Why are some spells in Harry Potter in English?
Most spells in Harry Potter (magic in general) are in Latin. However, at least two spells, namely Stupefy and Obliviate, are in English. Why is that? I found some sources, but they are in general talking about how magical language is Latin.
Best Answer
While RadarUnicorn is correct that spells such as Obliviate and Stupefy ARE pseudo-Latin just like other spells in the HP stories, there is at least one spell that seems to work with an English incantation:
Eat slugs!
Further reading (from a specialised sci-fi/fantasy site): What Wording Did Witches and Wizards in Other Cultures Use for Spells? and its many duplicates, as well as some of the answers to How could Ron possibly believe that “Sunshine, daisies, butter mellow…” is a real spell?
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Are Harry Potter spells different in different languages?
Because of the nature of wizarding society and the way spells are constructed, the spells are all created using a root language, similar to scientific names that classify animals. This article goes into details on some of the spells and their Latin roots.Why are some spells spoken in Harry Potter?
It's explained in Book 6 that, when a wizard attains a certain level of mastery of magic, they can cast spells without the words. The words, and even the wand, are simply focal points for the magic the wizard wishes to channel.What language do Harry Potter spells come from?
J.K. Rowling used Latin as inspiration for the spells in "Harry Potter." Some translations are very literal; "avis" means "bird."What language are most spells in Harry Potter?
Many of the spells used in the Harry Potter series were derived from Latin, though Rowling looked to other languages for inspiration as well.Top 10 Harry Potter Spells
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Answer 2
These spells are, like many other spells in Harry Potter, pseudo Latin.
Obliviate for example comes from the Latin word "oblivia" which means "forgetfulness".
The resemblance to English words is because English, like most European languages, has its roots in Latin.
Answer 3
This is just speculation on my part, but perhaps the language of the spell is representative of the nationality of the person who discovered/created it. I can't recall any mention of the origin of spells in the books.
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