Tag Archives: Mary Sue

Of Rowling’s Potterverse Vocabulary

and character naming in canon and in fanfiction

I want to share this interesting article from the OxfordWords blog about JKR’s use of language in Harry Potter. The author, Adam Pulford, discusses everything from Rowling’s use of “real” mythological beasts and creating her own, to her use of Latin for spells, to the creation of new terms using familiar English words (e.g., “Mudblood”), to the way she evokes a medieval and obscure world through use of words that are — or sound as if they should be — from an older variety of English.

One thing that I found particularly amusing and very true was a remark the author made regarding the different kinds of names Rowling chose for her characters. Pulford says: Continue reading →