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Of Words & Wizards

Aberto. That's Portuguese for 'open'. It's also a spell used to unlock doors in the magical world of Harry Potter, founded in the imagination of J. K. Rowling. The hugely successful author at one time taught English in Portugal, so it's understandable that she drew some inspiration from the language spoken there. Latin and Greek also influenced the language of spells in the Harry Potter series.

Where does the word 'spell' come from? According to the Online Etymology Dictionary, it has its roots in Old English and is similar to the Old Norse 'spjall'. However, the other meaning of 'spell', to form words by means of letters, comes courtesy of a French word that likely displaced its Old English equivalent, and if you know anything about the history of Britain, you'll know how French words entered the English language, following the Battle of Hastings in 1066. Imagine, Harry Potter fans, if King Harold had said 'Alarte Ascendare!' and sent William the Conqueror and his army flying high into the air, English might not be the language it is today.

Now, let's move on to another famous wizard (wise -ard), who conforms more closely to the stereotypical image of an old, bearded man in a pointed hat: Gandalf. The name was taken from Old Norse by the author of “Lord of the Rings”, J. R. R. Tolkien (1892 - 1973), hailed as the father of modern fantasy literature. Gandalf is such a popular figure today that he even has his own Wikipedia page alongside actual living people, and if you want to see him nodding his head to dance music for ten hours, check out Gandalf Sax Guy on YouTube. Ah, the magic of the internet!

Tolkien was something of a wizard himself when it came to languages. He was a professor of Anglo-Saxon at Oxford University and later held the prestigious position of Merton Professor of English Language and Literature, until his retirement in 1959. From his teenage years onwards, Tolkien loved inventing languages, something which he called 'glossopoeia', and fans of his books will be familiar with Quenya and Sindarin, which are spoken by the Elves of Middle-Earth.

It's interesting to note that two of the most widely-known wizards from fantasy books were created by individuals with a background in teaching English. Is it mere coincidence? As an English teacher myself, there are times when I feel like escaping into a fantasy world where adventure beckons, far away from the confines of the classroom, but at the same time it's a joy to impart knowledge about a language that has such a rich vocabulary and history.

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