[HPFGU-OTChatter] adopting potterspeak

[Shaun Hately]

On 9 Jan 2006 at 18:18, Luckdragon wrote:

> Has anyone found since reading this series that they have begun 
> incorporating words from the Potterverse into their everyday speech.
> For example for the past two Christmas's I have found myself wishing
> people a "Happy Christmas" normally I would say "Merry Christmas". I
> have found myself referring to people as "git" or "ferret face". Now I
> am of English/Scottish heritage, but am a third generation Canadian,
> so I have to draw the line when I find myself thinking "bloody hell!"
> at certain times. Sometimes while rereading the books I even find
> myself reading with a British or Scottish accent in my mind, although
> I have never outwardly spoken with either accent in my life. Maybe my
> obsession with HP surpasses every one elses. Am I the only one using
> Potterspeak?

Among the gifted community - that is, those people involved with the 
support of gifted children - it's become reasonably common to refer 
to those who don't seem to understand giftedness and who wind up 
opposing the needs of gifted children as 'Muggles'. Other people 
object to this.

The Harry Potter books took off among gifted children, and became 
rampant in the gifted community slightly before (only a few months 
before) they became mainstream - and that was for two reasons, 
really. One - Hermione - people in the gifted community are always 
looking for kids books with clearly intellectually gifted characters -
 especially girls. Two - many people do see parallels between 
concepts in Harry Potter and things that many gifted children have to 
go through. So adopting a lot of the language isn't that surprising 
really.

Yours Without Wax, Dreadnought
Shaun Hately | www.alphalink.com.au/~drednort/thelab.html
(ISTJ)       | drednort at alphalink.com.au | ICQ: 6898200 
"You know the very powerful and the very stupid have one
thing in common. They don't alter their views to fit the 
facts. They alter the facts to fit the views. Which can be 
uncomfortable if you happen to be one of the facts that 
need altering." The Doctor - Doctor Who: The Face of Evil
Where am I: Frankston, Victoria, Australia