House Elf Speech

[flying_ford_anglia]

Original Yahoo! HPFG Header:
No: HPFGUIDX C6763
From: flying_ford_anglia
Subject: Re: House Elf Speech
Reply To: [Yahoo! #6760] House Elf Speech
Date: 8/13/00 10:32 am  (ET)

<<Aside from his use of his name rather than the use of a personal
pronoun, Dobby's grammar was correct, at least in CoS. I noticed ... in
GoF he does use wrong tenses "...>>

My guess is that when Dobby was in the employ of the Malfoys he affected
what he thought was a more cultured way of speaking, perhaps under their
influence. Use of his own name may have been a reflection of the pride he
felt in being a House Elf to a well-known, wealthy wizarding family. When
he left the Malfoys, he returned to his usual, less careful way of
speaking, that which was appropriate in the company of other House Elves.

Neil