas ann féin, the evening is a bit chilly. [Although I tried to use "buille beag glas" in Músgraí, and the "native speakers" didn't understand it and told me it was wrong. ]

So what about: bhuail an ceann buille beag réidh ar an ndorus: is buille here used as "knock": he gave a quiet little knock on the door? Or does "buille beag" mean somewhat here? he knocked the door somewhat quietly?

I would think "portly" is a mis-translation. Cumasach means capable, of good ability, able etc.

quote:

is buille here used as "knock": he gave a quiet little knock on the door?

Yes.

With regards to the other, I should think that the translation is not word for word. They are all adjectives which suggest a solid, friendly person: I think "brave" is being used in that sense.
From dictionary.com

brave
1.
possessing or exhibiting courage or courageous endurance.
2.
making a fine appearance.
3.
Archaic . excellent; fine; admirable.


groí [aidiacht den tríú díochlaonadh]
breá, láidir, croíúil.

cumas [ainmfhocal firinscneach den chéad díochlaonadh]
ábaltacht, neart (cumas a bheith ionat; bheith i gcumas rud a dhéanamh; níl sé ar mo chumas).

1) duine uasal breagh groidhe cumasach - a fine well-mannered hearty strapping man. Note that there should be no síneadh fada on the i in groidhe. The vowel is understood to be long anyway under the pre-standard spelling system, although orginally short and then lengthened due to the loss of the intervocalic frivative.

2) tá an tráthnóna buille beag glas ann féin - buille beag fuar, buille beag déanach, buille beag luath - a bit cold, late, early etc. A common construction in Corca Dhuibhne and Amhlaoibh Ó Luínse has at least one example: "Muarchuid acu déanta lena n-aghaig soir, b’fhéidir buille beag soir-ó-dheas; Many of them (were) made facing east, slightly in a south-easterly direction, (SAL:23)". Buille beag - an adverbial phrase placed before an adjective.

Carmanach, the spelling I gave of these sentences from Séadna was as given in Séadna, 1904 edition! PUL often wrote things like groídhe - he didn't fully conform to the "pre-standard spelling system".

Yes - that was a great example from Amhlaoibh Ó Loingsigh. I would like an electronic version of SAL.

Be that as it may, I think most writers in the pre-Caighdeán Oifigiúil era would not put a síneadh fada on the i in words such as groidhe, croidhe, luighe, suidhe, cómhnaidhe, groigh, etc though you well may see a síneadh fada in some of the manuscripts. As for the pre-standard spelling system, I mean the broad set of spelling conventions handed down since the Classical Irish period and used in Dinneen's dictionary among other texts.