Lesson 1 - Introduction

[Oceana Coventina]

Hey, I am Oceana Coventina I beleave its Oke'ana Koventina in Parseltongue and am a year one Slytherin. I am interested in learning Parseltongue to talk to snakes as I love animals of all kinds especially snakes! I really enjoy learning languages and am also learning (slowly but surely) French and Korean.

[Aurelia West]

Hello all, I'm Aurelia West (or Aresli'a Vest) and I'm a seventh year Slytherin. I figured since it's my last year as a Slytherin student, I should finally learn how to talk to snakes, particularly our house pet, Basl. I've always been a fan of languages and discovery so this sounded right up my alley. I'm most excited to become more familiar with pronunciation as the term goes on. Luckily, Prof. Visl has so many snakes I can converse with. I've also studied Spanish for years and am slowly learning Mandarin. I'm very excited to get to speaking!

[Hina Green]

Hi! I'm Hina Green (Hina Grin) from the Slytherin house. I decided to take this class as snakes are my favorite animals and I wish I had a coded language to use with my friends from hogwarts! In particular Sora Matou of slytherin ;D
My patronous is a weasel! and my first language is Italian! I hope that my English is not too bad.

[Caius Magnusson]

Hello, everyone! I am Caius Magnusson, and for the time being I have decided to write my name as Kai'us Magnus Iang in Parseltongue - although this might change once I find out how snakes approach patronymic naming conventions, that is! I am a member of Slytherin.

I decided to take Parseltongue owing to several reasons - first of all, I really enjoy languages and this class was in my radar for a long time, ever since I joined HOL. Furthermore, the content and assignments for the course seemed very interesting, so I was happy to give it a try! To be quite honest, the fact Parseltongue is indirect / contextual is probably what piques my interest the most: I also know Japanese, which is likely one of the most indirect or contextual languages in the world (provided, of course, that we are talking about languages with a large number of speakers, rather than fringe dialects). In fact, Japanese also shares a subject - object - verb structure with Parseltongue, so I wonder if that will make the learning process easier for me. In this term, I am most looking forward to do research on advanced Parseltongue if given the chance to - the materials strongly provide students great fundamentals, but I want to go beyond and delve into the cultural and formal aspects of the language.

Some questions that I want to tackle in the future are "how do cultural perceptions enhance or hinder persuasion in Parseltongue?" and (perhaps the one question I want to address the most) "how do snakes use conjunctions or other sorts of connective devices to make long speeches, if at all?" - and, if they do not, I intend to understand what gives an impression of persuasion or high vocabulary/syntax/cohesion to a given phrase.

Outside of this class, you may find out that I am also very interested in visual forms of writing - particularly Japanese Kanji! If you do have an interest on the topic, feel free to reach out to me at any time.

[Ivonne Zwei]

Hello Parseltongue Classmates. My name is Ivonne Zwei and I was sorted in Slytherin.

I decided to take this class because it was one of the more challenging ones I looked at when I was deciding which to take. I also think, from what I have heard of it, that Parseltongue is a mesmerizing-sounding language. I have felt entranced when listening to it and was curious to know more about it. I hope I am able to catch on quickly, as this is a subject I would very much like to be as proficient in as I'm able.

A little about me, I own a small bakery for a living, I keep aquariums for a hobby, and between just those two things my almost compulsive perfectionism is kept well-fueled. One mistake with my cakes and I have unhappy customers, one mistake with my tanks and I have sick fish. So I thought, "Why not attend Hogwarts and give myself one more thing to dread failing?" That's a joke, mostly, I'm actually quite looking forward to my coursework.

[Nalia Awer]

Hi everyone, my name is Nalia Awer and I am a first year Ravenclaw student.
I decided to take this class because I wated a challenge and I find snakes to be really interesting animals. I look forward to learn more about the language, espacially new vocabulary.
I admit, I find it difficult to translate names, but I think with a bit of practice I will catch on pretty well.
I translated my name to: Nasli'a Eiva

A little about me, I am from Germany, so English is not my native language. I graduated recently and will start my first semester at university soon, so I hope I won't stress out myself too much with my additional studies at Hogwarts.
I'm really looking forward to my classes.

[Kenz Eternal]

Hello, I’m Kenz Eternal, and I’m a first year Hufflepuff student.

I took this class as I wanted a challenge. I love learning new languages, and I believe this will be the most difficult class I take this term. I’m excited to learn more, even if I struggle with it— I mean, how cool would it be to talk to snakes?

A bit about me— I graduated muggle college last year and have decided to continue my studies at Hogwarts in my free time. I may have struggles with this class in particular, so if you want a ‘study buddy’ or simply someone to work with, feel free to reach out so we can work together!

[Zurawlina Keller]

My name is Zurawlina Keller, I’m from Slytherin. I decided to take this class since I always used to love learning languages and Parseltongue sounds like an interesting challenge. Oh and also I love how it sounds
Fan fact: When I was learning polish my friends kept joking that I’m learning Parseltongue because of its pshpsh sounds. So I guess I already have some pronunciation practice

[Ziya Swan]

Hi I'm Ziya Swan, first year student in hol- in slyrethin house.
I love animals. But specially snake i love them. They talk to me i think, always i thought.
That's why interested in this class. I love to learn parceltoungh language, i want to learn this language. When i saw this course available in first year i choose it immediately without second thought.
And i want in future i learn it properly. And understand what snakes say to me. I help them if they any danger.
I love dance, create song, and singing also. And i love to draw nature. I love nature. I love winter season. I love to play basketball, tennis. Making true friends in different countries.

[Scarlet Robloutain]

Hiya, my name is Scarlet, I'm a first year Slytherin.

I've always been fascinated by magical languages and their ties to wizarding history. Joining this class allows me to explore Parseltongue and its meaning.
I'm excited to unravel its mysteries and understand how it connects with magical creatures, that is definitely something I'm looking forward to exploring this term.

Something about me, hmm... Outside of my academic studies, I enjoy spending time in nature and writing poetry.

[Salazar Montecello]

Hi! my name is Salazar Montecello and I am a proud member of the House of Salazar Slytherin!!

What motivated you to take this class?

I have always been fascinated with Parseltongue ever since I first heard it at the early age of eleven. I heard an older student talking to another professor in Parseltongue and at first, I just thought that it was a bunch of whispering and hissing but then I realized that I could understand some of the words. So that is the main reason that I took this class was to learn another language so that I could speak to others who knew it.

[Katelin Ross]

My name is Katelin Ross and I am a Hufflepuff postgraduate. I decided to take this class because I wanted to brush up on a new language, and I wanted to attempt this class again (as I did not pass it the first time I took it). I see Parseltongue as a whole new language to learn, and I am excited to learn it. When not in class, I can be found in and around IRC talking with fellow classmates and brushing up on my Quidditch skills. I am looking forward to meeting new people, and learning a new language!

[Sophia Williams]

Hello, my name is Sophia Williams, I’m a first year Gryffindor. I tried to translate my name as “Sofi’a Visli’ans” in Parseltongue.
I decided to study Parseltongue for a few reasons. Firstly, I love mental stimulation and challenges, and as this first assignment showed me, this course will be challenging for me. I’m also fascinated by languages “invented” in series and film and, as a fan of the Harry Potter universe, I felt obligated to have a try at learning this intriguing language. I’m excited to learn how Parseltongue is different from the languages I know.
Outside this class, I’m studying for a Bachelor of Science (biology and biochemistry). I’m fluent in French (my first language) and English. I’m also currently learning Italian, and I’m able to speak basic Spanish. I’m also looking forward to meet new people, and hopefully we will be able to help each other this term.
PS: I will try my best to translate English <-> Parseltongue as accurately as I can, however, as my native language is French, it might make me do some mistakes sometimes.

[Katherine Laurier]

Hello! My name is Katherine Laurier, or in Parseltongue, Kathurin Slari’ei, and I am from the house of Ravenclaw. I decided to take this class because it seemed so interesting. From the moment I saw the name of the class and then looked through the website, I knew it would be fun because it provides really unique lessons on a language in the Harry Potter universe. Parseltongue is an interesting subject in general because what’s cooler than being able to communicate with snakes? Since discovering the class, I wanted to take the opportunity to learn something new, fun, and fascinating, and I knew I’d enjoy the challenge this class would provide. For this class, I’m most looking forward to being able to master the basics, at least, in order to be able to make coherent sentences and have a basic conversation in Parseltongue. I’m eager to learn more and participate in the class!

[Benjamin Solace]

Hi there! My name is Benjamin Solace (Bentʃanin Soslus) and I am a first year Slytherin. When I saw this class on the list, I immediately knew I wanted to take it. I'm just so enchanted at the thought of being able to speak a language used by other creatures (and sometimes people!) I look forward to being able to communicate with fellow Parseltongue students without the other students of HOL knowing I can speak Polish as well as some Spanish, and I love European foods. My favorite animal is probably a ferret (yes, a Draco Malfoy reference.) I'm very excited to learn a new language along with the rest of my peers!