The House of Gaunt -DD & parsletongue

[Steve]

No: HPFGUIDX 151092

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, Karen <kchuplis at ...> wrote:
>
> kchuplis:
> 
> ... my .02 in about ... parseltongue in the Pensieve scenes....
> I don't think one would have needed to understand it to get what
> was going on there. It seemed very visually indicative as to what
> they might have been saying ... My inclination was to believe  
> that only Harry and LV speak parseltongue. DD is shrewd enough 
> to get the rest by action alone. Just a thought.
>


bboyminn:

I've posted my opinion on this before, but at the extreme posting rate
of this group, that could just as well have been a million years ago.

First, some preliminary information-

Although I am extremely out of practice, I used to be able to
distinguish between the various Asian languages when I heard them. It
was exciting when I first realized it, I was in an Asian grocery and
overheard a conversation that I recognised as Chinese. Having said
that, I confess that I don't speak a word of Vietnamese, Lao,
Cambodian, Japanese, Korean, or Chinese. But each language has its
particular cadence and intonation. 

My point is that Dumbledore doesn't have to understand Parseltongue to
know that he is listening to it.  Dumbledore was probably aware that
the Gaunts were likely to speak Parseltongue, and when they started
speaking in hisses, it didn't take a rocket scientist to figure it out. 

Further, as Kchuplis implies, a great deal of content can be surmised
by body language, tone of voice, and demeanor. I don't have to speak
Chinese to know when I have offended a Chinese person, or when they
are angry, or sad, or happy, or whatever; it shows very clearly in
their reactions. 

When Dumbledore asked Harry if he understood what the Gaunts were
saying, I think he was just checking to see that Harry was paying
attention, that he was comprehending the sounds as language. While
Dumbledore explained it later, this was a clue in the moment as to who
they were viewing in the memory, and it was important that Harry
understand in the moment what this clue meant.

So, to the central question, NO, I don't think Dumbledore understands
Parseltongue, but I think he recognises it when he hears it. Also, we
know that understanding and speaking Parseltongue is a rare gift, and
that it is indeed just that, a gift, not a skill that is easily picked
up easily. 

For what it's worth.

Steve/bboyminn