dan told in interview that parseltongue is real language but called something else in real life. Does anyone know what is is really called?

Oh darn it...I'm so mad...I've read about this in one of JKR's transcripts somewhere and I can't find it now.....

I'm pretty sure that 'parseltongue' is a very old term used to describe someone who had a slight speech impediment, someone who was born with a hare lip or cleft pallet, something like that. Obviously, people can't really talk to snakes, so I don't think that this has anything to do with 'snake language'. As far as I can recall, JKR just used that now defunct word to describe the 'snake language' with a term that sounded a bit more mysterious!

I never knew it was even based on a real laungage. But that is pretty cool if it is.

Since we're on the subject--

in SS/PS when Harry talked to the snake at the zoo, why didn't everyone hear his parsel tongue?

It's sort of a long shot, but probably because only wizards/witches can hear parseltongue? They might not understand it if they can't speak it themselves, but at least hear it. I dunno, just a guess =P But zyra has really good points too

Yeah, that could be another reason too! Being a wizard/witch to hear any spoken parseltongue...hmmm...Good-spot there doomed...

I did consider those points, but when you notice the snake leaving the tank, the zoo is filled with people. So it's not like no one is around to hear him.

Something else with parseltongue...in the second book/movie, several times, Harry hears the voice (of the basilisk) speaking in the walls, but none of the others can hear it, or, in fact, anything. Wouldn't everyone else hear hissing? And if they did, wouldn't that help Hermione to figure it out a lot faster?

Are you implying that even witch/wizard couldn't hear the hissing of parseltougue? As with muggle, they can't hear what had conversed between Harry and the boa constrictor? Then, how come in the dueling club demo all the them can hear Harry hissing to the snake?

My guess is that it has something to do with Basilisk itself. Maybe witch/wizard who can speak parseltougue can hear them behind the walls, otherwise they can only hear it if they come face to face with it...and it's different with ordinary snakes...both parselmouth and witch/wizard can only hear them hissing when facing them directly...and not within the walls...

LOL, that's confusing!!

i really don't have any idea about the real name for snake language!
i'm sorry for that mate!
anyways, i knew snake language as parseltongue!

PS/SS: Piers does notice. He says so in the car after he and Dudley calmed down and stopped swearing that it had tried to eat them whole. He was just only one of the family that noticed; I'm sure that there were others, but one was all that was needed for the story.

CoS: I don't think anyone connected Harry's voices with the hissing in the pipes. After all, the Hogwarts pipes are old, and old plumbing makes some pretty weird noises; believe me, I know. So hissing and creaking and all other things are bound to be at least a little common. Common enough not to be something to talk about. And not something to connect with voices, as Harry was complaining about. Unless you knew there was a snake on the loose, it would be like 2+?=?. Not many people could come up with four.

Hope this helps....

I know this is sort of missplaced, being in the first two films section, but there is one example from the books of what a parseltongue conversation sounds like to an ordinary person.

Well it probably wouldn't help his popularity. It's probably not common knowledge that he's a parseltongue, since it hasn't come up since CoS, and like Ron said, it's usually associated with Dark Arts, which makes one think that snakes aren't used in "Light" magic very often. It also seems like Harry can use the parseltongue whenever confronted with a snake, or as when opening the CoS, pretending a picture is real. I don't think parseltongue is something that can be cultivated, only used.

Though it would be nice to reason with Nagini; perhaps turn her against Voldemort. After all, nobody can like being milked, eh?

Which leads to another question: how can a snake be milked?

Actually, Rita Skeeter published Harry's secret gift in the Daily Prophet on the day of Voldemort's return: June 24th. The Ministry (Fudge, Umbridge, Percy) was kept from this knowledge till the exclusive and used it as a part of the claim Harry had lost his lunch. Meaning the general wizarding public is aware their great fear and their savior both can talk to snakes.
Milking snakes is forcing a snake to press their upper jaw over a container to collect the venom. Usually a vial. Its quite a skill, and I wouldn't blame Peter's trepidation towards milking a twelve foot venomous constrictor on a daily basis. Too bad he wasn't bitten.
Do you remember Harry's battle with Tom Riddle in the second movie? Although its not in the book (I think), Riddle says "Parseltongue will not save you, it only obeys me".
This means a Parselmouth can train snakes like how the average Joe trains a dog. Nagini has most likely been trained in such a way.

It's a possibility, I think, that if Voldemort ever put Nagini upon Harry, that Harry would be able to instruct the snake not to and put it on Voldemort instead. Just by possibily tricking the nake into beleive he was Voldemort is a good idea too. A small spell to either make him look like him or just his voice.

Which would be the best trick of them all. That way he could controll the Death Eaters that are not around the real Voldemort.

There are so many ways that Harry can protect himself, but he just doesn't think clearly enough. That could also be because he had death on the mind and that's all he can think of at the moment. Hehe. Scary thought?

This thred seems so interesting now, given the additional information from Half Blood Prince. Don't worry, you will get no spoilers out of me. Anyhow, it is interesting that everyone thinks of Parselmouth as a Dark Art. How can something be Dark if you are born with it?

But remember that it is Dark because the majority of wizards procaim it as such. back then, it was a gift. But just because Salazar and Voldemort could do it, now it has become known as a Dark Art.