Bellatrix LeStrange French or British? (Possible Spoilers)

[Scarah]

x-no-archive:yes

For those who heard the Jim Dale "OOTP" audiobook, he gave Bellatrix
LeStrange a French accent (sounds like an evil Fleur Delacourt).
According to the Black Family Tree, she is the sister of Narcissa and
Andromeda Black, She married a guy named LeStrange, but I always
thought the Blacks were British.
Maybe Jim Dale should have consulted JKR. In the audio version,
Bellatrix's taunting of Harry Potter,(Oh he knows how to play, little
bitty baby Potter) sounds like the French teasing Arthur and his
Knightgot in Monty Python and the Holy Grail.

I haven't listened to any of the audiobooks, so consider my theory worth all
the galleons you paid for it. But my guess is that since Bella speaks in
GoF, he probably wanted to keep whatever voice he gave her in that
audiobook. And that was before we knew she was a Black.

Sarah

[EAO]

Post by Scarah
x-no-archive:yes

For those who heard the Jim Dale "OOTP" audiobook, he gave Bellatrix
LeStrange a French accent (sounds like an evil Fleur Delacourt).
According to the Black Family Tree, she is the sister of Narcissa and
Andromeda Black, She married a guy named LeStrange, but I always
thought the Blacks were British.
Maybe Jim Dale should have consulted JKR. In the audio version,
Bellatrix's taunting of Harry Potter,(Oh he knows how to play, little
bitty baby Potter) sounds like the French teasing Arthur and his
Knightgot in Monty Python and the Holy Grail.

I haven't listened to any of the audiobooks, so consider my theory worth all
the galleons you paid for it. But my guess is that since Bella speaks in
GoF, he probably wanted to keep whatever voice he gave her in that
audiobook. And that was before we knew she was a Black.
Sarah

We don't know where she grew up. Perhaps she spent her youth in France and
attended Beauxbatons. Where else did she meet Radolphus Lestrange? We don't
know.

[Hoshisato]

In the audio version, Bellatrix's taunting of Harry Potter, (Oh he knows
how to play, little bitty baby Potter) sounds like the French teasing
Arthur and his Knightgot in Monty Python and the Holy Grail.

Oh, I see the potential for some excellent parodies here...
"Your mother was a Mudblood, and your father smelt of elderberries!"

LOL, well the French have been complaining that a lot of the bad eggs
in HP have names with a French ring to it: Voldemort, Malfoy; and now
LeStrange.
(This was before the Iraq thingy)
But to me it seems that the Dale made a mistake as Bellatrix should
have an English accent (being part of the Black family).

[Alun Palmer]

Post by Hoshisato

In the audio version, Bellatrix's taunting of Harry Potter, (Oh he
knows how to play, little bitty baby Potter) sounds like the French
teasing Arthur and his Knightgot in Monty Python and the Holy Grail.

Oh, I see the potential for some excellent parodies here...
"Your mother was a Mudblood, and your father smelt of elderberries!"

LOL, well the French have been complaining that a lot of the bad eggs
in HP have names with a French ring to it: Voldemort, Malfoy; and now
LeStrange.
(This was before the Iraq thingy)
But to me it seems that the Dale made a mistake as Bellatrix should
have an English accent (being part of the Black family).

This is easily explained. The class divisions in English soceity have
racial overtones to a certain extent. Many (but not all) aristocratic
families are of Norman French descent, and got their land and titles as a
result of invasion. This probably explains the continued popularity of
Robin Hood. Historians keep telling us he was a mere bandit, and perhaps
an amalgam of several bandits, but he was supposedly _our_ bandit. Read
freedom fighter, or, if you were a Norman, _terrorist_.

If you see the Malfoys and the Lestranges as of Norman descent, it helps
to explain not only the Potterverse, but also the class divisions in
England and the relationship between England and France, all at the same
time. Note that Malfoy is old French, not present day spelling. If the
French don't like how the Potterverse reflects the real world, c'est
dommage.

[Li Ailian]

Post by Alun Palmer
This is easily explained. The class divisions in English soceity have
racial overtones to a certain extent. Many (but not all) aristocratic
families are of Norman French descent, and got their land and titles as a
result of invasion. This probably explains the continued popularity of
Robin Hood. Historians keep telling us he was a mere bandit, and perhaps
an amalgam of several bandits, but he was supposedly _our_ bandit. Read
freedom fighter, or, if you were a Norman, _terrorist_.
If you see the Malfoys and the Lestranges as of Norman descent, it helps
to explain not only the Potterverse, but also the class divisions in
England and the relationship between England and France, all at the same
time. Note that Malfoy is old French, not present day spelling. If the
French don't like how the Potterverse reflects the real world, c'est
dommage.

Note that "black" is actually from the French word "blanc" (white). No doubt
the Noble and Most Ancient House of Black was once Blanc. ;)


Ailian

[Alun Palmer]

Post by Li Ailian

Post by Alun Palmer
This is easily explained. The class divisions in English soceity have
racial overtones to a certain extent. Many (but not all) aristocratic
families are of Norman French descent, and got their land and titles
as a result of invasion. This probably explains the continued
popularity of Robin Hood. Historians keep telling us he was a mere
bandit, and perhaps an amalgam of several bandits, but he was
supposedly _our_ bandit. Read freedom fighter, or, if you were a
Norman, _terrorist_.
If you see the Malfoys and the Lestranges as of Norman descent, it
helps to explain not only the Potterverse, but also the class
divisions in England and the relationship between England and France,
all at the same time. Note that Malfoy is old French, not present day
spelling. If the French don't like how the Potterverse reflects the
real world, c'est dommage.

Note that "black" is actually from the French word "blanc" (white). No
doubt the Noble and Most Ancient House of Black was once Blanc. ;)
Ailian

Sans doute

[Beth Baxter]

Post by Li Ailian

Post by Alun Palmer
This is easily explained. The class divisions in English soceity have
racial overtones to a certain extent. Many (but not all) aristocratic
families are of Norman French descent, and got their land and titles as a
result of invasion. This probably explains the continued popularity of
Robin Hood. Historians keep telling us he was a mere bandit, and perhaps
an amalgam of several bandits, but he was supposedly _our_ bandit. Read
freedom fighter, or, if you were a Norman, _terrorist_.
If you see the Malfoys and the Lestranges as of Norman descent, it helps
to explain not only the Potterverse, but also the class divisions in
England and the relationship between England and France, all at the same
time. Note that Malfoy is old French, not present day spelling. If the
French don't like how the Potterverse reflects the real world, c'est
dommage.

Note that "black" is actually from the French word "blanc" (white). No doubt
the Noble and Most Ancient House of Black was once Blanc. ;)

Not exactly: *black* has been around in the English language for somewhat
longer, deriving from OE *blaec* (can't do an ae character on this keyboard).
*Blank* and *blanch* derive from *blanc*. Also, *bleak* and *bleach* come
from another OE word *blac*, meaning pale. This word is probably cognate
with *blanc*. However, you could argue that *blaec*, *blanc* and *blac*
all derive from a Proto-Indo-European root meaning *not exactly zinging
with Day-Glo colour*!

If this last explanation is what you mean, then please accept my apologies
for the pedantic rant :-)

Beth Baxter