Language Differences

[jenP_97 at yahoo.com]

Original Yahoo! HPFG Header:
No: HPFGUIDX C94
From: jenP_97
Subject: Re: Language Differences
Reply To: [Yahoo! #89] Language Differences
Date: 11/6/99 2:02 pm  (ET)

Hrm, what differences... well, it's not really so much that it makes it
hard to read. Common spelling differences - favor/favour, center/centre,
stuff like that. Also, there are a few grammatical differences, such as
how some words that we would consider singular (like names of the houses -
Gryffindor, for example) are sometimes referred to as plural. "Gryffindor
are..." That's a little strange to me. And then, there are always the
vocabulary differences. Sweater/jumper is the big one most people have
heard about, but in _Philosopher's Stone_, the lemon drops Dumbledore is
so fond of are called sherbet lemons. :) Course books are "set books",
class schedules are timetables, stoves are cookers, the car parts are
totally different, of course. It's really fun to read the British versions
after reading the American versions 2-3 times first... it almost makes
me want to read the whole book out loud to myself in a British accent. :)

Oh - about the eraser/rubber. I haven't checked it out yet, but isn't
there a scene where Hermione is trying to get Tom Riddle's diary to show
itself, and she pulls out what looks like a giant red eraser... "it's
a revealer - I got it in Diagon Alley" something like that? I should
check that out... maybe she does pull out a rubber! ;)

Jen