Killing and murdering in the UK WW

[deborahhbbrd]

No: HPFGUIDX 129829

Once again I have to apologise for my ongoing inability to snip like a
civilised person.

But, on the subject of why LV is said to have 'murdered' rather than
'killed' the senior Potters, I would say as a speaker of British
English that you murder people in cold blood, in accordance with a
plan. It is your specific intention to murder them and only them. If
you kill, it might be accidental or random, or it might be in battle -
Sirius was veiled in a fair fight, and the right word there would be
'kill', regardless of the personal issues that were also involved.

So interesting, sometimes, how the language of books can raise these
issues that we (on opposite sides of the English language divide!)
would never otherwise think about.

Deborah, in her language-sorting hat