As a language geek, I don't shy away from the proper terminology used for grammatical phenomena, although I do sometimes find it obfuscatory rather than illuminating. The features that take place in the Seòras/Sheòrais thing are called lenition and slenderisation.
Let's start with lenition*.
Lenition is when the letter H is inserted after the first letter of a word. However, not all letters can be lenited - vowels can't, nor can L, N or R.
The effect of this is that the pronunciation is transformed. Hence the "sh" sound in Seumas becomes a "h" sound in Sheumais. The "d" in "Dàibhidh" becomes a voiced gutteral sound a bit like the throaty French "r" (so Dhàibhidh sounds a bit like the French ravi). Màiri with an "m" becomes Mhàiri with a "v". Etc. etc. But Ruairidh stays Ruairidh.
Now for slenderisation.
Slenderisation is when the letter I is inserted before the final consonant in the word, or the last broad vowel is changed to a slender one (usually to "i" as far as I can tell). This also affects the pronunciation, "slimming" the final S in Seumas and Seòras turn into a "sh" sound in Sheumais and Sheòrais. This is why Seumas and Hamish are technically from the same Gaelic name for James.
In personal names, this only happens for male names and it doesn't happen if the final vowel is already an I as in Iain.
These rules happen elsewhere, often separately from each other, according to various other grammar rules which I will talk about once I've actually learnt them ;-)
*Help on how to pronounce the words lenite and lenition would be greatly appreciated. Is the first I long like the pronoun I or short as in it?
P.S. I apologise for this rather dry and bland post. Something better next time - promise!
Here's some Skipinnish
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