Harry Potter - Spelling Errors?

[hexx]

Hello, I bought the RainCoast Harry Potter books. In First and Second book like there was a few, only when Hagrid speaking like "yeh" is you and 'An is and, ter = to and there lots. When i got to book 3: Prisoner Of Azkaban i found really hard to read some parts: When the knight Bus came: '"Choo fall over for?", "Choo lookin' at?" , "Woos that on your 'ead?" , "Scary-lookin' fng, inee?" and "Black woz a big supporter of You-Know-Oo," and there like more and it really bother me, can anyone please tell me why is it like that? I am very interesting about this, and it took me long time to guess what those words mean.

Thanks Hexx

 

[Ell]

Hello and welcome, hexx.

What you mention are not spelling errors. They are the author's way of emulating the character's manner of speech or accent - ie. the way a character would really sound if you could "hear" him speak.

it took me long time to guess what those words mean.

You're probably better off not trying to figure out the meaning of each word, but let yourself "hear" it as it's written.

Therefore, "Scary-lookin' fng, inee?" in correct speech would be "Scary looking thing, isn't he?". But it wouldn't be how the character would say it. Makes it more interesting, don't you think?

Lot's of writers do this. Some better than others. I just finished Watership Down and Richard Adams uses different "accents" for the different animals in the story. Very clever.

Hope this helps a bit.

 

[hexx]

Thanks! Now it open the whole story for me..i just was really confused..thanks anyway! take care

 

[ArmedJimmy]

With the author being English it will be harder for any non-english reader to understand.
Altho I've never read it alot of my friends rave about trainspotting, as its written entirely like that, but in a Scottish accent.

 

[murphyz]

Isn't JK Rowling Scottish?

Trainspotting is indeed very good, but can be hard to understand if you are not familiar with the Scots. The film was apparantly subtitled in America. I lived in Scotland for 12 years before moving to London and I went to see a film here called Sweet Sixteen which is about a Scottish boy (funnily enough turning 16). The accents were so broad that the first fifteen minutes of the film were subtitled so that people could get into the swing of the accents. I did not need the subtitles and could understand it all perfectly, but after the fifteen minutes had lapsed and the subtitles disappeared, 4 people walked out of the cinema.

So, yes, it makes a great difference in capturing the true character in both the books and films, but in some instances it can exclude people from it.

Mxx

 

[phil_t]

Is Ernie meant to be Scottish then?? I always thought he was a Cockney

Phil

 

[Five]

Isn't JK Rowling Scottish?

No she's from a town near Bristol called Yate. The house where she was born is 200metres from my house and I went to the same school as her.

 

[madking]

JK is from England/UK.

 

[SHorn]

There was one spelling error I found while reading Chamber of Secrets: Professorr