Introduction
If you're here right now, you're probably interested in learning Parseltongue. You may or may not be a native speaker of the language, but chances are you've experienced the language before and want to understand a Speaker or a snake in your life.
If you aren't already there, I will not be able to get you to fluency this term. At the core level, Parseltongue is not just spoken or heard - but felt through your deepest essence of being. This class, though, might very well be your first step to getting there. At the very least, you'll be able to recognize the way sentences are structured, as well as understanding some words. Through those basic words and phrases, you may already see yourself getting into the serpentine mindset of Speakers; hopefully, you will be inspired to strengthen your connection to snakes so that eventually you will be able to really speak and understand the language!
My predecessor's classroom had a few terrariums with a variety of snakes with which students could help practice the language. Some of these snakes, along with others from the dungeons, have moved over to the ophidiarium connected to my classroom. If you want, you can go over there after the lessons to practice Parseltongue with them. While they have been known to attempt to confuse past students, they are all excited at the prospect of speaking in their own tongue to new students. Conversing with snakes is very rewarding, especially as your connection to them gets stronger over time; they can be very supportive and affectionate if your connection with them is strong enough! Even before you get to that point, you can work together with your classmates to discover more words than what I can tell you in the lessons.
By the end of the course you should be able to get a rough understanding of most basic spoken sentences, as well as picking up on key words for more complicated sentences, especially if you have the right context. Directly quoting my predecessor: "It is more a lesson in logic and how to decipher words from context clues, known words, and derivatives than a lesson in language itself."
By taking this course you agree that any words discovered through homework assignments, discussions, or projects may be used to further the study of Parseltongue in future courses.
If you aren't already there, I will not be able to get you to fluency this term. At the core level, Parseltongue is not just spoken or heard - but felt through your deepest essence of being. This class, though, might very well be your first step to getting there. At the very least, you'll be able to recognize the way sentences are structured, as well as understanding some words. Through those basic words and phrases, you may already see yourself getting into the serpentine mindset of Speakers; hopefully, you will be inspired to strengthen your connection to snakes so that eventually you will be able to really speak and understand the language!
My predecessor's classroom had a few terrariums with a variety of snakes with which students could help practice the language. Some of these snakes, along with others from the dungeons, have moved over to the ophidiarium connected to my classroom. If you want, you can go over there after the lessons to practice Parseltongue with them. While they have been known to attempt to confuse past students, they are all excited at the prospect of speaking in their own tongue to new students. Conversing with snakes is very rewarding, especially as your connection to them gets stronger over time; they can be very supportive and affectionate if your connection with them is strong enough! Even before you get to that point, you can work together with your classmates to discover more words than what I can tell you in the lessons.
By the end of the course you should be able to get a rough understanding of most basic spoken sentences, as well as picking up on key words for more complicated sentences, especially if you have the right context. Directly quoting my predecessor: "It is more a lesson in logic and how to decipher words from context clues, known words, and derivatives than a lesson in language itself."
By taking this course you agree that any words discovered through homework assignments, discussions, or projects may be used to further the study of Parseltongue in future courses.
Class Rules
Turning in Homework:
Send your homework/extension requests to: [email protected]
When you turn in assignments to the class email, the subject of your email should be formatted as follows:
Parseltongue - HW# - HOLNAME
Parseltongue - EC# - HOLNAME
Parseltongue - Final - HOLNAME
Make sure you send your HW and EC in separately!
Similarly, if you need an extension, the subject should read:
Extension - HOLNAME
Extension requests should be sent in BEFORE the assignment's due date, or 5 points will still be deducted from any HW sent in after its due date.
In the body of your email you MUST include the following information:
Your full HOL name.
Your HOL House.
No assignment will be accepted without this information!
POINTS:
This is a one-term class.
As such, there will be four lessons, a term project, and a final exam.
Each lesson will consist of an assignment and an extra credit; the extra credit for the first three assignments will have a "discussion" component which takes place on the class forum.
The term project will be an individual thought assignment with no wrong answers; you will have the option, if you wish, to complete some of it in Parseltongue.
The final exam will test you on everything you have learned thus far in the lessons, including what you may have learned from your classmates or on your own during our discussion sessions.
Assignments, Extra Credit, the Term Project, and the Final Exam will all be worth up to 30 points each. This gives each student the ability to earn up to 300 points total.
QUILLS:
To earn a quill, you must earn at least 150 points over the course of the class and attempt the Final Exam. The Extra Credit and Term Project assignments will help you reach that total if you lose points during the assignments or Final Exam.
LATE WORK:
Late assignments will still be accepted, but 5 points will be deducted unless you had contacted me previously for an extension. However, I will not accept any assignments past the day of the Final Exam due date.
ACCESSIBILITY:
Should you rely on assistive technology or have any other needs that should be taken into account, please contact me and we can discuss other options for certain parts of the assignments.
PAST STUDENTS:
Spring 2024 is the ninth time this is being offered (the first was Spring 2020). If you have taken Parseltongue 101 under Sirithre Leylnn, then you are still eligible to take Parseltongue: A Challenging Introduction; although the material is similar, I have changed up the assignments and my dialect of Parseltongue is slightly different from hers!
If you earned a quill in either Parseltongue: A Challenging Introduction (the course name since Spring 2021) or Parseltongue for Beginners (which is what I called this class in Spring 2020 and Fall 2020), then you are not eligible to earn another quill from this class because the material is substantially similar. But - to Parseltongue for Beginners alumni who want to see how the language has evolved since I began teaching the class, note the following:
-Four words in the lexicon were changed slightly to match pronunciation rules: the word for "human" is now ʃen (formerly ʃem), the word for "human-like" is now ʃene (formerly ʃemne), the word for "cat" is now peslʃis (formerly pelʃis), and the word for "ceiling" is now keisling (formerly keilsing).
-The Houses of Hogwarts are now properly rendered as Grifindor, Hufslpuf, Revinksla, and Slitherin (you may have learned the variant forms Hufelpuf and Revinkla in a previous term; while you will be understood either way, Hufslpuf and Revinksla are the preferred forms.)
-The grammar explanations have been made clearer and more precise; you may enjoy the mnemonic explained at the end of Lesson Three:
Si-sub-na-ra si-ob-na-ra ʃe-ne-suu-sa (esh) (you will find the explanation for what it means in Lesson Three).
-Explanations of three additional sounds: "ch" (transcribed as tʃ in Parseltongue), "th" (as in "with" - NOT as in "wither"), and "hw" (found in certain dialects) has been added to Lesson 1. (Past students have encountered words with "th" - such as vinth - but may not have actually learned how these types of words should be pronounced.)
-The two counting systems in Parseltongue each have their own system of numerals: for ine you simply write the number of I's to represent the number (4 is IIII for example) and for sivane you write an S for each si and a V for each va (so 4 = sivava = SVV).