Abstract
Presuming a development in linguistic complexity from the first to the last book of the Harry Potter series, this paper aimed to answer these research questions: Is there a measurable development of linguistic complexity from the first to the last book of the original series? and Is the linguistic development mirrored in the Norwegian translations and do they show development corresponding to that of the source text?
Linguistic complexity has clearly developed from the first to last book of the Harry Potter series, in light of this data sample. Sentences became longer, there were more finite verb phrases, there was more referential content that challenged the short-term memory of the reader, and lexical density indicated that the grammatical system became more complex. However, the findings were not conclusive for a corresponding complexity in the Norwegian translation. Although there were some changes to the features, it might be a consequence of language differences. Since translation usually focuses on the meaning of the text, it is more likely to be a choice of the translator to emphasise this part of the translation process.
