History Main / SpeaksInShoutouts

This is a subtrope of ReferenceOverdosed. May overlap with MotorMouth.

-->You're in, you're in good hands,[[hottip:*:Allstate]]\\
Have it your way![[hottip:*:Burger King]]\\
If you don't look good, we don't look good[[hottip:*:Vidal Sassoon]]\\
You deserve a break today![[hottip:*:McDonald's]]

You might as well be walking on the sun\\

* The Chanters in the ''VideoGame/DragonAge'' series are required to only communicate with other people in the verses of the Chant of the Light (a sacred text in the series) as part of their oaths.

* In ''BrotherToDragonsCompanionToOwls'' by Jane Lindskold, the main character can only communicate via quotes from literature. It's heavily implied that she is autistic.

* In Creator/JohnWCampbell's short story [[Literature/ThePlaneteers "The Immortality Seekers"]], Penton and Blake encounter a Callistan [[AllAnimalsAreDogs dog-like creature]] who speaks telepathically by repeating things she's heard people say or think--a living phonograph machine, they call her. She has an editorial ability, though, and only repeats thoughts that are appropriate to a given topic or situation.

Going off this last point, authors tend to like this character trait because when using highly symbolic and layered sources it adds a lot of subtext and GeniusBonus for viewers. However if instead the character speaks ''only'' through a very narrow range of pop-culture references, they tend to get dated very, ''very'' fast (and become annoying or anachronistic, though YMMV). The longer one of these characters talks, the higher the probability that they say one of "ButWaitTheresMore", "OfferVoidInNebraska" or "SlicesDicesAndMakesJulienneFries".

In the case of characters who are unable rather than unwilling to speak using their own words, this trope can eventually be overcome somewhat like learning a new language, with the character making an effort to address their problem. Those who simply choose to speak this may also drop it, though it's unlikely as it tends to be a defining character trait for many. As to why a character would choose to liberally pepper their speech with quotes, it may be that they're trying to seem smart and cultured, or the culture they grew up in encourages it.

If the character speaks ''only'' through a very narrow range of pop-culture references, they tend to get dated very, ''very'' fast (and become annoying or anachronistic, though YMMV). The longer one of these characters talks, the probability that they say one of "ButWaitTheresMore", "OfferVoidInNebraska" or "SlicesDicesAndMakesJulienneFries".

->'''Butterfly:''' One? "[[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Wb8S8AX99I One alone, to be my own...]]" "Up goes downwind, up go down!" "[[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qiZygUSkMYw&t=0m14s Go and catch a falling star...]]"

* ''KungFu: The Legend Continues'': In "Secret Place" the Perp Of The Week is a crazy man who speaks in the voices of various characters: JohnWayne, {{Elvis}}, Scotty from ''Series/{{Star Trek|The Original Series}}'', {{Popeye}}, JackNicholson, etc. But not Johnny Carson, at least not now, because he's not on any more. (The episode appeared in 1993, when that was a recent occurance.)

* ''Series/{{Bones}}'': Brennan's cousin (played by her [[ZooeyDeschanel real-life sister]]) only communicates by quoting BenFranklin until Brennan convinces her to say what '''she''' thinks, not what Franklin thought.

* ''KungFu: The Legend Continues'': In "Secret Place" the Perp Of The Week is a crazy man who speaks in the voices of various characters: JohnWayne, {{Elvis}}, Scotty from ''StarTrek'', {{Popeye}}, JackNicholson, etc. But not Johnny Carson, at least not now, because he's not on any more. (The episode appeared in 1993, when that was a recent occurance.)

->'''Butterfly:''' One? "[[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vErJ7OoPRn0&t=0m40s One alone, to be my own...]]" "Up goes downwind, up go down!" "[[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qiZygUSkMYw&t=0m14s Go and catch a falling star...]]"

* The Beast in ''VideoGame/Homeworld: Cataclysm'' communicates only by stringing together intercepted radio chatter. Since this chatter is culled from [[VoiceOfTheLegion hundreds of ships it's previously devoured]], this is a definite 'played for horror' case.

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--> -- ''WesternAnimation/TheLastUnicorn'' [[hottip:*: In order, the songs and poems are: ''One alone'' by Sigmund Romberg, unknown, ''Go and catch a falling star'', by John Donne, ''Take the A Train'' by Duke Ellington, ''The Yarn of the 'Nancy Bell'' by Sir William Schwenck Gilbert and ''Has Anybody Here Seen Kelly?'' by Florrie Forde.]]

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* Bumblebee from the live action ''{{Film/Transformers}}'' film had a damaged voice box and could only communicate via his car radio. This turned him into a bit of a DeadpanSnarker. (And one of the soundbites he plays is the alien from ''Explorers''.)

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* ''Series/StarTrekTheNextGeneration'': The Enerprise encounters a species who communicate entirely in metaphor, and if you don't know the reference you won't be able to understand. The most repeated example "Darmok and Jalad at Tanagra" means two strangers who [[EnemyMine meet and join forces to fight a common enemy.]]

* Kim Rosenthal, who many years later would become Mike's second wife in ''{{Doonesbury}}'', spoke only in media-derived soundbites when she was a baby.

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* The web comic ''Webcomic/PvP'' has the character the [=LOLbat=], a {{Batman}} parody who always speaks in [[MemeticMutation internet memes]].

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This is when a character communicates almost solely by using someone else's words: it can be speeches, books, songs, movies, TV, radio, proverbs, religious tracts, or other mass media. The reasons for this vary: they may have grown up obsessed with the source material or media, have language or memory problems that makes it impossible for them to speak normally, or [[LearntEnglishFromWatchingTelevision their education is almost exclusively the quoted source material]] to the point they are unable to conceive of language or original thought outside of it. In milder cases, they may only use speech patterns, vocabulary and other affectations, but at full tilt they will ''only'' and ''exclusively'' communicate through quoting others, perhaps even becoming LostInCharacter. This can be especially problematic if the source material is limited in scope. Imagine someone in a scifi setting trying to describe the week's {{Technobabble}} issues using only lines from [[Creator/WilliamShakespeare Shakespeare]].

In the case of characters who are unable rather than unwilling to speak using their own words, this trope can eventually be overcome somewhat like learning a new language, with the character making an effort to address their problem. Those who simply choose to speak this may also drop it, though it's unlikely as it tends to be a defining character trait for many.

* ''BatteriesNotIncluded'', Harry only speaks in commercial taglines.

* The Beast in ''HomeworldCataclysm'' communicates only by stringing together intercepted radio chatter. Since this chatter is culled from [[VoiceOfTheLegion hundreds of ships it's previously devoured]], this is a definite 'played for horror' case.

* In Real Life members of the Baker Street Irregulars fan club often hold conversations exclusively in quotes from the SherlockHolmes Canon.

This is when a character communicates almost solely by using someone else's words: it can be speeches, books, songs, movies, TV, radio or other mass media. The reasons for this vary: they may have grown up obsessed with the source material or media, have language or memory problems that makes it impossible for them to speak normally, or [[LearntEnglishFromWatchingTelevision their education is almost exclusively the quoted source material]] to the point they are unable to conceive of language or original thought outside of it. In milder cases, they may only use speech patterns, vocabulary and other affectations, but at full tilt they will ''only'' and ''exclusively'' communicate through quoting others, perhaps even becoming LostInCharacter. This can be especially problematic if the source material is limited in scope. Imagine someone in a scifi setting trying to describe the week's {{Technobabble}} issues using only lines from [[Creator/WilliamShakespeare Shakespeare]].

If the character speaks ''only'' through a very narrow range of pop-culture references, they tend to get dated very, ''very'' fast (and become annoying or anachronistic, though YMMV).

This is a subtrope of ReferenceOverdosed.

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* TK in ''Anime/AngelBeats'' has dialogue consisting almost entirely of lyrics and titles of non-Japanese songs.
* Sue Hopkins from ''Manga/{{Genshiken}}'' mostly talks in quotes from anime and manga.

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* Bumblebee in the ''Film/{{Transformers}}'' movies can only speak through replaying Earth radio recordings due to a faulty voice processor.

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* In the 1986 ''WesternAnimation/TransformersTheMovie'', "Wreck-Gar" of the Junkion planet spoke in snippets and catch phrases of advertising messages. The reason for this being that they intercept Earth transmissions and apparently can't get enough of them.

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* What about Mrs. Who from ''Literature/AWrinkleInTime.''

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Despite the name, the trope applies equally to characters who use references from other cultural sources, like quoting a book series, using snippets of songs or reciting poetry.

This is when a character communicates almost solely by using someone else's words: it can be speeches, books, songs, movies, TV, radio or other mass media. The reasons for this vary: they may have grown up obsessed with the source material or media, have language or memory problems that makes it impossible for them to speak normally, or [[LearntEnglishFromWatchingTelevision their education is almost exclusively the quoted source material]] to the point they are unable to conceive of language or original thought outside of it. In milder cases, they may only use speech patterns, vocabulary and other affectations, but at full tilt they will ''only'' and ''exclusively'' communicate through quoting others, perhaps even becoming LostInCharacter. This can be especially problematic if the source material is limited in scope. Imagine someone in a scifi setting trying to describe the week's {{Technobabble}} issues using only lines from Shakespeare.

RadioMouth is a SisterTrope / SubTrope where someone speaks only through quotes or remixes of messages from TV, film or radio. This is a subtrope of ReferenceOverdosed.

* ''Series/StarTrekTheNextGeneration'': The Enerprise encounters a species who communicate entirely in metaphor, and if you don't know the reference you won't be able to understand. The most repeated example "Darmok and Jalad at Tanagra" means two strangers who meet and join forces to fight a common enemy.

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* In ''Webcomic/{{Erfworld}}'' when Jack Snipe the foolamancer is mentally incapacitated he speaks mainly in quotations, most notably those of "The Fool" in WilliamShakespeare[==]'s ''KingLear''.