Wizarding English: was Re: [HPforGrownups] Re: If Muggles are unaware of Wizards, why do they agree to send their kids to Wizarding schools?

[gingersnape1966 <gingersnape1966@yahoo.com>]

No: HPFGUIDX 49681

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "Irene Mikhlin" 
<irene_mikhlin at b...> wrote:

> 
> Anyway, about accents and the wizarding english in general:
> 
> Isn't it strange that such an isolated community keeps in touch with
> developments in the
> language? I was under an impression that even Ron never met muggle-
born
> children
> before starting Hogwargs, not to mention someone like Draco.
> Wizards isolated themselves from muggles sometime in the Middle 
Ages, and
> the most modern
> artefact they borrowed from them - train - is early 19th century so 
how do
> they keep up
> with the language?
> In the muggle world there are many examples of isolated communities 
where
> language
> was preserved as it has been at the time of the split from the 
cultural
> metropolis.
> 
> Irene

me:  That is a good point.  I can't answer for DeathEaters and any 
other anti-Muggle people, but there are wizards who do keep up with 
the Muggle world.  Dumbledore knows of the death of Frank Bryce as he 
reads Muggle newspapers.  There have always been half and halfs and 
muggleborns at Hogwarts.  Fudge or someone in the MoM is in contact 
with the office of the Muggle Prime Minister. (See PoA)  These would 
probably account for much of it.  Other wizards may not be as 
isolated as others, prefering to live posing as Muggles.  (If you 
have a completely painless experience at the dentist you may want to 
ask about this).  Others may, like Arthur, be curious about Muggles.

This would explain why modern English would have crept in, but on the 
whole, and amongst themselves, you would think they would have kept 
the old language or developed it in different ways.  

Perhaps some professional language people can enlighten us?  

Best to all, the now-curious Ginger