History Main / StrangeSyntaxSpeaker

* In ''StarWars'', Yoda speaks with a usually [[http://itre.cis.upenn.edu/~myl/languagelog/archives/002173.html Object-Subject-Verb word order]]. His strange syntax is a defining characteristic, though it's less pronounced in some adaptations.
** Parodied by the ''RobotChicken'' StarWars Special 2; "We're in a combat situation, where clear communication could be a matter of life and death. I mean, you're supposed to be this big guru, could at least try to talk like a person?"
** There is a Yoda voice module available for car GPS devices. Even the [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FdcJVuylmsM ad for it]] points out that Yoda's driving directions could get someone killed.
** This seems to be specific to the character, as other members of his species shown in [[StarWarsExpandedUniverse EU]] speak normally.

* Men In Black 2: Agent J and Kevin at the post office.

* The teens from ''AClockworkOrange'' speak Nadsat, which is based on the rules for Cockney rhyming slang, combined with English, Russian and German words.
-->"These grahzny sodding veshches that come out of my gulliver...and my plott," I said, "that's what it is."

** FridgeLogic: How do the children learn the legends? Answer: Probably not unlike how Chinese speakers learn the [[TranslationYes four word idioms]]. English too has plenty of strange expressions with obscure origins, but speakers understand the meaning from the context. In fact, the metaphorical meaning tends to become the ordinary meaning over time; for example, English "understand" no longer refers to standing under anything but has become a dead metaphor. Or perhaps the children are taught the stories via some visual medium, like movies or plays.
** FridgeLogic #2: To build starships, one needs language more precise and less ambiguous than metaphors. But this too is [[AllThereInTheManual all explained in]] the StarTrekExpandedUniverse. Tamarian mathematical and musical notations are very closely linked. Tamarian engineers and programmers literally sing equations, transferring instructions through music. Even in ordinary speech, numerical information can be conveyed through the pitch of a Tamarian’s vocal harmonics, though it can be hard for untrained Human ears to discern the nuances, just as it can be hard for an English speaker to learn to hear Chinese tones.
---> "This answers the infamous question one linguist posed to illustrate the apparent limitations of Tamarian as a practical language: “Mirab-his-sails-unfurled factor what, sir?”
** FridgeLogic #3: Why the universal translator even translates their language in the metaphorical way in the first place, when we know the UT works on some kind of technological telepathy. If when they say "Darmok and Jalad at Tanagra" they mean "alliance", then why doesn't the UT just translate it as "alliance"? Answer: It wouldn't work in real time. "Computer: Cross-reference: Darmok, Jhillard, Tanagra." Computer tells the story, they go "Ah!" This would resemble the footnotes commonly seen in anime subtitles (see case 3A under TranslationStyleChoices). But explaining Tamarian legends to a foreigner is a slow process. And besides, it loses the more subtle information about what ''kind'' of alliance is meant: in Tropese, it'd be close to EnemyMine.
** It even loops right back around to FridgeBrilliance: English "set" has over a hundred meanings distinguished only by context, and Mandarin Chinese can be just as bad with its homophones and [[TranslationYes four-word idioms]]. Likewise, there's so many possibilities for a particular Tamarian phrase, it requires an incredible intuition to determine the intended meaning, one normally honed through a lifetime of speaking such a condensed form of language. The universal translators are notorious (DependingOnTheWriter or perhaps the make and model) for having difficulties with some of the more 'quirky' or abstract parts of languages.
* Arguably, River Tam from ''{{Firefly}}.'' It's uncertain whether she's speaking from some consistent internal syntax, or her dialogue is a result of her [[IllGirl traumatic background]].
** It sounds a bit like she automatically says whatever pops into her head (Simon said something to that effect in one episode), and possibly before she's finished forming it.

* G-man from ''{{Half-Life}}'' takes pauses in his speech in all the wrong places, coming off as very creepy.
** It's actually a little bit more complex than that. He gets all the words and sounds exactly right but has these very strange tonal variations within words and sentences, as well as misplaced emphasis (but unlike [[AccentUponTheWrongSyllable EmPHAsis on the Wrong SylLAble]], he doesn't actually change the vowel sounds). Not to mention that he pauses for breath at seemingly random times, sometimes ''within a word'' and often within self-contained phrases. And some of those breaths are subtly raspy. All of this adds together to tell you that he is most definitely ''not'' human. [[EldritchAbomination Or from this universe]].
*** What's interesting, is that this almost exactly matches the way JosephStalin spoke Russian. While he was Georgian, his accent was almost non-existent and showed only in those strange emphases, wrong stresses and pauses where there should be none, combined with the strangely soft enunciation -- which, reportedly, made his speech all the more terrifying (and that probably was the reason he spoke that way).

* In DoctorWho, the alien Chantho begins every sentence with Chan, and ends it with Tho. Apparently, to not do this is rudeness the equivalent of swearing in her language.

** It's a great episode, but infamous for its FridgeLogic: If it's impossible to understand the language without knowing their legends, how do they learn them as children?
*** Maybe they don't need to. English has plenty of strange expressions with obscure origins, but speakers understand the meaning from the context. The real problem is, if your language is constructed entirely from metaphor and references to old legends, how do you build starships? You need something a bit more precise and unambiguous for that.
*** All explained in the StarTrekExpandedUniverse. The story "Friends with the Sparrows" answers these questions. For the "building starships" answer: Tamarian mathematical and musical notations are very closely linked. Tamarian engineers and programmers literally sing equations, transferring instructions through music. Even in ordinary speech, numerical information can be conveyed through the pitch of a Tamarian’s vocal harmonics, though it can be hard for untrained Human ears to discern the nuances, just as it can be hard for an English speaker to learn to hear Chinese tones.
----> "This answers the infamous question one linguist posed to illustrate the apparent limitations of Tamarian as a practical language: “Mirab-his-sails-unfurled factor what, sir?”
** You could maybe get around the fridge logic by saying that the children are taught the stories via some visual medium, like movies or plays, with no dialog. What is still unexplained is why the universal translator even translates their language in the metaphorical way in the first place, when we know the UT works on some kind of technological telepathy. If when they say "Darmok and Jalad at Tanagra" they mean "alliance", then why doesn't the UT just translate it as "alliance"?
*** Which just loops right back around to FridgeBrilliance: English "set" has over a hundred meanings distinguished only by context, and Mandarin Chinese can be just as bad with its homophones and [[TranslationYes four-word idioms]]. Likewise, there's so many possibilities for a particular Tamarian phrase, it requires an incredible intuition to determine the intended meaning, one normally honed through a lifetime of speaking such a condensed form of language. The universal translators are notorious (DependingOnTheWriter) for having difficulties with some of the more 'quirky' or abstract parts of languages.
** This is also an arguable [[YouFailLinguisticsForever linguistics fail]]; if metaphors become standardized and use long enough, the metaphorical meaning ''becomes'' the literal meaning, creating what's called a dead metaphor. Case in point: "understand" in modern English has nothing to do with standing under anything.
** One might consider it a prime example of PlotInducedStupidity on the part of the Enterprise' crew. "Computer: Cross-reference: Darmok, Jhillard, Tanagra." Computer tells the story, they go "Ah!" This would resemble the footnotes commonly seen in anime subtitles (see case 3A under TranslationStyleChoices). But an interpreter device can't footnote everything in real time.

*** All explained in the StarTrekExpandedUniverse. The story "Friends with the Sparrows" answers these questions. For the "building starships" answer: Tamarian mathematical and musical notations are very closely linked. Tamarian engineers and programmers literally sing equations, transferring instructions through music. Even in ordinary speech, numerical information can be conveyed through the pitch of a Tamarian’s vocal harmonics, though it can be hard for Human ears to discern the nuances.

[[AC:ComicBooks]]

* Amatsu-Mikaboshi in ''IncredibleHercules'' speaks purely in {{haiku}}. It's oddly unnerving once you notice it and very poetically intimidating.
* Often employed in GrantMorrison's ''DoomPatrol'' - the Scissormen speak in nonsense phrases, the Men from N.O.W.H.E.R.E. speak in sentences that are expansions of that acronym, and so on.

[[AC:{{Film}}]]

** Parodied by the ''RobotChicken'' StarWars Special 2; "We're in a combat situation, where clear communication could be a matter of life and death. I mean, you're supposed to be this big guru, could at least try to talk like a person?"

* Men In Black 2: Agent J and Kevin at the post office.

[[AC:{{Literature}}]]
* Jeanne from Charles Baxter's ''ShadowPlay'' invents her own language, with words like "corilineal", "zarklike", "descorbitant", "housarara". And it's just a small part of her {{Cloudcuckoolander}} madness.

* The cockroaches from ''[[TheUnderlandChronicles Gregor The Overlander]]'' tend to mix up verb and subject placement as well as using repetition of certain sentence elements, such as "Do it, I can, do it," or "be small Human, be?"

[[AC:LiveActionTV]]

** It's a great episode, but infamous for its FridgeLogic: If it's impossible to understand the language without knowing their legends, how do they learn them as children?

*** All explained in the StarTrekExpandedUniverse. The story "Friends with the Sparrows" answers these questions. For the "building starships" answer: Tamarian mathematical and musical notations are very closely linked. Tamarian engineers and programmers literally sing equations, transferring instructions through music. Even in ordinary speech, numerical information can be conveyed through the pitch of a Tamarian’s vocal harmonics, though it can be hard for Human ears to discern the nuances.

-->'''Christopher Titus''': (pause) Something from me hiding you are?

[[AC:Theatre]]

[[AC:VideoGames]]

** More relevantly, their lines use very idiosyncratic grammar.

*** What's interesting, is that this almost exactly matches the way JosephStalin spoke Russian. While he was Georgian, his accent was almost non-existent and showed only in those strange emphases, wrong stresses and pauses where there should be none, combined with the strangely soft enunciation -- which, reportedly, made his speech all the more terrifying (and that probably was the reason he spoke that way).

* The Emps from ''UltimaVII''; passive voice seems to be what is always used by them.

** Also, the gargoyles. At one point in ''U7'', it is mentioned that they speak in "Gargish syntax" to preserve their cultural ties.

[[AC:WebComics]]

[[AC:WesternAnimation]]

''Give grace that the examples ended the trope's strange self-demonstrating direction...''

[[AC:[[WesternAnimation Animation: Western]]]]

*** Which just loops right back around to FridgeBrilliance: There's so many possibilities for that particular phrase, it requires an incredible intuition to determine the intended meaning, one normally honed through a lifetime of speaking such a condensed form of language; the universal translators are notorious (DependingOnTheWriter) for having difficulties with some of the more 'quirky' or abstract parts of languages.
** This is also a case of YouFailLinguisticsForever; if metaphors become standardized and use long enough, the metaphorical meaning ''becomes'' the literal meaning, creating what's called a dead metaphor. Case in point: "understand" in modern English has nothing to do with standing under anything.
** Sadly, it's also a prime example of PlotInducedStupidity on the part of the Enterprise' crew. "Computer: Cross-reference: Darmok, Jhillard, Tanagra." Computer tells the story, they go "Ah!" Clearly, Starfleet does not value clear thinking.

* Nya! Of ''SuperMarioRPG'', both this and a regular VerbalTic, Bowyer uses. Nya!

* The Chur, from Katherine Kerr's ''Snare'', typically speak at a frequency so low humans can't hear it, but can speak human languages if they strain. Even then, they use then-now-next grammar, like "We know-not if you lie not lie."

* Jeanne from ''ShadowPlay'' invents her own language, with words like "corilineal", "zarklike", "descorbitant", "housarara". And it's just a small part of her {{Cloudcuckoolander} madness.

-->'''Eve:''' ...are you a crazy person, then?
-->'''V:'''' I am sure they will say so.

* In {{MemorySorrowAndThorn}}, Binabik is using progressive aspect even when he is meaning to express habitual or stative verbs.

* The cockroaches from ''Gregor the Overlander'' tend to mix up verb and subject placement as well as using repetition of certain sentence elements, such as "Do it, I can, do it," or "be small Human, be?"

* The cockroaches from Gregor the Overlander tend to mix up verb and subject placement as well as using repetition of certain sentence elements, such as "Do it, I can, do it," or "be small Human, be?"

* [[http://www.neorice.com/aptgg_215 Lacey]] from ''APathToGreaterGood''.

--> "This answers the infamous question one linguist posed to illustrate the apparent limitations of Tamarian as a practical language: “Mirab-his-sails-unfurled factor what, sir?”

--> '''The 456''': Speak.\
'''Frobisher''': I am speaking!\

-->'''The 456''': Soon.\
'''Frobisher''': I'm sorry?\

--> "To be named Horffe. To be the Captain of the guard. To serve and protect the people of Serpent's Hold."

''Give grace that the examples ended the trope's strange self-demonstrating direction...''