Why *are* the spells in HP all mangled Latin?

[conuly]

Is it just because Latin is cool? Or is there some reason for it? Would spells from other countries sound different... ooh! Does that mean that maybe Chinese people have completely different spells, or even that there's some language difficulties - no "translation" for reparo, you have to do something different, but they have a spell that wouldn't exist in England...?

On a tangentially-related note, despite whatever you have heard, alea iacta est does *not* mean "the die is cast". Latin has a really messed up tense system. Third principle part + is = has been. Don't ask me why. So "alea iacta est" means that the die has been cast, not that it is cast.

Comments

[ladyshrew.livejournal.com]

I think it has to do with "iacta" (which, by itself, would be the perfect passive participle) more than the "est." I mean, it would be like--"the die *is* in the state of having been cast." But that essentially means "has been cast," so you just throw "iacta est" together, call it the perfect passive form, and translate it as "has been cast."

[conuly]

Like I said. Third principle part + is (est) = has been. If you switch is with was, you get had been. And so on.

[ladyshrew.livejournal.com]

Yes, I know that. I'm just saying that that's how I think it came about as such.

[conuly]

Oh, okay! I thought you misunderstood me. But in reality (and a twist of really boring irony) I was the one misunderstanding you.

[ladyshrew.livejournal.com]

lol!! It's ok. ;-)