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NancyLebovitz comments on Harry Potter and the Methods of Rationality discussion thread, part 8 - Less Wrong
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One more small issue: ""What?" hissed the Potions Master" is problematic because "What?" lacks s sounds. I don't think Quirrell knows Parseltongue.
You mean Snape, of course?
No, I meant Quirrell. Could Quirrell understand Parseltongue without being able to speak it?
But Quirrell (1) is not the Potions master and (2) is commonly reckoned to be possessed by Voldemort, who is a Parselmouth even though Q. has told Harry he isn't. (Of course he would feel no compunction about lying to Harry.)
My point was that there'd be no point in Snape speaking in Parceltongue to Quirrell unless Quirrell could understand it. Your point about Quirrell plausibly having Voldemort's ability is good.
I don't know whether there's any reason they'd have been using Parceltongue.
Now I am imagining a secret language spoken only by postal workers. :)
In general? Security - same reason morphed Quirrel and Harry use Parseltongue. That's why they are in the forest in the first place.
I believe that you are overthinking this. Look at other writings, that have nothing to do with snakes, and you will find examples such as "'How dare you speak to me that way!' she hissed" as a way of speaking when angry. I seriously doubt that it has anything to do with Parseltongue.
Yes, because Dumbledore canonically could.
edit: Here's the link: Just search for 'Parseltongue'
Dumbledore does not understand "Parseltongue" in MoR and Ron could not have memorized a phrase in it. Parseltongue is not audio structure. Snakes can't talk.
Despite knowing that snakes can't actually hear and thus could not possibly have a verbal language, I've always thought that Parseltongue must have have some sort of correlation, however rough, between what they were saying and the kinds of hissing they produced.
How else would you use a password-recognition spell--similar to the one for Dumbledore's office--to lock the Chamber of Secrets?
I believe that this, right here, is a difference between MoR and canon. (Not that I disagree with it!)
I was responding to the 'why would anyone ever use Parseltongue' comment. It's interesting that Dumbledore understands Parseltongue, and he is the major person to keep the conversation secret from, but note that Parseltongue would protect against many other factions, and unless the agent had a taperecorder handy or something, it'd also protect against any agent/ally of Dumbledore (if not the man himself), of which there are many.
(I personally don't think 'hissing', for Snape or Quirrel, indicates Parseltongue use - that's a major secret and would be indicated more strongly.)
I wasn't referring to you specifically, so much as the train of thought extending from:
That definitely seems like overthinking to me, considering how commonly someone hisses in literature.
Though I admit, it would be a great security precaution--which is precisely why Quirrel and Harry do so when the topic is sensitive, as has been said.