"Gabh mo leisgeul, Uilleim."
Translation:Excuse me, William.
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Im still trying to wrap my brain around vocative case; do names that start with a vowel ever get altered?
Yes, names that start with a vowel are sometimes altered in the vocative case, but not at the beginning. Names that start with a vowel do not need the vocative particle a and do not/ cannot lenite.
Masculine names also slenderise where possible, i.e. if the name ends in a broad consonant preceded by one vowel, the final consonant is slenderised by adding an i before the final consonant, or, if the final consonant is already preceded by two vowels, by replacing the second vowel with an i .
So, from the first type, Aonghas in the nominative case becomes Aonghais in the vocative, and Eachann becomes Eachainn. From the second type, Uilleam in the nominative case becomes Uilleim in the vocative case, Ùisdean (Hugh) becomes Ùisdein, and Ailean becomes Ailein. As Iain and Alasdair already end in slender consonants, they don't change at all in the vocative case, and as Anndra ends in a vowel, it doesn't change at all in the vocative case either.
Feminine names beginning with a vowel do not change in the vocative case.
