Bad Latin and wizarding spells

[nancylebov]

I was wondering why the spells are in bad Latin-- the boring explanations are that Rowling either didn't know Latin and/or manipulated the Latin to get results that sounded better for English speakers who don't know Latin.

However, are there any in-universe explanations? I tentatively suggest that muggle Latin was manipulated by wizards to eliminate magical effectiveness.

This sounds good on the first bounce (I've tried it on a few people), but it leaves important questions open. Is wizard Latin much older than muggle Latin? Do we have an unrecorded history of muggles and wizards in close enough contact for language to be transferred?

Comments

[kgbooklog.livejournal.com]

Harry Dresden explains in one of his books that he uses Latin because he is bad at it, and that forces a separation between intention and result (IIRC) which gives him time to actually control the magic.

[dcseain.livejournal.com]

Flickum bickus.

Yes, that is to my memory Dresden's explanation. That, and the White Council uses Latin as lingua franca.