English/US differences and Phoenix.

[Brooks A. Rowlett]

No: HPFGUIDX 4451

Usage:

I just a day or two ago noticed, having acquired a copy of the Canadian
edition of Philosopher's Stone, a subtle difference in the US and
British/Canadian editions (the text of the Canadian edition in all
differences I had noted before conformed of the British edition, so i am
presuming that this difference exists in that as well).

The Canadian edition says Hagrid appeared on a motorBIKE. The US version
says a motorCYCLE.
Note to the non-US members - although rare, there are such things in the
US as motorized bicycles (much less powerful engines and with foot
pedals that do work).  Most US people would say a motorcycle - in fact,
an illogical piece of US usage is that people who ride the motorCYCLEs
are referred to as Bikers  (and we have Motorcycle gangs, or Biker
gangs) and to a lesser, but still strong extent, people who ride
foot-powered bicycles are called CYCLISTS, and only rarely bikers.

Phoenix:

Note that many versions of the legend of the phoenix (including Edward
Ormondroyd's wonderful children's book _David and the Phoenix_ just
reissued after all these years) state thate the Phoenix is
extraordinarily rare - in fact, unique - there is only ONE phoenix at a
time.  (What is the plural of phoenix?  If there IS only one at a time,
is a plural even relevant?)  The Phoenix, since it is reborn from its
own ashes, needs no mate or gender.

On our way to the Christopher Parkening concert this afternoon, Vicki
and I were discussing possible implications of this title (we concur
that it may actually only be a working or decoy title, but might indeed
still be relevant) and she came up with a suggestion i do not think has
been mentioned yet - that it may imply that Harry will inherit Fawkes -
because we may lose Dumbledore this time around.... which led me to
think that perhaps the 'Hogwarts Wizards and Witches Sewing Circle and
Anti-Voldemort Society' will be called "The Order of the Phoenix" in
honor of Dumbledore..... or perhaps the Anti-Voldemort underground is
called that because of loyalty to Dumbledore, and we won't lose him yet....

By the way:

Simon wrote:
> 
> I would guess that puberty still happens at roughly the same age. Even
> though human life expectancy has risen quite sharply over the last 100 years
> the age that kids go through puberty has remained fairly static. I would
> guess that it is the magical medical care that increases life expectancy.

This is not entirely accurate. In fact puberty onset in some societies
has become earlier and earlier over the years as nutrition and
sanitation has improved; average menarche in girls in the US has become
measurably earlier in the XXth century alone, as i recall. Moreover
there is a social difference discernable as well.   Some links/quotes:  

http://www.neoteny.org/a/progenesispuberty.html
note that the above link is rather strange, and its parent link ius even
stranger (but of interest in legend citation for Harry Potter: 
http://www.serpentfd.org/   )  But it appears to be citing a valid
scientific study on this topic at least.

"The decline in mean age at menarche from just below 17 years 100 years
ago to around 13 years today in Western industrialized countries
(Marshall & Tanner, 1986) is usually considered a phenotypic response to
improved living condidtions. "

See also:
http://www.sfms.org/sfm/sfm1199e.htm

-Brooks A Rowlett