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LINGUISTIC CREATIVITY IN FANTASY LITERATURE: A STUDY OF
NEW WORD FORMATION IN THE HARRY POTTER BOOKS
Akhmadullina Raykhona
The second-year Master's student, KFU, Linguistics, Russia, Kazan
https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.13982506
Annotation
:
This articles examines the neologisms' structural and
semantic characteristics in J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter book series, highlighting
the inventive language that enhances the magical setting. The examination of the
morphological and semantic characteristics that contribute to the effectiveness
and memorability of new words, such as spell names, character names, and
creature species, is part of the analytic process. In addition to word construction
processes like addition, affixation, and mixing, the article also explores the
cultural and symbolic connotations connected to mythology, folklore, and
linguistic traditions. The findings demonstrate how neologisms clarify character
differences, contribute to the fantastical atmosphere, and increase the reader's
sense of absorption in the magical realm.
Key words:
English, literature, Harry Potter, semantics, neologisms,
British, meaning, new words.
The Harry Potter book series by J.K. Rowling is one of the most successful
and influential literary works of our time. With over 500 million copies sold
worldwide, the books have captured the hearts of readers of all ages and
cultures. One of the most interesting aspects of the Harry Potter series is the
language used by the author, which is rich in new and creative words. These
words are not only important for understanding the world of Harry Potter, but
also for understanding the process of word formation and the linguistic
creativity of authors. This thesis will explore the structural and semantic
features of new words in the Harry Potter series, analyzing how they are formed,
what they mean, and how they contribute to the richness and complexity of the
series richness and complexity of the series.
Theoretical aspects of neologisms in literature.
The neologism is widely
used in literature in order to make the plot of the various literature works more
fulfilling and engaging.
In the case of the fantasy genre, new words are not only a
means of characterizing the characters and their surroundings, but also serve to
create a believable world where magic and magical creatures are perceived by
the reader as an integral part of reality.
The Harry Potter series has been widely celebrated for its linguistic
creativity, particularly its use of new and inventive words. As literary scholar
Nickianne Moody notes, "Rowling's language is one of the most remarkable
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things about the books...her inventiveness and her humour combine to make the
Harry Potter books a linguistic delight" .The use of neologisms in the series has
been credited with creating a unique and immersive world, as well as reflecting
the language practices and concerns of contemporary culture. As language
scholar Michael Adams argues, "Rowling's creation of words in the Harry Potter
series is remarkable...the books' language reveals a deep and often whimsical
playfulness with the English language that is grounded in contemporary culture"
Research methodology.
The neologisms appeared in two books of the
series, including the names of spells, creatures and magical objects, were
selected for the study. Each new word was analyzed from the point of view of
morphology and semantics, lexical units and mechanisms of their formation, as
well as cultural and symbolic meanings were identified. The method of
contextual analysis was used to determine the function and meaning of
neologism in specific plot situations.
One of the key features of neologisms in the Harry Potter series is their use of
linguistic creativity, such as wordplay and phonological manipulation. For
example, the word "Quidditch" is formed by combining the words "quaffle" and
"snitch," which are two key elements of the game. As language scholar Mark
Liberman notes, "the creation of new words through wordplay and phonological
manipulation is a common feature of neologisms, and can contribute to their
memorability and distinctiveness". Another key aspect of the semantic analysis
of neologisms in the Harry Potter series will be the examination of semantic
fields, which are groups of words that share similar meanings or associations. As
language scholar John Sinclair notes, "semantic fields can reveal the cognitive
and cultural aspects of language use, and can provide insights into the way in
which people organize and understand the world around them".
One of the most commonly used word formation processes in the Harry
Potter series is affixation, the process of adding a prefix or suffix to an existing
word to create a new word. For example, the word "invisibility" is formed by
adding the suffix "-ity" to the root word "invisible." According to linguistic
scholar M.A.K. Halliday, affixation is a productive and common word formation
process in English, and is used in a variety of contexts to create new words.
Another word formation process used by J.K. Rowling in the Harry Potter series
is compounding, the process of combining two or more words to create a new
word. For example, the word "Hogwarts" is formed by combining the words
"hog" and "warts." According to language scholar David Crystal, compounding is
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a fundamental aspect of word formation in many languages, and is particularly
important in English, which has a rich tradition of compound words.
Neologism neologisms formed with the help of borrowing.
The first
neologism to start with is called
Gryffindor
, who appeared in the first book of
the series.Gryffindor is one of the four Houses of Hogwarts School that Rowling
created in her Harry Potter series. This is derived from the Latin word
'Griffin
,'
which refers to a legendary creature with the div of a lion. While
'dor'
is a
French word that means
'gold'
.We'll get
'Griffin of Gold'
by merging them.
Rowling thus borrowed and mixed both. words to build a new lexical item
representing the House of Gryffindor, which is represented by The lion and the
golden hue.
The second lexical unit which belongs to this category is
Lumos
. This neologism
refers to a famous spell in Harry Potter, which is also called the Wand-
Lighting Charm. This latter allows wizards to cast light from the tip of their
wands to lighten up the place. The word appeared in the second book.
The spell
Lumos
is formed from the Latin term 'lumen,' which means light, and 'os,' which
simply means to have something; so, combining the two gives us the expression
'to provide light,' which is exactly what the spell does.
Neologisms formed using derivation and compounding.
The word
Muggle
is composed of two components: mug + -le. The first component is the
word ‘mug’ which means according to the Oxford Dictionary: a person who is
stupid and easy to trick. While the second one is the suffix –le. Therefore,
Rowling combined the two parts to come up with this neologism. One can say
that there is a clear relation between the definition of the English word ‘mug’
and the invented one ‘muggle’. That is, both of these words share the same
characteristic of foolishness. Seeker is the second neologism in the category of
derivation. This later is one of a collection of words devised by the author to
establish a comprehensive lexicology for a magical sport known as Quidditch.
The term Seeker refers to a game character. That means, this player's primary
goal is to catch a unique ball in the game.
The word Hufflepuff is formed from the compound
‘huffle’
which means ‘to
blow in gusts’ (Merriam Dictionary), whereas the second compound ‘puff’ means
‘a short, explosive burst of breath or wind’ (Oxford Dictionary). Also ‘Huffing
and puffing’ suggests hard work (The Harry Potter Lexicon), which is related to
the members who belong to this House, for that they are not very intelligent yet
hard workers. The second invented word by Rowling is another name
related to the four Houses which is Ravenclaw. This latter is the Hogwarts
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house of founder Rowena Ravenclaw.
Mudblood
is another neologism created
through the compounding process.
This word is simply formed from combining
both nouns: ‘mud’ which means wet earth that is soft and sticky, and ‘blood’
which is the red liquid that flows through the bodies of humans and animals
(Oxford Dictionary).
Neologism formed using blending and coinage.
The first invented word to
begin with is called,
Animagus
. It means the ability to turn into a certain
animal at any moment. The word Animagus is formed from the clipping
two lexical units and then combining together. In other words, the
English word ‘animal’ is clipped into ‘anim’, and with the addition of the
Latin word ‘magus’, which means ‘magic user’, Rowling, finally came
with the word Animagus, which refers literally to a wizard with animal
abilities.
Pensive
is the second neologism that emerges from this word-
formation process. The Pensieve is a magical item that is used to
evaluate memories. It resembles a small stone or metal basin into which
runes and weird symbols have been carved and precious stones have
been set (The Harry Potter Wiki). This coined term is a mix of 'pensive'
and'sieve'. 'Pensive' is derived from French and originally from the Latin
'pensare,' which means 'to consider,' and in modern English usage
indicates 'thoughtful' or'reflective'. 'Sieve' refers to an object used to
separate undesired stuff from wanted material.
Quidditch
is the first
neologism to be introduced. This neologism refers to the only sport in
Harry Potter's wizarding realm. is a fast, risky, and entertaining game in
which two teams fight for points by hurling a ball - the Quaffle - through
hoops on either end. This word invented by Rowling has no records
among the other languages, hence, it is a coined word. Moreover,
Rowling (1999) claimed that: “I invented Quidditch while spending the
night in a very small room in the Bournville Hotel in Didsbury,
Manchester” (AmazonUK).
Conclusion
The most commonly used processes in her way of creating new words,
according to the findings, are Borrowing and Compounding, for that
approximately half of the data was included in this category. Since
Rowling was often acquainted with languages, especially old ones,
she used this quality in her favour to come up with new words (such as
the list of spells in the saga), thus, the Borrowing process was the
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most one to be used. Moreover, the analysis showed that the
Compounding process was also frequently used. Words like Ravenclaw,
Mudblood, Hufflepuff, and Hippogriff all belong to the Compounding
process, which as a result, reveal that the author used this process more
often.
References:
1.
Algeo, John 1991. Fifty Years among the New Words: A Dictionary of
Neologisms. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
2.
Arnold – Арнольд И. В. 1986. Лексикология Современного
Английского Языка:
3.
McArthur, F., & McArthur, T. (1992). The Oxford companion to the English
language. Oxford: Oxford University Press
4.
Rowling, J. K. (1998). Harry Potter and the philosophers stone: vol. 1.
London: Bloomsbury.
5.
Rowling, J. K. (1999). Harry Potter and the chamber of secrets. Thorndike,
ME: Thorndike Press
6.
Oxford Dictionaries. Available at http://oxforddictionaries.com/
7.
Book analysis and glossary: https://bookanalysis.com/harry-
potter/glossary/
