User blog comment:The Milkman/To Build a Guild/@comment-4976111-20120907193539/@comment-3492791-20120908035748

Actually they are magic.

They are affected by the silent casting perk.

During the first College of winterhold quest, Tolfder told me to shoot magic at that wall. I shouted at it. It exploded.

I used a shout on Farkas during that first fight. He told me magic isn't allowed.

Also Farengar I think tells you shouts are magic if you ask him about them.