Magic/Languages was:BIll Weasley as DADA?

[Lisa (Jennings) Mamula]

No: HPFGUIDX 115981



--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "Steve" <bboyminn at y...> wrote: 
> I too have championed Bill as the new DADA teacher in the past. Being
> a curse breaker means he must have a huge bank of knowledge about
> curses and countercurses. Logic says that some of the tombs he is
> breaking curses on had the curses put on them in languages and by
> schools of magic that don't exist anymore. That's quite a feat in my book.


LisaMarie:
This comment about the curses in other languages brings up a question in my 
mind, but I am at a loss as to how to phrase it so that it can be understood by 
folks outside of my own head.  Forgive me if it is too technical; I love to study 
languages and therefore cannot help myself!

Magic and languages.  This makes me wonder: Are there language barriers 
in the magical world?  I mean, I know that wizards/witches in other countries 
speak other languages besides English Fleur and Krum), but what about the 
language of magic itself?  Are the spells universal (read: accessible to users 
of any language), or are they language-specific?  An example may help me 
illustrate my question.  I'll use Bill Weasley.

For the sake of example, let's assume Bill is in an Egyptian tomb, working on 
breaking a curse, called X.  If Bill knows the countercurse for X, can he 
manage it, or will he have to use the language in which the curse was 
uttered?  

Another scenario, this time using a situation from PS/SS.  When Quirrell is 
jinxing Harry's broom during the Quidditch match, Snape is uttering 
countercurses to protect Harry.  If Quirrell had been a native German speaker, 
and therefore uttering jinxes in German, would Snape have been able to 
counter them, not knowing German spells, but English ones?  Are they the 
same in essence, or totally different beasts.  I don't even know where to look 
in canon for this one!!

Lisa, hoping she hasn't bored anyone to the point of tears 
:)