History Main / LanguageOfMagic

[[caption-width-right:350:Now remember, children, with [[IKnowYourTrueName true names]] comes [[ComesGreatResponsibility true responsibility]].]]

A version of FunctionalMagic where spells are cast by [[BeCarefulWhatYouSay speaking]] in a particular language. This tongue typically works by possessing a quality or metaphysical importance everyday communication doesn't. In some cases it's the setting's PrimordialTongue, or the language of the gods, or the metaphysical equivalent of the universe's programming language, or anything else of this sort. It may also consist of the [[IKnowYourTrueName true names]] of every thing and action in the universe, allowing it control the things it names or cause effects by speaking them into existence.

** First is a precursor to modern Equestrian magic, where magic was spoken through spellwords. It functions as a ShoutOut to ''Literature/TheInheritanceCycle'' as the language in question is referred to as "an ancient language" and the one word we see used is lifted directly from it.

* ''Fanfic/FairyDanceOfDeath'': the author went to the extreme of making up an entire ConLang, ''[[http://ayashi.net/sao/majutsugo.html Majutsugo]]'', to construct all the incantations in a consistent way. The one character that studies this, Sasha, becomes one of the most powerful mages in the game as a result of her work.

* In the ''Literature/{{Slayers}}'' light novels, magical incantations are performed in Chaos Words. A spell typically takes the form of a poem, which names the entity or force being invoked, and a description of the caster's intent.

* In the ''Literature/{{Earthsea}}'' series, magic works exactly like this. On the negative side, screwing up can result in TheEndOfTheWorldAsWeKnowIt fairly easily. That's why wizards avoid doing anything as much as possible. The language of magic is also the language of dragons. The True Speech is a LanguageOfTruth to humans, but dragons can lie in it. From ''A Wizard of Earthsea":
-->''Although use of the Old Speech binds a man to truth, this is not so with dragons. It is their own language, and they can lie in it...''
** The way in which it is a language of truth is not that one cannot lie in it, but rather that [[RealityWarping reality changes to make the statement true]] (with [[RealityWarpingIsNotAToy devastating effects]], since everything--every pebble, every twig, every drop of water--has a name, which it might share with other things)... The dragons' ability to lie in it thus has more to do with their deep knowledge of the language than any specific power they have.
* The Divine Language in ''[[VisualNovel/FateStayNight Fate/stay night]]'', spoken by Servant Caster, which allows her to summon plague winds or 'rains of light' (read: [[BeamSpam lasers]]) with a single word. Represented by Ancient Greek, but supposedly, it's cannot be pronounced by modern humans (which was probably a problem when they were making the voiced edition). Later expansion reveals that Caster's Divine Words are taken from one of many separate Divine Languages, each one belonging to a separate pantheon, hers being Greek. The Fairy Letters written on [[WaveMotionGun Excalibur]] also count.
** Also from the Franchise/{{Nasuverse}}, the [[Literature/TheGardenOfSinners Unified Language]], which was 'spoken' to another plane altogether; it allows for the retrieval of a soul's 'recordings', essentially giving access to all knowledge possessed by every human being in existence.
* In the Literature/KateDaniels universe, once a word of power is acquired, the mage can command other people and objects just by saying the word, which translate to such things as "Release" and "Obey". However, words of power are acquired by having a contest of wills with the word, and most mages die rather than mastering its power. At the end of ''Magic Bites'', the BigBad reveals himself to be fluent in the language from which all words of power were taken.
* In Creator/RobertEHoward's Franchise/ConanTheBarbarian story "Literature/ShadowsInTheMoonlight", [[DreamingOfTimesGoneBy Olivia dreams]] that the incantation "Yagkoolan yok tha, xuthalla!" is used by a PhysicalGod to [[TakenForGranite transform his son's murderers to statues]]. (It appears harmless when recited by a parrot, though.)
* ''Literature/TheDresdenFiles'': Inverted. Practitioners use ancient languages as verbal foci for their magic in order to dissociate themselves from the meaning of the words they're using -- magic is born from emotion, and as such works best when the tools used to wield it have strong emotional or symbolic meanings to the user. A language you're fluent in, and especially one you use habitually, is too familiar and well-known to "feel" right, while one that you're only half-familiar with and especially one with a sense of history to can more easily be assigned mystic and symbolic weight. Harry uses a bastardized Latin (which would be bad for him if he ever actually learned Latin properly -- which he's supposed to because it's the common language of wizards), although others have used Egyptian dialects and Oriental languages, among others. Harry and other "low-level" wizards also have to actually vocalize. When members of the Senior Council use magic, they don't say a word, and it's extremely creepy.
* In Heinlein's ''Literature/StrangerInAStrangeLand'', the Martian language works sort of like this. Knowing fully (grokking) the language allows powers like telekinesis, total annihilation of people, and stuff.
* In Rick Cook's ''Wizardry'' series, the Language of Magic is a ''programming'' language. The Language is equivalent to a genetic code in which spells naturally self-assemble, evolve, and at higher levels of complexity assume physical incarnations and utilize lower-level beings the way we contain our own flora and fauna. Likewise, things of magic respond to human activities to varying degrees of complexity. The key realization was that a specific set of enzyme-equivalents have ''predictable'' behavior (most don't) and which can combine to form logic gates, allowing spells to be constructed using programming techniques rather than lethal trial-and-error or bargaining with magical creatures. Most of the human-usable Language of Magic is ''not'' suitable for programming in, and it's noted repeatedly how different constructed spells feel from the natural variety.
* In ''Literature/TheBrokenCrescent'', all magic takes place via the Language of the Gods. Speaking or writing in this language intrinsically causes magical effects. Nick Black, the hero, is able to perform great feats of magic once he deciphers the syntax and structure of it.
* Creator/NKJemisin's ''Literature/InheritanceTrilogy'': The language of the Gods is one -- for the Gods themselves, it's just an extension of their RealityWarping power, but mortals can learn the language to draw on a trickle of divine magic. However, it's so complex that any human who tried to ''speak'' a spell would probably die by MagicMisfire, so they mostly access it in GeometricMagic form by "scrivening" spells.
* The Language in ''Literature/TheInvisibleLibrary'' series. Known only to Librarians, it forces your will onto reality, so that whatever you describe as happening, happens. Or tries to; there's pushback based on how unlikely it is that it would have happened anyway, and while you can control people with it temporarily, human minds have a tendency to second-guess themselves at the best of times. The other interesting thing about it is that every non-Librarian hears it as whatever their native language is.
* In ''Literature/TheFarawayPaladin'', the Words of Creation are words that when spoken can produce magical effects when pronounced properly. According to Gus, everything has a name, and it is through these names that people and gods define the world around them. As such, invoking and layering Words of Creation are what produce the phenomenon known as "magic". To the reader, these Words of Creation [[LatinIsMagic read like Latin]].

* ''Website/SCPFoundation'', [[http://www.scp-wiki.net/scp-1220 SCP-1220 ("Logos")]]. The individual words and phrases in the language SCP-1220 can affect reality within 10 meters or so of the speaker. For example, if someone says the word "fire" in that language, something nearby will catch on fire. If the word "rain" is spoken, then rain will begin to fall.

** In modern times, the Greybeards continue to follow Windcaller's "Way of the Voice." They live in a monastery known as High Hrothgar near the top of the [[TheTower Throat of the World]], the tallest mountain in Tamriel. So powerful is their Thu'um that they are usually sworn to silence in order to not [[PersonOfMassDestruction destroy everything around]] them simply by ''talking''. Even their faintest whispers are known to shake the mountain on which they live. The Greybeards accept anyone who wishes to learn the Thu'um and follow the Way of the Voice. It is explained that [[CharlesAtlasSuperpower anyone can learn to use Thu'um]], but it takes a great deal of training, mostly to learn the true ''meaning'' of the words in the shout. Anyone can hold a normal conversation in Dovahzul (hence why the dragons don't accidentally devastate their surroundings when chatting with each other), but you've got to put your soul into the words if you want the magic to happen.
*** How powerful are the Greybeards' voices? When they called Wulfharth, the [[WhoWantsToLiveForever immortal]] EternalHero[=/=][[GodInHumanForm possible avatar]] of [[TopGod Shor]], to High Hrothgar, they blasted him to dust just to show him [[spoiler:what it will be like when he gets betrayed by [[TheConqueror Tiber Septim]]]].

* The Correspondence in ''VideoGame/FallenLondon'', ''VideoGame/SunlessSea'' and ''VideoGame/SunlessSkies'' is the language of eldritch gods that shape reality. Several of the enemies you face in the Unterzee over the course of ''Sunless Sea'', most notably Mt Nomad and Lorn-Flukes, can sink your ship by yelling at it with the Correspondence (and, should you encounter Mt Nomad at the wrong time, [[DeathIsCheap probably will]]). It's so potent that even if you don't use it correctly it has interesting effects. Most of the time that effect is setting you (or the lead plaques they're inscribed on) on fire, but it can also do things like actively destroy your mind. Some of the sigils are even living.
** There's a second language called The Discordance. Where The Correspondence is fire, The Discordance is ice. Not much has been revealed about it beyond it being created as a counterpart to The Correspondence. Near the end of the Great Hellbound Railway storyline, in the Endgame, there ''is'' one storyline dedicated to studying the Discordance, but details are kept [[DoNotSpoilThisEnding deliberately scarce]] other than the literally chilling effects upon the area, the horrible impact it can have on beings that read it, and that studying it ''hurts''.

[[folder:Web Original]]
* ''Literature/ImpracticalMagic'' is a MagicSchool where each court has a different magic system. The Autumn Court speaks in a language of magic that determines what their spells will do. The Summer Court writes in a strict series of runes that dictate the flow of energy and changing of states in the equivalent of a magic programing language.
* The language of the Sidhe seems to be this in the Literature/WhateleyUniverse, although it's hard to tell since the Sidhe were wiped out millennia ago. (It looks like they're getting better.)
* An unusual example in ''Literature/TrintonChronicles'' is that there are true and half-[[UsefulNotes/FurryFandom dragons]] who learn to speak two different languages, one for magic and one for everyday speech. The magic one is so ancient in fact that even they don't fully know what it means. Most magic users (who we presume were taught by dragons in the distant past and then passed it along) utilize this language to cast spells and call to the universe to change reality in some way. The language has not been written down in the story to keep its sounds a mystery but is mentioned whenever someone starts to cast spells. Interestingly some magic users speak their spells in an [[UsefulNotes/EsperantoTheUniversalLanguage odd]] language that only works when adding the word "manu mea" at the start of each casting.
* Ancient phaetonian primal in ''Literature/{{Phaeton}}'' is like this, and the more descriptive you are the more powerful the spell.
* In ''Literature/CurseWords'', more volatile spells are frequently trained to respond to activation words with specific effects to prevent them from triggering accidentally. There's a push to train everything to Ido and turn it into a LanguageOfMagic, but at present trigger words can be in any language.

* In ''[[Literature/HaruhiSuzumiya The Melancholy Of Haruhi Suzumiya]]'', Yuki casts spells ''by chanting SQL queries sped up and played backwards.''
* ''Manga/NegimaMagisterNegiMagi'': Every western mage has a personal [[ByThePowerOfGreyskull magic release key]]. Most [[HermeticMagic western spells]] are spoken in Latin, though some of the higher level ones are done in Ancient Greek. Specifically, the main body of your spell must be an actual phrase in Latin (or Ancient Greek), but the aforementioned "key" can be any random string of sounds that tickles your fancy.
** In addition; the BigBad [[spoiler: has an ability called "Code of the Lifemaker: Rewrite", which literally allows him and his minions to [[RealityWarper rewrite the reality]] of the magic world at will. Seeing as he may have ''created'' it to begin with, it makes sense that he can modify it as he pleases.]]

* ''Manga/MissKobayashisDragonMaid'' crosses this over with FormulaicMagic and ETGaveUsWiFi when it was revealed that the programming laguage used as Kobayashi's workplace was created by wizards who migrated to Earth and modeled it off of their magic system. Coding doesn't have any magical effects though, since Earth doesn't have enough ambient mana for spells to be cast.

* The [[UsefulNotes/TheGoldenAgeOfComicBooks Golden Age]] hero Zatara, and later his daughter ComicBook/{{Zatanna}}, cast spells by speaking backwards. More specifically, the individual words are spoken backwards, but the sentence structure is still spoken forward.
* Most magic spells in Creator/DCComics work this way, at least when used by ComicBook/ThePhantomStranger and his supporting cast.
* ''Editor Girl'', also known as ''Kris Simon'' from the Shadowline-Image comic imprint. Actually, she can't use her own voice, but she has to use a magic pen to ''edit'' whatever her opponent is saying (LeaningOnTheFourthWall, that's usually portrayed as Editor Girl correcting people's speech bubbles with her pen). The revised edition of her opponent taunt becomes reality: for example, editing "You'll face my gun, Editor Girl" in "You'll ''take'' my gun, Editor Girl" results in Kris' opponent getting the urge to surrender his weapon.

* ''Fanfic/TheParselmouthOfGryffindor'': Ancient Runes (the exact nature of which is ambiguous in the canon novels) are shown to be a variation of this -- a hieroglyph-like writing system that was designed specifically to be very efficient at writing down magic. Apparently, the incantation, pronunciation, wand movement, and effect of a spell can all be coded into a single Runic sentence.

* ''Literature/{{Discworld}}'': We never actually hear any magic words after the first book, ''Literature/TheColourOfMagic'', in which they sound vaguely Arabic mystical-cum-Lovecraft. Later books just cut around the spell scenes. However, the AnimatedAdaptation of ''Literature/SoulMusic'' uses bad DogLatin, probably in reference to all the other settings that use it. "Ovum Krakkus, Totalé Knackus!" (as he breaks the egg).
** There's a tradition of bad DogLatin in ''Literature/{{Discworld}}'' with two examples of it being considered "wizard talk", although neither character was actually casting a spell.
* ''Literature/TheDresdenFiles'': Harry Dresden doesn't really ''need'' to use the fruits of his Latin correspondence course for his incantations, since his magic works via focus of intent. In fact, in the Dresden universe, it isn't a specific language that's important, but what the words mean to the wizard saying them. Magic words are in a language foreign to the user to insulate their mind from the power. The spell languages are in a language that means something to the user but is still unknown enough to insulate the wizard from his or her own power. You don't want to create a raging inferno by just saying "fire." [[note]] FridgeLogic that he'd use a language with so many nigh-identical cognates in its daughter languages. "Hey, let's take vacation this year in Tierra del [[PlayingWithFire BOOOOOM]]." [[/note]]
* ''Literature/TheElenium'' and ''[[Literature/TheTamuli Tamuli]]'': {{Subverted|Trope}}. The [[MagicKnight Church Knights]] use incantations in the Styric language, complete with the threat of MagicMisfire from poor word choice. It's later revealed that their magic comes from [[ReligionIsMagic a deal with the Styric pantheon]] and the incantations are just the agreed-upon format for requesting power, not anything supernatural about the language itself.

** The intent or mood of the caster is a also factor in some wand-cast spells. Because of this, some fans have theorized that the words of spells are just a method to help the caster focus their will and that a caster could theoretically cast spells in any language of their choice. However, the books strongly suggest that the ''specific'' word will ''always'' cast (or attempt to cast) its assigned spell, regardless of the caster's will. In ''[[Literature/HarryPotterAndTheHalfBloodPrince Half-Blood Prince]]'', for instance, Harry successfully casts one spell without speaking the incantation AND without knowing what it did beforehand, based solely on its word. In ''[[Literature/HarryPotterAndThePhilosophersStone Philosopher's Stone]]'', it's noted that accidental mispronunciations of spells can produce entirely unintended effects.

* ''Literature/TheLordOfTheRings''

** Gandalf uses Elvish words when "casting spells", but this is not anything specific to the language itself: As an Ainu, one of the angelic beings who sung the world into existence, it makes sense he can change the nature of reality with his voice.
*** It's also important to note that some of the 'spells' cast in ''Lord of the Rings'' are not actually spells in the strictest sense of the word: Rather, the characters are speaking to a spirit. For example, when the Fellowship is suffering under dangerous snowy conditions on the mountain Caradhras, it's because Saruman is telling the spirit of the mountain to crush the Fellowship. Gandalf's 'counter-spell' is him telling the mountain spirit to calm down.

** Within the broader world of Literature/TolkiensLegendarium, characters who can "cast spells" with language include the elf Lúthien (who's mother was an Ainu) and the mysterious Tom Bombadil.
* ''Magician's Ward'': In Creator/PatriciaCWrede's novel, it's ''insanely'' dangerous to try casting a spell in your native tongue, for reasons partly related to the Harry Dresden example above. The amount of danger increases the further along you get in your magic studies. A first-year student casting a spell in their native language isn't likely to have results that are ''too'' awful, mostly because they are not yet able to use that much power. A third-year student casting a spell in their native language may be dealing with the consequences for weeks.
* ''Literature/OperationChaos'': In Creator/PoulAnderson's work, magic works much more effectively if the caster uses an esoteric language -- esoteric to ''his/her culture'', that is (the hero at one point creates a minor but effective spell in PigLatin). So student mages come to the U.S. from Africa or Asia to learn spells in American street slang. Simple [[TheLawsOfMagic Law of Similarity]], obviously. You can not expect to get extraordinary results from ordinary language.
* ''Queenmagic, Kingmagic'': Ian Watson's novel is set in a fantasy world based on the game of chess, with black and white kingdoms eternally at war. So it's not entirely surprising that, instead of the usual Latin, the magical language in which their spells are cast turns out to be Russian.
* ''Literature/{{Ravenor}} Returned'': When Kys infiltrates a decoding process, even the partially decoded stuff is enough to make her ill and betray her. It also lets her learn a "word" that kills men; she uses it to escape. This proves to be Enuncia -- an immensely powerful RealityWarper.
** In ''Literature/{{Bequin}}'', Enucia is used to test Beta.

* In Creator/RobertEHoward's Franchise/ConanTheBarbarian story "Shadows in the Moonlight", a sample from a talking parrot:
-->''Abruptly the bird spread its flaming wings and, soaring from its perch, cried out harshly: "Yagkoolan yok tha, xuthalla!"''
* The ''Literature/{{Dragonlance}}'' series has wizards who, like standard ''TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons'' characters, speak magical words in order to activate their spells. However, unlike most verbal components, Dragonlance wizards can use their magical language in actual conversation. According to WordOfGod, the examples used in the books are based on a kind of proto-Indonesian language structure, though the words themselves have no real-world equivalent.
** Raistlin Majere, in fact, learned the activation word to the light spell in his staff through extensive trial and error. Finally, in frustration, he blurted out "Shirak, damen du!", which translates as "Light, damn you!". After the staff lit up, he went back and realized that "Shirak" (light) was the keyword, while "Dulak" (dark) was used to cancel the spell.
* Subverted in Awakening, the magic system from ''Literature/{{Warbreaker}}''. While speaking aloud is essential for Awakening, Commands (aka spells) only work if given in the Awakener's own native language. So ''any'' language is potentially magical, as long as you grew up speaking it.
* Played with in ''[[Literature/TheMirrorOfHerDreams Mordant's Need]]'' - the Imagers all use a specific chant when summoning a manifestation from their magic mirrors, but it turns out that the chant is just a load of [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barbarous_names meaningless syllables]]; however, the effort of remembering it puts your mind into the correct Zenlike state to allow the magic to work through you.
* A running gag in the ''Literature/RiversOfLondon'' series is that Peter finds learning Latin harder than actually learning the magic. The words are simply a release of a pattern you hold in your mind. They're in Latin because that was the language UsefulNotes/IsaacNewton used for important works, and nobody's sure what would happen if they started messing around with it.
* In the ''Literature/MairelonTheMagician'' novels, at a basic level it doesn't matter what language a spell is cast in, but casting a spell in one's native tongue can cause the spell to be overpowered (Since you have to think about what you're saying when speaking in a second language, even if you're fluent, you also have to think how much power you're putting into the spell). As a result, spells written by the Greeks tended to be in Latin, and spells written by the Romans tended to be written in Greek, forcing modern magicians to learn both languages (As well as a bit of Hebrew) in order to use magic. It's also mentioned that with really complex spells, the exact meaning of a word does impact the effect, meaning it will matter what language the spell is cast in.
* ''Literature/TheLaundryFiles'' uses Enochian as the language of magic. It tends to work best when assembled not as spoken language, but as programming language.
* Mages in ''Literature/{{Mithgar}}'' use a special language for their spellcasting. The spellcasting language of mainstream Mage society is represented as Latin, and the language used for the related-but-distinct rituals of the [[EvilSorcerer Black Mages]] is Ancient Greek, though WordOfGod explicitly states that the languages are not ''actually'' Latin or Greek, which were substitutions he used to give a modern English-speaker a feel for how the actual Mage languages sound and relate to each other.
* ''Literature/JourneyToChaos'': Some mages, like Dengel, pretended to know a special, magical, language to impress clients. It's actually gibberish. A mage of Dengel's standing didn't need to say anything at all.
* ''Literature/TheFlawInAllMagic'': The ''lingua magica'' is an artificial language designed to have each word have one meaning, and each word have a single rune representing it. Tane explains that you could technically use any language for magic, but it's a terrible idea due to connotative meanings, synonyms, and all sorts of other ridiculousness that comes from a language that has arisen naturally.
* ''Literature/AkataWitch'': Zig-zagged -- juju can be worked perfectly well in the user's native language, but the language [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nsibidi Nsibidi]] is powerfully magical and in some sense alive. TheArchmage Sugar Cream is an oddity for having learned to work juju through Nsibidi rather than with a [[MagicWand juju knife]].
* ''Literature/WizardOfYurt'': Wizards speak in the Hidden Language to work magic (out loud or in their minds).

* ''Literature/CradleSeries'': Played with. Runes used to control [[{{Mana}} madra]] are called "script", and can do many incredible things. It's mentioned early on that while script is often described much like a language, with reading and writing it, it's not actually some mystical language that forces the universe to conform to your will. It is the physical shape of the individual runes that shapes how the madra flows and thus is more like plumbing than language.

* ''Series/BuffyTheVampireSlayer'': Magic in this series and its spinoff ''Series/{{Angel}}'' tends to simply be a description of the spell in an ancient language (usually Latin). Apparently, in writing the scripts, writers would write a simple command, such as "open the door," and then mark it with "In Latin." However, Latin does not appear to be vital to spellcasting; a sufficiently powerful witch can skip it. See in particular the seventh season episode "Get It Done," in which Willow struggles for a while with a Latin incantation. She finally gives up and yells in English, "Screw it! Mighty Forces, I suck at Latin, okay? But that's not the issue! I'm the one in charge, and I'm telling you, ''open a portal, now''!" Spoofed in one episode where Xander thinks that there's more to magic than just saying things in Latin, but accidentally sets a book on fire when he tries it himself.

* ''Series/GameOfThrones'' / ''Series/HouseOfTheDragon'': Arguably inverted with High Valyrian. Although this is the language used to train and command dragons - creatures whose very presence causes magic to manifest in the world - there doesn't seem to be anything inherently magical about the language itself. More likely it stems from the fact that ancient Valyrians were the first people to ever train dragons, so their native tongue was simply the one dragons originally learned to respond to.

* ''TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons''

* ''TabletopGame/{{Earthdawn}}'' supplement ''Dragons''. Dragonspeech is a form of telepathy that allows dragons to communicate with other creatures without speaking. The great dragon Vasdenjas says that dragonspeech can be used to communicate with the Universe itself and cause any pattern desired to be expressed in astral space, thus casting a spell.
* ''TabletopGame/{{Exalted}}'' Sorcery is this. While anyone can use magic by performing thaumaturgical rituals, and any being with awakened Essence can channel their power in accordance with their nature, Sorcery is (according to second edition metaphysics) actually the "language" (if one can call it that) which the Primordials used to communicate concepts in order to create the world.
* ''TabletopGame/{{GURPS}}''

** ''TabletopGame/GURPSDragons'': In one of the sample settings in this book, human beings can perform magical effects when they speak the dragon language. Interestingly, dragons cannot perform magic by doing so, but they can train mortals to become sorcerers.

* ''TabletopGame/Warhammer40000'' has the language of the [[MachineWorship Adeptus Mechanicus]], Binary, which DependingOnTheWriter is a secret trade language the priesthood uses that the Inquisition's Ordo Dialogos still hasn't cracked yet, the mystic ritual tongue used to placate "machine-spirits," or literally binary code communicated through modems.
* ''TabletopGame/WorldOfSynnibarr'': Venderant Nalaberong is a language that was used by the Elder Gods to create the [[TheMultiverse Centiverse]]. Anyone who knows how to speak it can perform ultra-powerful magical spells that are the strongest force in the Centiverse and can't be stopped by any other power.

* ''VideoGame/{{Everquest}}'' included the requirement to learn Dragon languages to master higher-level spells.
* ''VideoGame/WorldOfWarcraft'': Inverted. The warlock ability "Curse of Tongues" forces the target to speak in Demonic, thus making them take longer to cast spells. Confusingly, said curse also works on monsters of the Demon type...
* In ''VideoGame/FireEmblem 9'' and 10 spells are recorded as simple pieces of ancient tongue (such as "The light of life! Shine a ray upon my path and... strike my enemy!" or "O light, gather. Open my path...") that are said as part of the casting process.
* In ''VideoGame/TreasureOfTheRudra'', the magic system is based on a LanguageOfMagic, and you can create custom spells by stringing the right syllables together.
** [[spoiler: The base syllables are: IG for Fire, AQU for Water, TOU for Electricity, TEO for Wind, SOA for Light, SERE for Dark, PRA for Earth, and NIHI for Void.]]

* In ''[[VideoGame/MagiciansQuestMysteriousTimes Enchanted Folk And the School of Wizardry/Magician's Quest Mysterious Times]]'', a magic language is used to cast spells, incantations, and communicate with various magical creatures (though it can also be used when interacting with other players).
* All ''VideoGame/{{Ultima}}'' games mention magical incantations of some kind (usually something Latin-sounding in the first games) but starting with the [[VideoGame/UltimaV fifth installment]] mages in the Ultima universe started using a standardized set of short words to form their incantations - for example, "In Lor" (literally "create light") illuminates your surroundings, and "An Nox" ("negate poison") cures poisoned characters.
* Magic works this way in ''VideoGame/{{Tyranny}}.'' All spells have a core, an expression, and an optional number of flourishes that represent their being. The difficulty of casting a spell determines the Lore skill check required to cast it. Magic is explained this way, with ranks in Lore representing the character's understanding of the exact pronunciation required to produce the desired effect. Spell icons are represented as colored runes.
** Kyros' signature ability that they used to conquer the known world works more explicitly as language. Kyros' Edicts are essentially binding laws enforced by reality itself. The plot explores how they can be exploited by a clever RulesLawyer in multiple instances, starting with the very first mission. For example, said mission declares that the player and Kyros' two feuding armies will suffer grave consequences if they haven't accomplished their objective by a specific date, 8 days after the game starts. But it does not specify a ''year.'' So if the player rests for 8 days before proclaiming the Edict, they'll have a year--until the ''next'' time that day comes around--instead of a week.

* In ''Webcomic/ElfBlood'', most magic-casting characters use a symbolic language called Eldarin when reciting a spell. It's actually just a very simple direct substitution code. Some fans can read it fluently.
** Gipsy is not an actual spellcaster: She manipulates reality through what can only be summed up as 'true mathematics'. Although recently her 'spells' resemble C-like function calls more than mathematical formulae.

* In ''Webcomic/{{xkcd}}'', [[http://xkcd.com/353/ computer programming languages]] occasionally fill this role. A recent [[http://xkcd.com/824/ guest strip]] by Bill Amend of ''ComicStrip/FoxTrot'' fame demonstrates the power of Platform/{{Unix}}.
** Amend's strip is likely a ShoutOut to Munroe's own [[http://xkcd.com/149/ earlier strip]] on the same topic.

* In ''Webcomic/SluggyFreelance'' most magical spells are written using a bizarre alphabet straight out of Pete Abrams's imagination (as seen [[http://www.sluggy.com/daily.php?date=021017 here]]). How they're pronounced is anyone's guess.
* In ''Webcomic/{{Sorcery 101}}'', spells are cast by giving one's aura verbal instructions, generally using Latin. Not because there's something special about Latin, but because it's easier to learn magic when you don't actually know what you're saying.
* In ''Webcomic/WapsiSquare'', knowledge of the Lanthian language gives a person certain powers, and it can be used to command many Lantian artifacts.
* In ''Webcomic/BobAndGeorge'', [[http://www.bobandgeorge.com/archives/000506c the Author uses it to revive Dr. Light.]]
* Also the language of the Contract in ''Webcomic/ButImACatPerson'', and the focus of much of the research at Cohen's Being-research division.

* In ''Webcomic/{{Unsounded}}'' the Khert is a BackgroundMagicField that understands the Old Tainish language, so a spell is any correctly worded set of instructions beginning with "Heed me, Great Khert." Spell Composers are always on the lookout for lost Old Tainish words that can be used in spellwork. Meanwhile, asking too many questions about why the Gods would design the infrastructure of reality to answer to the language of one specific, remote ancient tribe is a good way to get on the bad side of both the Gefendur ''and'' Ssaelit faiths.

[[folder:Web Original]]

--> "Spells form a sort of API for requesting magical services. Spells are localised and for the most part take effect at the point in space where they are spoken. Simply speaking the words is not sufficient. The words serve as a mantra for the person speaking them, and it is the process of mentally jumping through various 'hoops' which actually causes the invocation to occur."

* Latin is used as a magical language in ''WesternAnimation/{{Gargoyles}}'', although the comics reveal that knowledge of Latin is not sufficient to cast spells.
** WordOfGod states that older languages are better suited to spellcasting because the spells were written in those languages in the first place -- while it's theoretically possible to cast a spell in English, it would take more than just a direct translation. In the episode "Golem", the spell to awaken the eponymous creature is in Ancient Hebrew.
*** Not just theoretically possible: The Magus managed it in "Avalon," although [[CastFromHitPoints it severely exhausted him.]] Of course, he was drawing power directly from Avalon itself, which was explicitly different from his normal magic.
* In ''WesternAnimation/TeenTitans2003'', Raven apparently uses one of these; normally all we hear is "Azarath, metrion, zinthos!" the mantra she uses to focus her will so she can safely use her inborn magical abilities, but on occasion (most notably in "The Prophecy") she'll go into an extended incantation in what sounds like the same language. The episode "Spellbound" also has Raven learn other spells with different incantations, but she refrains from using these after that episode because she can't control them.
** The RecursiveAdaptation ''ComicBook/TeenTitansGo!'' explains this a bit more in an issue where the team's powers are swapped around between them. Beast Boy ends up with Raven's powers, but when her usual incantation does nothing for him, she explains that it's because the words don't mean anything to him. Keep in mind, also, that the first word, Azarath, is the name of Raven's home dimension.

--->Ree-kah, rah-kah, firecracker, sis-boom-bah, old ones, old ones, rah-rah-rah.

* In ''WesternAnimation/{{Ewoks}}'', most of Logray's spells contain an unknown language, as well as the one he performs with Teebo in order the tie the rocks chasing the Jindas in The Curse of the Jindas.

* In ''Webcomic/{{xkcd}}'', [[http://xkcd.com/353/ computer programming languages]] occasionally fill this role. A recent [[http://xkcd.com/824/ guest strip]] by Bill Amend of ''ComicStrip/FoxTrot'' fame demonstrates the power of UsefulNotes/{{Unix}}.

BlackMagic is often paired with BlackSpeech, WhiteMagic is often in [[OurAngelsAreDifferent Angel song]]. In works set on Earth, the language may be a real-but-now-dead one, such as [[LatinIsMagic Latin]]. The words are often written in the Old Norse [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Runic_alphabet runic alphabet]]; HermeticMagic can use a number of real-life occult alphabets, such as Enochian or UsefulNotes/{{Paracelsus}}' Alphabet of the Magi, instead.

** ''[[VideoGame/TheElderScrollsVSkyrim Skyrim]]'' is the first game in the series in which the Thu'um is seen in action. The PlayerCharacter is a legendary Dragonborn (or Dovahkiin), a rare mortal blessed by Akatosh with the immortal Aedric soul of a dragon. Akatosh creates those who are Dragonborn to be the [[HunterOfHisOwnKind natural predators]] of the Dragons, being capable of ending their ResurrectiveImmortality by [[YourSoulIsMine absorbing their souls]] and using those souls to increase their mastery of the Thu'um. After being revealed as a Dragonborn, he/she will be summoned by the Greybeards to High Hrothgar for training. When they call for the Dragonborn, ''all of Skyrim'' can hear it.

* ''Series/TheLordOfTheRingsTheRingsOfPower'': The Stranger, revealed to be one of the Istari, is chanting spells several times by using worlds like "Á keuta" (Restore, renew, refresh), "Á envinyata" (Heal), "Lótë" (Flower), "Á kuita" (Live) from he Elven language of Quenya.

BlackMagic is often paired with BlackSpeech, WhiteMagic is often in [[OurAngelsAreDifferent Angel song]]. In works set on Earth, the language may be a real-but-now-dead one, such as [[LatinIsMagic Latin]]. The words are often written in the Old Norse [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Runic_alphabet runic alphabet]]; HermeticMagic can use a number of real-life occult alphabets, such as Enochian or Paracelsus' Alphabet of the Magi, instead.

** Sauron, also an Ainu, uses an incantation in BlackSpeech - a language which he had invented - to imbue the One Ring with his power.

-->''Abruptly the bird spread its flaming wings and, soaring from its perch, cried out harshly: "Yagkoolan yok tha, xuthalla!" ''

* ''Literature/CradleSeries'': Played with. Runes used to control [[{{Mana}} madra]] are called "script," and can do many incredible things. It's mentioned early on that while script is often described much like a language, with reading and writing it, it's not actually some mystical language that forces the universe to conform to your will. It is the physical shape of the individual runes that shapes how the madra flows and thus is more like plumbing than language.

---> '''Prof. Flitwick:''' And saying the magic words properly is very important too -- never forget Wizard Baruffio, who said "s" instead of "f" and found himself on the floor with a buffalo on his chest.

** Every spell has an incantation, which if not in Latin, appears as some distortion of English, Hebrew, or Arabic. While a talented wizard needn't say the incantation aloud to cast the spell, he certainly needs to know it. While it's unknown how spells become connected to their specific incantations, it is known is that new spells are still being invented. This requires substantial magical talent to accomplish, so it's not as simple as picking a word to describe the effect you want.

*** The Hindi translation of the books swaps the Latin incantations for [[{{Woolseyism}} classical Sanskrit]]. This makes sense in a cultural context, as Sanskrit has parallels with Latin as a "dead language"- no longer commonly used as everyday speech, but remains prominent in religious texts and rituals.

-> ''"[The wizard] jumped down, and started waving his arms around while he went to speaking and squealing in one of those languages wizards use so the rest of us will think there is something terribly strange and mystical about what they do, kind of like lawyers."''

---> Ree-kah, rah-kah, firecracker, sis-boom-bah, old ones, old ones, rah-rah-rah.

* Mantras are generally spoken in ancient dead languages like Sanskrit, and considering that a lot of Hindu and Buddhist mantras are meant to be something similar in concept to spells (as they are, in many cases, recited to attract good luck, blessings and health, repel enemies and evil spirits and even to cure the sick) they could be considered a case of “language of magic”.

* ''Franchise/TheElderScrolls''
** Nirn's [[OurDragonsAreDifferent dragons]] are the [[DragonsAreDivine divine children]] of the [[TopGod chief deity]] of the [[SaintlyChurch Nine Divines Pantheon]], Akataosh, the Dragon God of Time. (They also may be fragments of his actual being, and serve a role similar to being [[DragonsAreDemonic very destructive]] [[OurAngelsAreDifferent angels]].) They inherently speak a Language Of Magic which gives them small-scale [[RealityWarper Reality Warping]] powers. Essentially, they "make real" whatever they speak in this language. For example, when a Dragon is "breathing" fire, they're technically commanding fire to come into existence, and battles between dragons are essentially [[WordsCanBreakMyBones very loud debates]].

** In modern times, the Greybeards continue to follow Windcaller's "Way of the Voice." They live in a monastery known as High Hrothgar near the top of the [[TheTower Throat of the World]], the tallest mountain in Tamriel. So powerful is their Thu'um that they are usually sworn to silence in order to not [[PersonOfMassDestruction destroy everything around]] them simply by ''talking''. Even their faintest whispers are known to shake the mountain on which they live. The Greybeards accept anyone who wishes to learn the Thu'um and follow the Way of the Voice. It is explained that [[CharlesAtlasSuperpower anyone can learn to use Thu'um]], but it takes a great deal of training, mostly to learn the true ''meaning'' of the words in the shout. Anyone can try speaking it, but you need to put your ''soul'' into it for magic to happen.

* ''Literature/TortallUniverse'': Generally speaking, one does not need a special language to work magic. However, the most powerful spells are written in "old Thak," the dead language of a VestigialEmpire, and there are also "Words of Power" which are generally unpronounceable and only pulled out for ''very'' special occasions.

* ''Literature/TheElenium'' and ''[[Literature/TheTamuli Tamuli]]'': {{Subverted|Trope}}. The [[MagicKnight Church Knights]] use incantations in the Styric language, complete with the threat of MagicMisfire from poor word choice. It's later revealed that their magic comes from [[ReligionIsMagic a deal with the Styric pantheon]] and the incantations are just the agreed-upon format for requesting power, not anything supernatural about the language itself.
* ''Literature/TheDresdenFiles'': Harry Dresden doesn't really ''need'' to use the fruits of his Latin correspondence course for his incantations, since his magic works via focus of intent. In fact, in the Dresden universe, it isn't a specific language that's important, but what the words mean to the wizard saying them. Magic words are in a language foreign to the user to insulate their mind from the power. The spell languages are in a language that means something to the user but is still unknown enough to insulate the wizard from his or her own power. You don't want to create a raging inferno by just saying "fire." [[note]] FridgeLogic that he'd use a language with so many nigh-identical cognates in its daughter languages. "Hey, let's take vacation this year in Tierra del [[PlayingWithFire BOOOOOM]]." [[/note]]
* Ian Watson's novel ''Queenmagic, Kingmagic'' is set in a fantasy world based on the game of chess, with black and white kingdoms eternally at war. So it's not entirely surprising that, instead of the usual Latin, the magical language in which their spells are cast turns out to be Russian.
* In Creator/PoulAnderson's ''Literature/OperationChaos'', magic works much more effectively if the caster uses an esoteric language -- esoteric to ''his/her culture'', that is (the hero at one point creates a minor but effective spell in PigLatin). So student mages come to the U.S. from Africa or Asia to learn spells in American street slang. Simple [[TheLawsOfMagic Law of Similarity]], obviously. You can not expect to get extraordinary results from ordinary language.
* In Creator/PatriciaCWrede's ''Magician's Ward'', it's ''insanely'' dangerous to try casting a spell in your native tongue, for reasons partly related to the Harry Dresden example above. The amount of danger increases the further along you get in your magic studies. A first-year student casting a spell in their native language isn't likely to have results that are ''too'' awful, mostly because they are not yet able to use that much power. A third-year student casting a spell in their native language may be dealing with the consequences for weeks.
* In Creator/DanAbnett's ''Literature/{{Ravenor}} Returned'', when Kys infiltrates a decoding process, even the partially decoded stuff is enough to make her ill and betray her. It also lets her learn a "word" that kills men; she uses it to escape. This proves to be Enuncia -- an immensely powerful RealityWarper.

* In Creator/JohnCWright's ''Literature/ChroniclesOfChaos'' this is one technique of magic.
* Magic in the ''Literature/SecondApocalypse'' series by R. Scott Bakker uses an original variation on this; the trick to magic is not just speaking in another language, but in saying one string of words while ''simultaneously thinking a second and different string'' (not as easy as it sounds; try it). To make it worse, you have to simultaneously understand the meanings of both phrases; the reason being that the meaning of each phrase somehow clarifies and precisely limits the meaning of the other, creating sufficient mental precision to bring about the desired magical effect.
* In ''Literature/{{Discworld}}'' we never actually hear any magic words after the first book, ''Literature/TheColourOfMagic'', in which they sound vaguely Arabic mystical-cum-Lovecraft. Later books just cut around the spell scenes. However, the AnimatedAdaptation of ''Literature/SoulMusic'' uses bad DogLatin, probably in reference to all the other settings that use it. "Ovum Krakkus, Totalé Knackus!" (as he breaks the egg).
** There's a tradition of bad DogLatin in ''Literature/{{Discworld}}'' with two examples of it being considered "wizard talk", although neither character was actually casting a spell.
* In ''Literature/TheLordOfTheRings'', Gandalf uses Elvish words when "casting spells", but this is not anything specific to the language itself: being an Ainu, one of the angelic order who sung the world into existence, it makes sense he can change the nature of reality with his voice. Also seen with Tom Bombadil and Lúthien (who was half Ainurin).
** Sauron, also an Ainu, does much the same thing, using an incantation in the BlackSpeech which he had invented to imbue the One Ring with his power.
** It's important to note that some of the 'spells' cast in ''Lord of the Rings'' are not actually spells; rather, they are characters speaking to a spirit. For example, when the Fellowship is suffering under dangerous snowy conditions on the mountain Caradhras, it's because Saruman is telling the spirit of the mountain to crush the Fellowship. Gandalf's 'counter-spell' is him telling the mountain spirit to calm down.
* ''Literature/FloraSegunda'': All magick is performed through the language of Grammatica, which also has its own alphabet that readers aren't supposed to understand how to pronounce. Get your grammatica wrong, you get the spell (well, the term used in the books is sigil) wrong. Very skilled adepts (magick users) ''don't'' need to actually speak the words out loud...Lord Axacaya is the primary example of this as of ''Flora's Dare''.
* The magic system in ''Literature/TheLongPriceQuartet'' is based on language. Poets use language to bind their andats, which are abstract concepts made flesh. They use an extremely intricate custom-built language to describe the idea they want to capture. They have to describe it perfectly, with absolutely no ambiguity or imprecision, and then hold that definition in mind for the rest of their lives. Failure to be precise enough tends to be [[CruelAndUnusualDeath extremely painful]]. To further complicate matters, once an andat has been bound and subsequently escape, it has to be described in a completely different way to be bound again.
* The Old Speech in Creator/SusanCooper's ''Literature/TheDarkIsRising'' series, spoken by those of both the Light and the Dark.

** Others in ''Skyrim'' are revealed to be able to use the Thu'um as well. Ulfric Stormcloak, [[RebelLeader leader of the Stormcloak rebellion]], studied with the Greybeards and used the Thu'um to win his duel with High King Torygg, kickstarting the Skyrim {{Civil War}}. Additionally, many of the [[OurZombiesAreDifferent Draugr]] EliteMooks (the ones with the words "death," "over," or "lord" somewhere in their names) were the leaders of the ancient Dragon Cults and can use the Thu'um as well. Miraak, [[spoiler:the ''first'' Dragonborn and BigBad of the ''Dragonborn'' DLC]] as well as the BonusBoss Ebony Warrior can also use the Thu'um.

* In ''WesternAnimation/TeenTitans'', Raven apparently uses one of these; normally all we hear is "Azarath, metrion, zinthos!" the mantra she uses to focus her will so she can safely use her inborn magical abilities, but on occasion (most notably in "The Prophecy") she'll go into an extended incantation in what sounds like the same language. The episode "Spellbound" also has Raven learn other spells with different incantations, but she refrains from using these after that episode because she can't control them.

* The ''WesternAnimation/YoungJustice'' version of ComicBook/{{Zatanna}} uses backwards words to cast spells, much like her classic comics counterpart.

[[folder:Fanfiction]]

** Also from the Franchise/{{Nasuverse}}, the [[LightNovel/TheGardenOfSinners Unified Language]], which was 'spoken' to another plane altogether; it allows for the retrieval of a soul's 'recordings', essentially giving access to all knowledge possessed by every human being in existence.

[[folder:{{Anime}} and {{Manga}}]]
* In ''[[LightNovel/HaruhiSuzumiya The Melancholy Of Haruhi Suzumiya]]'', Yuki casts spells ''by chanting SQL queries sped up and played backwards.''

[[folder:{{Comics}}]]

[[folder: Fan Works]]

[[folder:RealLife]]