JKR's Latin and Indiscriminate Duelling Club Spells (WAS:Rictus not so sempra)

[erisedstraeh2002 <erisedstraeh2002@yahoo.com>]

Amanda wrote:

> But I followed most of the Latin arguments, and you're not wrong in 
> noting that JKR (and the movie folk, following her patterns) do not 
> use correct classical Latin.

Now me:

JKR has herself admitted that her Latin "such as it is, is self-
taught" (see: 
http://www.scholastic.com/harrypotter/author/transcript2.htm).  So I 
don't think she ever intended the Latin spells to be grammatically 
correct.  And as Amanda said so well, it works!  So I believe the old 
adage "If it ain't broke, don't fix it" applies here.

Amanda again:

> I wish they'd had the spells *work* in the movie (I mean, other 
> than throwing their victims into the air--why have different words 
> if they all do the same thing?).

Me again:

Oh, how I so agree with you!  This is one of my biggest gripes about 
the movie.  Especially since "Expelliarmus" acting as a disarming 
spell is so important in later books – it's used several times in the 
Shrieking Shack, and it's the only spell Harry can think to use 
against Voldemort in the graveyard because he harkens back to his 
duelling club days.

~Phyllis