parselmouths

[B.G.]

No: HPFGUIDX 129306

--- > 
> I've been wondering about the parselmouth thing myself... snakes 
> either don't have ears or can't hear, I forget which, so how can 
they 
> have a language? Is it vibrations? Is that why no one else could 
hear 
> the Basalisk in the pipes? It was fairly obvious what Harry was 
doing 
> with the snake during the duel scene with Malfoy, but did anyone 
> actually hear snake speak words? I don't remember. I just don't 
> understand the language aspect of it because of snakes and hearing. 
> They stick out their tongue and breathe in scents, I'm a little lost 
> here.
> 
> 
> Chys

BG writes:
Yes, snakes can hear.  Research begun about 35 years ago by E.G. 
Weaver and associates at Princeton University has shown that snakes 
hearing may be comparable to lizards.  It is true that snakes lack 
external ears but they have a bone loosely suspended on both sides of 
their head hidden by skin and muscle.  This bone is called a 
quadrate.  When a sound makes the quadrate move, this movement is 
passed on to the cochlea and by means of electrical signals is sent on 
to the brain. 

In PS/SS Harry didn't realize he could hear the snake and he certainly 
didn't realize that he was speaking Parseltongue.  Dudley and his 
friend only saw Harry and the snake "talking" they didn't actually 
hear them.  And in COS all the students heard Harry speaking "snake 
language".  Ron told Harry he heard him and then later in the library 
a group Hufflepuffs were discussing Harry and what his being a 
Parselmouth could mean.