History Main / LanguageOfMagic

* ''TabletopGame/ArsMagica'': {{Latin|IsMagic}}, for the Order of Hermes, or other ancient languages for other magic wielders both in and out of the Order although they usually need the Gift if they want to play with power. Other languages used based on magical tradition include Gothic for House Bjornaer and Pictish for the Gruagachan. Classic Greek, as opposed to Romaic Greek, is used by members of the Order of Hermes in the Tribunal of Thebes.

* In ''Literature/TheElenium'' and ''Literature/TheTamuli'' trilogies by Creator/DavidEddings:
** The language used in the worship of the pagan gods is the LanguageOfMagic, since magic is [[ReligionIsMagic asking the gods to do things for you]].
** This ends up humorous several times. Once, a group is trying to fool peasants with "magic". One character asks the magical instructor what language it is, to which the tutor replies, gibberish. He then asks where Gibbers are from.
** Another instance involved one of the characters speaking directly, in his native tongue, to his patron goddess for light. She chides him for not doing it right but provides it anyway.
** Finally, one of the members of the primary church muses that they did not need to go outside their own religion for magical assistance, to the horror and chagrin of the other members present.

* ''TabletopGame/MageTheAscension'' has Enochian, but because [[ClapYourHandsIfYouBelieve magic works the way you believe it does]], Latin or other ancient languages will work. For that matter, so will the jargon of contract law. However, some seem to be better than others; one sourcebook includes a young mage worrying about an older mage whose house he's broken into using Latin, but the older mage tells him it's Sumerian that should concern him.

* ''Literature/HarryPotter'': The vast majority of spells are cast using [[CanisLatinicus pseudo-Latin words]], so it seems that knowing Latin would make it easier to work these spells. However, it's rarely mentioned where individual spells come from or how they're created, and enough exceptions exist to prove that it's not as simple a process as might be assumed.
** 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 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 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. But 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 knowing what it does beforehand, based solely on its word. And ''[[Literature/HarryPotterAndThePhilosophersStone Philosopher's Stone]]'' notes that accidental mispronunciations of spells can produce entirely unintended effects.

** Witches and wizards can perform some magic through sheer force of will, without words or wands, though the practice can be very imprecise. 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. But 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 knowing what it does beforehand, based solely on its word. And ''[[Literature/HarryPotterAndThePhilosophersStone Philosopher's Stone]]'' notes that accidental mispronunciations of spells can produce entirely unintended effects.

* ''Literature/HarryPotter'': The vast majority of spells consist of [[CanisLatinicus pseudo-Latin words]], and it would seem that knowing Latin makes it easier to develop certain types of spells. However, there's little mentioned about where spells come from or how they're made.
** The Hindi version [[{{Woolseyism}} translated it as classical Sanskrit]].
** Strangely in book 4 there's a passing reference to Hermione inventing a spell whose incantation is in English.
** Every spell has an incantation, most of which are in Dog Latin, others in 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. It's unknown how spells become connected to their incantations, however. What is known is that new spells are still being invented, and that it takes tremendous magical talent to do so, so it's not as simple as picking a word to describe the effect you want.
** Witches and wizards can do a little magic through sheer force of will, without words or wands (though it's very imprecise), and the intent or mood of the caster is a factor in some wand-cast spells. Because of this, some fans have theorized that the words in 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. But 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 the sixth book, for instance, Harry successfully casts one spell without knowing what it does beforehand, based solely on its word. And the first book notes that accidental mispronunciations of spells can produce entirely unintended effects.

* Magic in ''Series/BuffyTheVampireSlayer'' and ''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/{{Bewitched}}'': The words "zolda, prancan, kopek, lum" are used to cast simple spells. When Maurice gives Darrin warlock powers, this is the first thing he teaches him, pointing out that you can just think the words, you don't have to say them out loud each time. Aunt Hagatha uses these words to float her teacup to herself, and Clara tries to but mispronounces them slightly and her cup falls and breaks (Hagatha repairs it). Interestingly, when Samantha encourages Adam to float objects in one of the last shows, she does not teach him those words.

* ''Series/LovecraftCountry'': The Language of Adam in which the people chant their spells, which is (naturally) said to be the original human language which Adam spoke, and presumably has magical power given this (perhaps by coming directly from God).

* ''Wiki/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.

* ''Manga/MissKobayashisDragonMaid'' crosses this over with FormulaicMagic and ETGaveUsWiFi when it was revealed that certain programming languages (such as [=JavaScript=]) were actually 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.

[[folder:Anime and Manga]]
* In ''LightNovel/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]].
[[/folder]]

* In the 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.
* The elven language in ''Literature/InheritanceCycle''. Want a big fire or an explosive arrow? Just yell "Brisingr!" and you're all done. The name of the language itself allows one to control how it is used.
** At one point, a MrExposition character explained that back in the beginning of the world, magic was ''purely'' based on intent and no words were attached. But the "Grey People" did some epic thing that permanently tied the magic of Alagaesia to words, in order to make magic more controllable. It's still possible to cast magic without words (and indeed dragons are unique in that they can ''only'' cast magic in this way) but it's very difficult to master and ''very'' easy to mess up (dragons are only able to cast magic under times of often great emotional stress on an instinctive level, and they can't even control ''what'' happens when they do).

[[folder:Comics Books]]
* ''ComicBook/{{Saga}}'': The horned denizens of the moon Wreath speak in a language which is both their native tongue and the means of using magic. This language is always represented in text in a light blue font and is literally '''called''' "Blue" (as opposed to [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin "Language"]]). It's actually [[UsefulNotes/EsperantoTheUniversalLanguage Esperanto]], which usefully is just about comprehensible to English readers, without being too obvious.

[[folder:{{Literature}}]]

** At one point, a MrExposition character explained that back in the beginning of the world, magic was ''purely'' based on intent and no words were attached. But the "Grey People" did some epic thing that permanently tied the magic of Alagaesia to words, in order to make magic more controllable. It's still possible to cast magic without words (and indeed dragons are unique in that they can ''only'' cast magic in this way) but it's very difficult to master and ''very'' easy to mess up (dragons are only only able to cast magic under times of often great emotional stress on an instinctive level, and they can't even control ''what'' happens when they do).

--> ''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...''

* ''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), athough 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 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 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.

** 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 of 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. They 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.

[[folder:WebOriginal]]

* 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 it's sounds a mystery but is mentioned whenever someone starts to cast spells. Interestingly some magic uses speak their spells in an [[UsefulNotes/EsperantoTheUniversalLanguage odd]] language that only works when adding the word "manu mea" at the start of each casting.

* In ''Literature/CurseWords'', more volatile spells are frequently trained to respond to activation wordswith 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.

* ''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, pronounciation, wand movement and effect of a spell can all be coded into a single Runic sentence.

** Witches and wizards can do a little magic through sheer force of will, without words or wands (though it's very imprecise), and the intent or mood of the caster is a factor in some wand-cast spells. Because of this, some fans have theorized that the words in 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. But 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 the sixth book, for instance, Harry successfully casts one spell without knowing what it does beforehand, based solely on its word. And the first book notes that accidental mispronunciations of spells can produce entirely unintended effects.

** Another instance involved one of the characters speaking directly, in his native tongue, to his patron goddess for light. She chides him for not doing it right, but provides it anyway.

* ''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]]

* In Creator/DanAbnett's ''Literature/{{Ravenor}} Returned'', when Kys infiltrates a decoding process, even the partial 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/{{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).

* 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 ''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.

* A running gag in the ''Literature/RiversOfLondon'' series is that Peter finds learning Latin harder than actually learning the magic. The words 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.

* ''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/{{Bewitched}}'': The words "zolda, prancan, kopek, lum" are used to cast simple spells. When Maurice gives Darrin warlock powers, this is the first thing he teaches him, pointing out that you can just think the words, you don't have to say them out loud each time. Aunt Hagatha uses these words to float her teacup to herself, and Clara tries to, but mispronounces them slightly and her cup falls and breaks (Hagatha repairs it). Interestingly, when Samantha encourages Adam to float objects in one of the last shows, she does not teach him those words.
* ''Series/{{Supernatural}}'': Enochian, Latin and other ancient languages are used for incantations, exorcisms, and other rituals.

** Most spells have "[[MagicalIncantation Verbal Components]]" that must be uttered to cast spells. The exact form of these "components" is unspecified, and appears to change depending on the spell - indeed, several spells (most notably the [[BrownNote Power Word]] spells) are just their verbal components, so that the words themselves are magical. It's implied that the language of dragons, Draconic, plays a part.

** Syntactic Magic from ''TabletopGame/GURPSThaumatology'' is an in depth version of this with several examples provided.

* ''TabletopGame/WarhammerFantasyRoleplay'': The Lingua Praestantia, Daemonic, and Arcane Eltharin are languages designed to describe and channel the Winds of Magic. They are all used exclusively for casting spells, and aren't intended for communication.

* ''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.

[[folder:VideoGames]]
* ''VideoGame/{{Bayonetta}}'' games have angels speaking Enochian, incantations written on various in-game props and magic users (Bayonetta, Jeanne, Balder) use spells in Enochian for summons.
* ''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 recored 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.

* 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.

[[folder:{{Webcomics}}]]

[[folder:WebOriginal]]

[[folder:WesternAnimation]]

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

* The Enochian language is used by many real life magic practitioners, particularly those of Thelemite, Rosicrucian and Hermetic traditions. The Enochian Magick is known as the Enochian System. The Church of Satan (no relationship with other Esoteric groups) uses [[DarkerAndEdgier a "satanized" version of Enochian]] developed by Anton [=LaVey=] in their magical rituals and ceremonies.

* ''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...

** Syntactic Magic from ''TabletopGame/{{GURPS}}: Thaumatology'' is an in depth version of this with several examples provided.
** ''TabletopGame/{{GURPS}}: Dragons''. 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.

[[folder:{{Comics}}]]
* The horned denizens of the moon Wreath in ''ComicBook/{{Saga}}'' speak in a language which is both their native tongue and the means of using magic. This language is always represented in text in a light blue font and is literally '''called''' "Blue" (as opposed to [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin "Language"]]). It's actually [[UsefulNotes/EsperantoTheUniversalLanguage Esperanto]], which usefully is just about comprehensible to English readers, without being too obvious.

* ''FanFic/TheApprenticeTheStudentAndTheCharlatan'' has two instances.

[[folder:LiveActionTV]]
* In ''Series/{{Doctor Who}},'' we get Old High Gallifreyan, the lost language of the Time Lords.
--> Eleventh Doctor: "There were days... many days, when those words could burn stars and raise up empires and topple gods."
--> Amy: "So what do these words say?"
--> Doctor: [[ArcWords ''Hello Sweetie.'']]

[[folder:Other Sites]]
* ''Wiki/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.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:VideoGames]]

* ''TabletopGame/WarhammerFantasyRoleplay'' has the Lingua Praestantia, Daemonic, and Arcane Eltharin, all used exclusively for casting spells.

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 [[GratuitousLatin 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.

WordsCanBreakMyBones, RunicMagic and IKnowYourTrueName are subtropes. May be the backbone of a MagicalIncantation. If consistently SUNG to make it magic, that's MagicMusic. Works using this trope will often discuss ThePowerOfLanguage itself.

* In ''LightNovel/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 [[GratuitousLatin read like Latin]].

* ''Literature/HarryPotter'': The vast majority of spells consist of [[CanisLatinicus Latin words]], and it would seem that knowing Latin makes it easier to develop certain types of spells. However, there's little mentioned about where spells come from or how they're made.

* ''Literature/TheWeirdstoneOfBrisingamen'' uses Latin.
* In Ysabeau Wilce's ''Literature/FloraSegunda'' series, 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''.

* ''TabletopGame/ArsMagica''. Latin, for the Order of Hermes, or other ancient languages for other magic wielders both in and out of the Order although they usually need the Gift if they want to play with power. Other languages used based on magical tradition include Gothic for House Bjornaer and Pictish for the Gruagachan. Classic Greek, as opposed to Romaic Greek, is used by members of the Order of Hermes in the Tribunal of Thebes.

** [[IKnowYourTrueName Truespeech]] involves speaking directly to the universe itself to affect change, if temporarily. Recitations are applied uses of your own truename to remind the universe how you should be, removing negative effects or augmenting yourself for a time. Utterances from the Lexicon of the Evolving Mind affect a single creature, and uniquely can be reversed to have an opposite effect - said one way, an utterance can heal wounds or help someone move freely, while reversed the same utterance could inflict wounds or impede someone. The Lexicon of the Crafted Tool affects individual objects, while the Lexicon of the Perfected Map rearranges reality in an area around the truenamer.
** The Illumian race (introduced in the 3.5th edition supplement ''Races of Destiny'') are a HumanSubspecies created when a linguist named Tarmuid devised a language from the shared magical phraseology of countless other tongues, then transformed himself and his followers through the Ritual of Words Made Flesh. Illumians look human save for a circle of softly-glowing runes orbiting their heads, which they can suppress with some effort, but doing so robs them of the runes' effects - each Illumian is particularly attuned to one sigil at 1st level and picks up another at 2nd level, which grant them minor bonus to corresponding ability score checks, and interact in ways that encourage multiclassing. For example, combining ''uur'' ("grace") and ''naen'' ("mind") allows an Illumian to forgo preparing a spell in exchange for bonus on [[BackStab sneak attack]] rolls, while ''aesh'' ("vigor") and ''hoon'' ("life") lets an Illumian give up a TurnUndead attempt to deal bonus damage with a weapon. As the physical embodiments of a magical language, Illumians interact strangely with spells like ''glyph of warding'' or ''explosive runes'', and will either have a penalty to their saving throw if the spell's caster was stronger, or the Illumian's resonance will NoSell the effect. And when they die, Illumians give a "Final Utterance" that is mostly gibberish, but occasionally prophetic phrases.

* Inverted in ''VideoGame/WorldOfWarcraft'', where 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 recored 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.

* [[WitchSpecies 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.

* Inverted in ''Literature/TheDresdenFiles'', where Practitioners use ancient languages as verbal foci for their magic ''to insulate their brain from the energy they're channeling''.
** 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), though 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 ''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 ''Literature/HarryPotter'' fanfiction ''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, pronounciation, wand movement and effect of a spell can all be coded into a single Runic sentence.
* In ''Fanfic/IntelligenceFactor'', Mismagius exclusively speak a language called Arcanos, and everything they say affects the world around them.

[[folder:{{Literature}}]]
* Generally speaking, one does not need a special language to work magic in Creator/TamoraPierce's ''Literature/TortallUniverse.'' 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.
* In the ''Literature/HarryPotter'' series the vast majority of spells consist of [[CanisLatinicus Latin words]], and it would seem that knowing Latin makes it easier to develop certain types of spells. However, there's little mentioned about where spells come from or how they're made.

---> '''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.

[[folder:LiveActionTV]]
* Magic in ''Series/BuffyTheVampireSlayer'' and ''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/{{Merlin|2008}}'':

** However, probably due to the ''Series/BuffyTheVampireSlayer'' and ''Literature/HarryPotter'' examples above, quite a few fans have mistaken it for Latin and written their fanfiction accordingly. Despite the fact that the two languages don't sound at all similar.

** The one exception is when he's in Dragonlord mode. It's indicated he uses the dragon language then. Which also appears to count for this trope.
** The dragon language is Homeric Greek. [[TheFairFolk The Sidhe]] use Old Irish.
* In ''Series/{{Bewitched}}'', the words "zolda, prancan, kopek, lum" are used to cast simple spells. When Maurice gives Darrin warlock powers, this is the first thing he teaches him, pointing out that you can just think the words, you don't have to say them out loud each time. Aunt Hagatha uses these words to float her teacup to herself, and Clara tries to, but mispronounces them slightly and her cup falls and breaks (Hagatha repairs it). Interestingly, when Samantha encourages Adam to float objects in one of the last shows, she does not teach him those words.
* In ''Series/{{Supernatural}}'', Enochian along with Latin and other ancient languages are used for incantations, exorcisms, and other rituals.

[[folder:TabletopGames]]

* ''TabletopGame/MageTheAwakening'' has the High Speech. It's not ''necessary'' for magic, but it does give it a nice boost. It's also seemingly impossible to ''communicate'' in it outside of the short bits used to empower spells - attempts to learn it to the point of fluency always fail. Scholarly mages have theorized that the same event that birthed the Abyss "broke" High Speech so that it cannot be learned in full.

* ''Powers and Perils''. As an optional rule, each type of spell has a supernatural language associated with it. Using a supernatural language to cast an associated spell increases the chance of success and the power of the spell if it succeeds.

* ''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.

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

* In ''Fanfic/IntelligenceFactor'', Mismagius exclusively speak a language called Arcanos, and everything they say affects the world around them.

* The Correspondence in ''VideoGame/FallenLondon'' and ''VideoGame/SunlessSea'' 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.