[HPforGrownups] Re: Britishisms, swearing - BC - Translations

[rosie]

No: HPFGUIDX 40588

Random monkey said:

"One thing that interested me... Unless I'm mistaken, there wasn't any 
swearing at all in the books until the fourth one. I know before that, 
there was mudblood, but that has little significance to us, and people 
toss it around here like it was nothing; Ron said something once that 
made Hermione gasp "Ron!" but that's implying a curse, not saying one. 
But in the fourth book... Well, I didn't keep count, but I know Bill 
said, "Noone gives a damn what I look like..." and Ron said "Damn, 
it's [potions] still with Slytherin" (And Hermione made no comment on 
that one). I believe there was one other... Don't remember it off hand 
though.

One final question: Is "bloody" a British swear word or not? I've 
heard it both ways."

Um... I have heard said that Ron says "I'm not going to take any crap from Malfoy this year" in one of the books (PoA, I think) although in my (British) copy he says "rubbish" not "crap". 

"Damn" isn't really a curse word (it actually refers to an Indian coin of very little value, hence "I don't give a damn"); it's not strange that Hermione wouldn't pull the boys up on it.

"Bloody"...well... a mum (sorry, mom) might tell off her toddler for saying it... but apart from that... it *is* a swear word but it's so so so mild that it isn't really.

--------

Pip wrote:
"There may  be Ollivander, who would 
be unlikely to proclaim 'Makers of Fine Wands since 382 BC' if he 
didn't regard himself as at least nominally Christian (at least, all 
the practitioners of other religions that I know in the UK would 
*much* rather use BCE."

Good point there, except most people I know who aren't of a particular faith use "BC"; it's only the people who are really really involved in their religion who use BCE. Is that different where you are? 

-----

Alexander wrote:
"Hmm... maybe there are other translations (to different
languages) that we should know about?"

Those were funny :) I have just ordered myself the French version of CoS; my French isn't brilliant, but if I find anything funny I will post it up.

Rosie, who was very pleased to find French CoS for £3 cheaper, and delivered 5 weeks quicker, on amazon.fr than amazon.com ! 


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