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{{Infobox|name=Parseltongue-inspired (Fispa)|pronounce=ˈfispa:|tu=''Harry Potter'' world|species=Ophidic<br/>(snakes and snake-likes)|in=All over the HP world|no=''unknown''|script=''n.a.''|tree=Isolate|morph=Inflecting|ms=Accusative|wo=SOV|creator=[[User:Denihilonihil|Eugene Oh]]|date=July 2005}}
'''Parseltongue''' is a fictional language spoken by snakes in the ''Harry Potter'' series of novels (author: J. K. Rowling), whose known human speakers include the Lord Voldemort and Harry Potter. This language has, however, not been publicly described by Rowling and has no known form.
'''Parseltongue''' is a fictional language spoken by snakes in the ''Harry Potter'' series of novels (author: J. K. Rowling), whose known human speakers include the Lord Voldemort and Harry Potter. This language has, however, not been publicly described by Rowling and has no known form.


The '''Parseltongue''' referred to below in this article refers to '''Parseltongue-inspired''', a hypothetical form of the abovementioned snake-speak. Because the tongue has no written form, the text samples appearing hereafter are in romanised form. This language is an inflecting accusative language with a Subject-Object-Verb (SOV) word order.
Indeed, it is unlikely that a dictionary or a grammar of Parseltongue was ever written even in the ''Harry Potter'' wizarding world itself. The reason for this is that Parseltongue is not as much a learnable language as an innate magical ability. Either you are born a ''Parselmouth'', in which case you can speak and understand Parseltongue without ever learning it, or you are not, in which case you will never ever be able to speak or understand Parseltongue.
 
==Phonology==
 
===Consonants===
 
Being a language spoken by snakes and the like, Parseltongue, while having the complete basic plosive repertoire ({{IPA|[p]/[b] [t]/[d], [k]/[g]}}), is rich in sibilants and other fricatives, which occur at a far higher frequency. Plosives also assimilate frequently to neighbouring fricatives or sonorants.
 
<br/>
<div style="margin-left:50px;">
 
{| style="text-align: center; background: #f9f9f9; border: 1pt solid #c0c0c0;"
!colspan=13 style="text-align:center; background: #efefef;"| Consonants
|- style="vertical-align: center; font-size: x-small; height: 2em"
| ||colspan=2| Bilabial ||colspan=2| Labiodental ||colspan=2| Alveolar ||colspan=2| Post-alv. ||colspan=2| Velar ||colspan=2| Glottal
|-
|style="text-align: left; font-size: 95%;"| Nasal || || {{IPA|m}} || || || || {{IPA|n}}
|-
|style="text-align: left; font-size: 95%;"| Plosive || {{IPA|p}} || {{IPA|b}} || || || {{IPA|t}} || {{IPA|d}} || || || {{IPA|k}} || {{IPA|g}}
|-
|style="text-align: left; font-size: 95%;"| Fricative || || || {{IPA|f}} || {{IPA|v}} || {{IPA|s}} || || {{IPA|ʃ}} || || || || {{IPA|h}}
|-
|style="text-align: left; font-size: 95%;"| Affricate || || || || || {{IPA|ts}} || {{IPA|dz}} || || {{IPA|tʃ}}
|-
|style="text-align: left; font-size: 95%;"| Approximants || {{IPA|ʍ}} || {{IPA|w}}
|-
|style="text-align: left; font-size: 95%;"| Trill || || || || || || {{IPA|r}}
|-
|style="text-align: left; font-size: 95%;"| Lateral Approximant || || || || || || {{IPA|l}}
|}
 
</div>
 
====Assimilation====
 
Due to the inherent tendency of snakes (and hence their human inheritors of Parsetongue) to fricativise sounds, plosives commonly assimilate to neighbouring continuants (including aspirate stops), even across word boundaries, except where plosives are geminate. Regressive assimilation is the most common, and changes of the following types have been observed:
 
*{{IPA|[p]}} + ''fricative'' = labialised fricative (''e.g.'' '''pf''' = '''f<sup>w</sup>''')
*{{IPA|[b]}} + ''fricative'' = {{IPA|[v]}} + voiced fricative (''e.g.'' '''bth''' = '''vð''')
**Occasionally, complete assimilation occurs, e.g. '''vð''' becomes '''ðð'''.
*{{IPA|[t]}} + ''fricative'' = geminate fricative
*{{IPA|[d]}} + ''fricative'' = geminate voice fricative
*{{IPA|[k]}} + ''fricative'' = {{IPA|[x]}} + fricative = geminate fricative in certain cases
 
When followed by a {{IPA|[h]}}, whether or not separated by a vowel or diphthong, plosives are aspirated, eliding the {{IPA|[h]}}, and in some progressive dialects fricativise.
 
*E.g. {{IPA|[t]}} + {{IPA|[h]}} = {{IPA|[tʰ]}} or {{IPA|[θ]}}
 
The velar plosives exhibit a slightly irregular pattern of fricativisation, and examples as illustrated below have been noted:
 
*{{IPA|[k/k]}} (i.e. across word boundaries) = {{IPA|[χ]}}
*{{IPA|[g]}} is frequently elided
 
With sonorants, devoicing frequently occurs before a fricative:
 
*{{IPA|[m]}} + {{IPA|[h]}} = ''devoiced '''m'''''
*{{IPA|[r]}} + {{IPA|[h]}} = ''devoiced '''r''''' or {{IPA|[hr]}}
*{{IPA|[l]}} + {{IPA|[h]}} = ''devoiced '''l''''' or {{IPA|[hl]}}
**{{IPA|[l]}} + ''fricative'' sometimes causes the {{IPA|[l]}} to vocalise to an {{IPA|[u]}}
 
Frequently, intervocalic {{IPA|[h]}} is elided.
 
In the construction of the past tense (''see also [[#Verbs|Verbs]] below''), assimilation takes place regularly with consonant-stem verbs. In the text example provided [[#Example passage|below]], the past tense of "to like" is ''hinneis''; the stem of the verb is actually ''hil-'', but with the adding of the past tense suffix ''-n-'', the ''-l-'' of the stem completely assimilates, resulting in a geminate ''nn''.
 
{{Seealso|see=the [[#Diphthongs|Diphthongs]] section}}
 
===Vowels===
 
Parseltongue vowels have phonemic length, but the distinction is not usually made as speakers generally lengthen and shorten vowels at will, or elide them; only the former process is substantially common, however. Occasionally, when two identical vowels occur consecutively (which happens only when they are across a word boundary or when an intermediate consonant, usually {{IPA|[h]}}, has been elided), the resulting sound may be four times as long as normally due to such arbitrary lengthening.
 
====Monophthongs====
 
<div style="margin-left:50px;">
 
{| style="text-align: center; background: #f9f9f9; border: 1pt solid #c0c0c0;"
!colspan=9 style="text-align:center; background: #efefef;"| Vowels
|- style="vertical-align: center; font-size: x-small; height: 2em"
| ||colspan=2| Front ||colspan=2| Near-front ||colspan=2| Central ||colspan=2| Back
|-
|style="text-align: left; font-size: 95%;"| High || {{IPA|i}} || || || || || || {{IPA|ɯ}} || {{IPA|u}}
|-
|style="text-align: left; font-size: 95%;"| High-mid || || || {{IPA|e}} || || || || || {{IPA|o}}
|-
|style="text-align: left; font-size: 95%;"| Low || || || || || {{IPA|a}}
|}
 
</div>
 
The above table shows the phonemic vowels in Parseltongue. Among them, {{IPA|[e]}} and {{IPA|[o]}} have allophones of {{IPA|[ɛ]}} and {{IPA|[ɔ]}} respectively.
 
====Diphthongs====
 
Historically, Parseltongue had four diphthongs, {{IPA|[ai]}}, {{IPA|[ei]}}, {{IPA|[ao]}} and {{IPA|[au]}}. In modern times, only {{IPA|[ai]}} has remained unchanged over the years, while {{IPA|[ei]}} has become {{IPA|[e:]}}, {{IPA|[au]}} has become {{IPA|[o:]}} and {{IPA|[ao]}} has taken the place of {{IPA|[au]}}, leaving only two.
 
Diphthongs, like monophthongs, can also be lengthened, albeit in their case only for the first component vowel. For example, when {{IPA|[ai]}} is so lengthened, the resulting sound combination (no longer a diphthong, but two separate syllables) is {{IPA|[a:.i]}}.
 
Arbitrary lengthening sometimes also alters the quality of Parseltongue diphthongs, when the next vowel (irrespective of whether there is an intervening consonant) is identical to the second component in the diphthong. E.g. ''arsiæ hinneis'' "my sister liked" {{IPA|[ar.si.ˈai ˈhin.ne:s]}} (two words) > {{IPA|ar.si.ˈa:i ˈhi.ne:s]}} (two words) > {{IPA|ar.si.ˈa:.hi.ne:s]}} (as though one word).
 
==Orthography==
 
===Alphabet===
 
Parseltongue, having no native script, is romanised with English consonants and Italian vowels.
 
Vowels that cannot be reduced or elided are marked with an acute accent ( ́), while stress is normally unmarked. In the rare cases where a vowel is prohibited from arbitrary lengthening, a caron (an inverted circumflex) is used to mark the vowel.
 
The full alphabet of 22 letters used to romanise Parseltongue is as follows (sounds in IPA):
 
{|style="margin-left: 50px; background: #f9f9f9; border: 1pt solid #c0c0c0;" cellspacing=0 cellpadding=2
! Letter || Sound || Letter || Sound || Digraph || Sound
|-
| Aa || {{IPA|a}} || Mm || {{IPA|m}} || Ai || {{IPA|ai}} 
|-
| Ææ || {{IPA|ai}} || Nn || {{IPA|m}} || Ao || {{IPA|au}}
|-
| Bb || {{IPA|b}} || Oo || {{IPA|o}} || Au || {{IPA|o:}}
|-
| Dd || {{IPA|d}} || Pp || {{IPA|p}} || Br{{footnote|2}} || {{IPA|bɯr}}
|-
| Ee || {{IPA|e}} || Rr || {{IPA|r}} || Ch || {{IPA|tʃ}}
|-
| Ff || {{IPA|f}} || Ss || {{IPA|s}} || Ei || {{IPA|e:}}
|-
| Gg || {{IPA|g}} || Tt || {{IPA|t}} || Hw || {{IPA|ʍ}}
|-
| Hh || {{IPA|h}} || Uu || {{IPA|u}} || Sh || {{IPA|ʃ}}
|-
| Ii || {{IPA|i}} || Vv || {{IPA|v}} || Ts || {{IPA|ts}}
|-
| Kk || {{IPA|k}} || Ww || {{IPA|w}}
|-
| Ll || {{IPA|l}} || Yy{{footnote|1}} || {{IPA|ɯ}}
|}
{{footnote|1}} If, when {{IPA|[ɯ]}} elides in everyday speech, the preceding plosive is immediately followed by a fricative, assimilation takes place. When voiced plosives are followed by {{IPA|[h]}}, they are aspirated, e.g. ''dy hí'' "and who-ACC" {{IPA|[dɯhi]}} > {{IPA|[dhi]}} > {{IPA|[dʰi]}}.
 
{{footnote|2}} Historic {{IPA|[r̩]}} unpacked itself to become {{IPA|[ɯr]}}. When followed by a vowel, {{IPA|[ɯ]}} elides and the digraph becomes the consonant cluster {{IPA|[br]}}.
 
===History===
 
::''A fictional history involving J. K. Rowling's magical world in the'' Harry Potter ''series''
 
Romanisation of Parseltongue for writing was first done by English wizards in the 17th century, by the principle of having, as far as possible, one letter to one sound without using letters outside the basic Roman alphabet or extraneous diacritics. There is one odd extra letter, &lt;æ&gt;, adopted from the Icelandic alphabet, to represent the diphthong {{IPA|[ai]}}, but only where it denotes the first person genitive case (e.g. ''arsi'', sister; ''arsiæ'', my sister), the first-person verb ending (''-æ''), or the third-person masculine one (''-æs''). Besides the logically understandable diphthongs, digraphs are historically explicable:
 
*'''ch''' and '''sh''' were written as in English
*'''ts''' was adopted from romanisation of Greek and Russian
 
==Grammar==
 
===Word order===
 
===Nouns===
====Declension====
====Genitive marking====
 
===Pronouns===
 
===Adjectives===
 
===Verbs===
====Aspect, mood and tense====
 
===Adverbs===


==Example passage==
What a Parselmouth hears when he listens to a snake (or another Parselmouth) are the natural hissing sounds of the snake (or, respectively, their imitation by the Parselmouth), and at the same moment, he magically knows what the snake (or the Parselmouth) wants to tell him.  When he speaks Parseltongue, the Parselmouth subconsciously 'translates' his thoughts into snake-sounds.  The knowledge of the grammar and the lexicon of Parseltongue  is subconscious and cannot be told to someone else or written down.


The following example passage of Parseltongue is a translation of the Parseltongue dialogue between Tom Marvolo Riddle and Morfin, recorded in English in ''Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince'', pp.341-2:
===Related or descended conlangs===
* [[Parseltongue-inspired]], aka ''Fispa''
* [[Stilio]], a.k.a ''Parseltongue-inspired 2''


{|style="background: #f9f9f9; border: 1pt solid #c0c0c0; width: 60%;"
[[Category:Conlangs]]
!style="background: #dfdfdf;"| English || Parseltongue
|-
| ||
|}

Latest revision as of 20:25, 30 July 2012

Parseltongue is a fictional language spoken by snakes in the Harry Potter series of novels (author: J. K. Rowling), whose known human speakers include the Lord Voldemort and Harry Potter. This language has, however, not been publicly described by Rowling and has no known form.

Indeed, it is unlikely that a dictionary or a grammar of Parseltongue was ever written even in the Harry Potter wizarding world itself. The reason for this is that Parseltongue is not as much a learnable language as an innate magical ability. Either you are born a Parselmouth, in which case you can speak and understand Parseltongue without ever learning it, or you are not, in which case you will never ever be able to speak or understand Parseltongue.

What a Parselmouth hears when he listens to a snake (or another Parselmouth) are the natural hissing sounds of the snake (or, respectively, their imitation by the Parselmouth), and at the same moment, he magically knows what the snake (or the Parselmouth) wants to tell him. When he speaks Parseltongue, the Parselmouth subconsciously 'translates' his thoughts into snake-sounds. The knowledge of the grammar and the lexicon of Parseltongue is subconscious and cannot be told to someone else or written down.

Related or descended conlangs

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