Harry Potter and the Linguistic Innovator - Adam Pulford

She not only references mythology through the inclusion of creatures such as centaurs and hippogriffs, but follows in the footsteps of such authors as Tolkien by creating a number of innovative new words for her world.

Rowling makes use of alliteration and assonance to make many of her characters’ names more memorable; just look at comic character Rita Skeeter, suspiciously sibilant Severus Snape (Severus is from the Severan dynasty emperors of Rome, and Snape is a village in Suffolk), and the formidable-sounding Bellatrix Lestrange.

This is not a shockingly grammatical sequel to the acclaimed series, but a chance to revel in the magically inventive language of the Harry Potter books.

Rowling makes use of alliteration and assonance to make many of her characters’ names more memorable; just look at comic character Rita Skeeter, suspiciously sibilant Severus Snape (Severus is from the Severan dynasty emperors of Rome, and Snape is a village in Suffolk), and the formidable-sounding Bellatrix Lestrange.

Rowling makes use of alliteration and assonance to make many of her characters’ names more memorable; just look at comic character Rita Skeeter, suspiciously sibilant Severus Snape (Severus is from the Severan dynasty emperors of Rome, and Snape is a village in Suffolk), and the formidable-sounding Bellatrix Lestrange.

First, it is the route of many modern languages and you can often see derivatives of it in English, French, or indeed any of the Romance languages.

It has been suggested that ‘Horcrux’ is a blend of the Latin verb horrere, meaning ‘to shudder’, and the noun crux, meaning ‘destruction’, but I think it far more likely that Rowling was creating something unique and mysterious, without obvious meaning, in keeping with the dark, secretive connotations of the word.

It has been suggested that ‘Horcrux’ is a blend of the Latin verb horrere, meaning ‘to shudder’, and the noun crux, meaning ‘destruction’, but I think it far more likely that Rowling was creating something unique and mysterious, without obvious meaning, in keeping with the dark, secretive connotations of the word.

Some of the words are transparent blends of existing words, for example:
‘Mudblood’ – meaning a witch or wizard who is born to non-magic parents – is a simple combination of two common English words.

She not only references mythology through the inclusion of creatures such as centaurs and hippogriffs, but follows in the footsteps of such authors as Tolkien by creating a number of innovative new words for her world.

Rowling uses names as a way of differentiating the magical world from the regular Muggle world, and also to provide a sort of shorthand for their character traits.

This is essentially a racial slur in the world of Hogwarts, as opposed to ‘pure-blood’ (with its uncomfortable echoes of Hitler’s Aryan ideal).

The school name ‘Hogwarts’, which perhaps initially conjures up a rather grotesque image of pimple-ridden swine, sounds medieval and historical; the word transports you to an era when a belief in witchcraft was commonplace.

You can see derivative English words clearly from the following spells:
Oppugno (a spell to attack) – pugnacious
Incendio ( a spell to set alight) – incendiary
Felix Felicis (the name of potion for luck) – felicity
Protego (a protection spell) – protect
Secondly, the use of a dead language which is for the most part unknown by the general public makes her world appear more realistic; the language does exist but remains hidden through its lack of use in modern society – much like the m...

J. K. Rowling uses language in her books to enhance the other-worldliness of her theme.

You can see derivative English words clearly from the following spells:
Oppugno (a spell to attack) – pugnacious
Incendio ( a spell to set alight) – incendiary
Felix Felicis (the name of potion for luck) – felicity
Protego (a protection spell) – protect
Secondly, the use of a dead language which is for the most part unknown by the general public makes her world appear more realistic; the language does exist but remains hidden through its lack of use in modern society – much like the m...

Rowling uses names as a way of differentiating the magical world from the regular Muggle world, and also to provide a sort of shorthand for their character traits.

It has been suggested that ‘Horcrux’ is a blend of the Latin verb horrere, meaning ‘to shudder’, and the noun crux, meaning ‘destruction’, but I think it far more likely that Rowling was creating something unique and mysterious, without obvious meaning, in keeping with the dark, secretive connotations of the word.

You can see derivative English words clearly from the following spells:
Oppugno (a spell to attack) – pugnacious
Incendio ( a spell to set alight) – incendiary
Felix Felicis (the name of potion for luck) – felicity
Protego (a protection spell) – protect
Secondly, the use of a dead language which is for the most part unknown by the general public makes her world appear more realistic; the language does exist but remains hidden through its lack of use in modern society – much like the m...

By using an apt surname for her disturbed character, coupled with the exotic blended forename of Bella and Beatrix, Rowling strengthens our impression of this character’s unpredictable and cruel nature.

Luna Lovegood’s name, for example, evokes both her strong connection with the other-worldly and her essential goodness.

For example upon hearing the name ‘Little Whingeing’, one could think of little else than a mundane and prim suburbia where people secretly water their lawns at 4am during a hosepipe ban.

Rowling’s success as a writer is unsurpassed, due in part to her ability to make her imaginary world so accessible.

The result sounds both foreboding and frightening.

The harsh plosive endings of the two syllables allow the word to be spat out with venom, making this immediately understood as an insult, before its meaning has been explained.

This is not a shockingly grammatical sequel to the acclaimed series, but a chance to revel in the magically inventive language of the Harry Potter books.

For example upon hearing the name ‘Little Whingeing’, one could think of little else than a mundane and prim suburbia where people secretly water their lawns at 4am during a hosepipe ban.

She not only references mythology through the inclusion of creatures such as centaurs and hippogriffs, but follows in the footsteps of such authors as Tolkien by creating a number of innovative new words for her world.

The same principle can be seen in her naming of the wizard prison Azkaban, which conjures up the forbidden through the ending ‘ban’, and seclusion from the rest of the wizarding world with a name reminiscent of Alcatraz.

The release of the final Harry Potter film this week marks the end of an era for a generation of book and film lovers, having made author J. K. Rowling and actors Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint (shown at the premiere below), and Emma Watson into some of the wealthiest and most famous Brits around.

J. K. Rowling uses language in her books to enhance the other-worldliness of her theme.

Certainly the most prolific of her creations is muggle – a non-magical person – which has now gained its own meaning outside of Harry Potter as ’a person who lacks a particular skill’, and is included in our dictionaries.

The harsh plosive endings of the two syllables allow the word to be spat out with venom, making this immediately understood as an insult, before its meaning has been explained.

This is not a shockingly grammatical sequel to the acclaimed series, but a chance to revel in the magically inventive language of the Harry Potter books.

The films have reportedly made over six billion dollars to date and the books have been translated into 67 languages, with 450 million copies sold worldwide.

Rowling uses names as a way of differentiating the magical world from the regular Muggle world, and also to provide a sort of shorthand for their character traits.

The school name ‘Hogwarts’, which perhaps initially conjures up a rather grotesque image of pimple-ridden swine, sounds medieval and historical; the word transports you to an era when a belief in witchcraft was commonplace.

You can see derivative English words clearly from the following spells:
Oppugno (a spell to attack) – pugnacious
Incendio ( a spell to set alight) – incendiary
Felix Felicis (the name of potion for luck) – felicity
Protego (a protection spell) – protect
Secondly, the use of a dead language which is for the most part unknown by the general public makes her world appear more realistic; the language does exist but remains hidden through its lack of use in modern society – much like the m...

This is not a shockingly grammatical sequel to the acclaimed series, but a chance to revel in the magically inventive language of the Harry Potter books.

The same principle can be seen in her naming of the wizard prison Azkaban, which conjures up the forbidden through the ending ‘ban’, and seclusion from the rest of the wizarding world with a name reminiscent of Alcatraz.

The school name ‘Hogwarts’, which perhaps initially conjures up a rather grotesque image of pimple-ridden swine, sounds medieval and historical; the word transports you to an era when a belief in witchcraft was commonplace.

You can see derivative English words clearly from the following spells:
Oppugno (a spell to attack) – pugnacious
Incendio ( a spell to set alight) – incendiary
Felix Felicis (the name of potion for luck) – felicity
Protego (a protection spell) – protect
Secondly, the use of a dead language which is for the most part unknown by the general public makes her world appear more realistic; the language does exist but remains hidden through its lack of use in modern society – much like the m...

The result sounds both foreboding and frightening.

The school name ‘Hogwarts’, which perhaps initially conjures up a rather grotesque image of pimple-ridden swine, sounds medieval and historical; the word transports you to an era when a belief in witchcraft was commonplace.

The use of the Dog Star name for Sirius is made more apt because as an ‘animagus’ he spends much of the third book Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban as a dog.

It has been suggested that ‘Horcrux’ is a blend of the Latin verb horrere, meaning ‘to shudder’, and the noun crux, meaning ‘destruction’, but I think it far more likely that Rowling was creating something unique and mysterious, without obvious meaning, in keeping with the dark, secretive connotations of the word.

The same principle can be seen in her naming of the wizard prison Azkaban, which conjures up the forbidden through the ending ‘ban’, and seclusion from the rest of the wizarding world with a name reminiscent of Alcatraz.

Minerva McGonagall’s first name draws on mythology, and lends that character a certain amount of grandeur – would anyone at Hogwarts have taken Mandy McGonagall seriously?

‘Animagus’ – a wizard who can transform into an animal – is a blend of animal and magus, a Persian priest or magician from antiquity, so the meaning of a wizard as an animal is clearly derived.

Rowling makes use of alliteration and assonance to make many of her characters’ names more memorable; just look at comic character Rita Skeeter, suspiciously sibilant Severus Snape (Severus is from the Severan dynasty emperors of Rome, and Snape is a village in Suffolk), and the formidable-sounding Bellatrix Lestrange.

The harsh plosive endings of the two syllables allow the word to be spat out with venom, making this immediately understood as an insult, before its meaning has been explained.