拉丁語的歷史脈絡與《哈利波特》裡的符咒

Abstract

身為一門垂垂老矣的語言，拉丁語一點也不隱居和低調。拉丁語出現在各式各樣的電視、影集、小說、音樂，和本論文的主題《哈利波特》系列小說裡，一門千年前的古語，進了現代，卻儼然成了強大魔法的代言「語」，好似只要學會了拉丁語，誰都能心想事成、美夢成真。 自從拉丁語在西元前四百年，隨著羅馬帝國崛起之後，拉丁語就在古老的歐陸上叱詫風雲，權勢不曾消減。在羅馬帝國敗亡後，拉丁語晉升成了天主教的禮儀語，在西元後八百年的查理曼大帝復興裡，進一步地成了尊貴不凡的菁英語。直到進入西元的第二個千年裡，拉丁語依然在學術、科學、宗教、法律各層面，擔任著沒有任一其他語言可以取代的載體角色。甚至入了現代，拉丁語還搖身一變，化為代表了「魔法」的神奇語言。 本文試圖經由拉丁語的歷史脈絡，看《哈利波特》系列裡的符咒們。在前半段的論文中，我們討論拉丁語的簡略歷史，看拉丁語如何在兩千年裡，由羅馬帝國的「標準語」演化成歐洲的文化符號。在後半段的論文裡，我們則逐一檢視《哈利波特》中符咒的語法、原意和結構。期盼可以經由此一討論，讓讀者們對埋在遠古前的拉丁語，有更深一些的理解。As an ancient language, Latin did not lay low. It is nearly omnipresent in all sorts of media: TV shows, music, and fictional writings such as the phenomenal Harry Potter Book Series. In our time, the Latin language seems to have become a sort of magical language. It was as if by simply mastering Latin, one could make all their wishes come true. Ever since Latin became the Roman Empire's lingua franca in around 400 B.C.E., Latin met no resistance in its spread across Europe. It held a dominating position through the entire first millennium, and it still holds irreplaceable roles in academic fields of science, religion, and law well into the second and third millennium. A strange thing happened, though - in our modern era, the Latin language has taken on a more mystical role: both influencing, and, in some cultures, even becoming the language of magic. This thesis wishes to illuminate the process of how Latin shifted from the lingua franca of the Roman Empire to one of the most recognizable cultural symbols of Europe in our time. Through an examination of each and every one of spells in the Harry Potter Series, I hope to further elucidate and bring a greater understanding of the cultural impact this extraordinary language has had and continues to impart upon the world.