[HPforGrownups] Latin

[Jen Faulkner]

No: HPFGUIDX 12572

On Sun, 18 Feb 2001, Jim Flanagan wrote:

> It's been a long time since I took Latin, but a lot of JKR's 
> incantations don't look quite correct.  Perhaps that's intentional.  
> For example:
> 
> "expecto patronum" - should be "patronem" - 3rd decl. acc.

Actually, it's funny -- this spell is one of the only ones that is
correct Latin.  'patronus' is 2nd declension, not 3rd, precisely as JKR
has it.  'Expecto patronum' translates to 'I await/look for a
protector'.  'Expecto' would be more regularly spelled 'exspecto',
however.  (BTW, does anyone know why 'expecto' was changed to 'spero' in
the French translation?)

> "priori incantatem" - should be "incantatum"; I'm not sure that the 
> agreement between "priori" and "incantat[u]m" is correct

The noun formed from the incanto root actually is 'incantamentum'.  
(It's not the best Latin choice for a word, but is from this same root.)
'Incantatum' would be a substantive formed off the fourth principle part
of the verb, the perfect passive participle, meaning, roughly, 'a things
which has been incanted', rather than an 'incantation' proper. There
simply is no 3rd declesion word incantas, incantatis to yield
'incantatem' (which would mean more like 'the quality of an
incantation', 'incantationness'), but if there were, 'priori' certainly
wouldn't agree with it.  'Priori incantatem' is a completely meaningless
phrase in Latin.

While we're on the topic, most of the spells, in fact, are not "real"
Latin.  The spells basically divide into three groups (using the list on
The Brat Queen's page,
http://countylimerick.prohosting.com/learn/potter_spells.htm): real
Latin, real Latin that doesn't make much sense or is mixed with fake
Latin, and fake Latin.

In the first group: accio, crucio, diffindo, expecto patronum, ferula,
nox, sonorus, and reparo.  I think it's worth noting that all but one of
these are indeed the form you'll find listed in the dictionary
('patronum' is the exception'); they've also got some relatively rare
words ('ferula', in the meaning of 'splint', 'diffindo', 'crucio' used
in the active).  (Also worth noting, 'sonorus' is gendered masculine in
Latin, which wouldn't agree with an understood 'vox' ('voice'), nor
would it agree with an understood 'ego' ('I'), if the speaker were a
woman.  IOW, not quite proper Latin.)

In the second group, rather larger: densaugeo, finite incantatem,
impedimenta, imperio, impervious, incendio, locomoto mortis, morsmordre,
priori incantato, reducto, rictusempra, ridikulus.  'Densaugeo' would
have to be 'dentes augeo'.  'finite' is Latin, yes, but it means either
'you all finish!' (a command) or 'o finished person!', while
'incantatem' is not Latin, as I noted above.  'impedimenta' is Latin,
but it means either 'hindrances' (plural), or more regularly, 'baggage'.

'imperio' is the ablative of the noun, 'by means of power',
roughly, not 'I command', which would be 'impero' like the forms
above.  'impervious' is perhaps a typo for 'impervius', which is Latin,
but has the same gender problems as sonorus, FWIW.  'incendio' is also
an abl. noun, like imperio.  

'locomoto' is not Latin, and while 'mortis' is, 'motion of death'
doesn't make too much sense anyway.  (I'm sure JKR was thinking of rigor
mortis, but it's the 'rigor' part that implies lack of motion; the
'mortis' has to do with the fact that it's death which causes the
stiffness.)  'mors' is Latin, 'mordre' is not.  'priori incantato' is
another noun phrase in the ablative, like 'imperio' (see above).

'reducto' is either a substantive in the ablative ('by means of the
thing that has been withdrawn') or a (frequentative) verb meaning 'I
withdraw', neither of which makes much sense, since the spell forces
your enemy to withdraw. 'rictu' is Latin, 'sempra' is not.  ('rictu
semper' would only make sense anyway if one takes 'rictus' in a
metaphorical sense of laughing, rather than the root meaning of a
'gaping mouth'.)

'ridikulus' is basically Latin, though again subject to the gender
problem, but c is the normal orthography (which JKR uses elsewhere), not
k.

In the last group are the completely non-Latin, either because of form
or root: alohomora, aparecium, avada kedavra, dissenium, engorgio,
ennervate, expelliarmus, furnunculus, lumos, obliviate, peskipiksi
persternomi, petrificus totalus, relashio, tarantallegra, waddiwasi,
wingardium leviosa.

So, yes, a few of the spells are, whether by design or accident (and I
lean towards accident, myself, but that's neither here nor there) real
Latin, but the *vast* majority are not.  But they 'sound' like Latin,
the magical language par excellance in popular culture, and I'm sure
that's all they were designed to do.

--jen :)

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