GoF chapter 24-26 Post DH look

[Steve]

No: HPFGUIDX 182091

---  "Carol" <justcarol67 at ...> wrote:
>
> zanooda:
> > > 
> >> According to Percy, Barty Crouch spoke over two hundred
> >> languages,including Mermish, Gobbledegook and Troll 
> >> (p. 89). I don't know how anyone can learn so many 
> >> languages, some of then very exotic, if languages are not
> >> his/her profession. Maybe there is some magic involved :-)?
> 
> Jayne responded:
> > But is Percy's say so reliable at that ime as he was 
> > obsessed with Barty Crouch and the Ministry. He could well 
> > have been exagerating...
> 

> Carol responds:
> That being the case, you might consider what Ludo Bagman has
> to say on the subject.
> 
> Ludo is looking for Mr. Crouch to help him understand what 
> his Bulgarian "opposite number" ... is saying. According to
>  Ludo, Mr. Crouch speaks "about a hundred and fifty languages."
> 
> At that point, Percy steps in, correcting the figure to "over
> two hundred," and specifying "Mermish and Gobbledegook and 
> Troll." ...
> 
> It seems clear that Mr. Crouch is extremely intelligent, a 
> gifted and powerful wizard who would probably have become 
> the Minister for Magic had not his son ... 
>
> While the numbers (150 or more than 200) may be exaggerated 
> (rather like the narrator's assertions that Hagrid's hands are
> as large as trash bin lids ...

bboyminn:

Keep in mind that 'speaks 'x' number of languages can mean
many things. Most Europeans of any intelligence can travel
anywhere in the main European countries and get by. They
speak sufficiently basic Spanish, French, Italian, and 
German (plus English) to find a hotel, get a meal, ask for 
directions and such, but that is far far from being able to 
speak the language at university level.

There is speaks Italian enough to 'get by' and there is
speaks Italian well enough to engage in complex dialog at 
deep conversational levels or act as an official translator 
in the language.

Anyone who can 'get by' probably considers themselves to 
'speak the language'. 

All that said, even to 'get by' in 200 languages indicates
a real talent for language.

Steve/bboyminn