->'''Unicorn:''' Butterfly, even one [unicorn]? Tell me that you saw only one.\\
'''Butterfly:''' One? "One alone, to be my own..." "Up goes downwind, up go down!" "Go and catch a falling star..."\\
'''Unicorn:''' Serves me right for even asking you; all butterflies know is songs and poetry and anything else they hear. I guess you mean well. Fly away butterfly.\\
'''Butterfly:''' "Oh, I must take the A train." "Oh, I am a cook and a captain bold and the mate of the Nancy brig." "Has anybody here seen Kelly?"
-->-- ''WesternAnimation/TheLastUnicorn'' [[note]]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 Music/DukeEllington, ''The Yarn of the 'Nancy Bell'' by Sir William Schwenck Gilbert, and ''Has Anybody Here Seen Kelly?'' by Florrie Forde.[[/note]]

This is when a character communicates almost solely by using someone else's words: it can be speeches, books, songs, movies, TV, radio, proverbs, Literature/TheBible, [[AsTheGoodBookSays 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]] ([[AliensStealCable that one is especially common with aliens]]) 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 sci-fi 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 way may also drop it, though it's unlikely as it tends to be a defining character trait for many — if they do drop it, it will usually be temporarily, when [[OOCIsSeriousBusiness they have a pressing need to make a serious point]]. As to why a character would choose to liberally pepper their speech with quotes, it may be that they're [[DelusionsOfEloquence trying to seem smart and cultured]], the culture they grew up in encourages it, or they feel the source they quote from said it best (so why say it less poetically in your own words?).

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 may become annoying or anachronistic). The longer one of these characters talks, the higher the probability that they say one of "ButWaitTheresMore", "OfferVoidInNebraska", or "SlicesDicesAndMakesJulienneFries".

This is a subtrope of ReferenceOverdosed. May overlap with MotorMouth and StrangeSyntaxSpeaker, and WaxingLyrical if the character uses song lyrics. Compare and contrast ClicheStorm, when all the lines are familiar tropes and sayings. Do not confuse with NoIndoorVoice, which is when someone can only speak by shouting out. A character who makes lots of pop culture references but also speaks original sentences is not an example of this trope, but may be an example of PopCulturedBadass.

Something like this has been known to happen from [[JustForFun/YouKnowYouReadTooMuchTVTropesWhen spending too much time]] on Website/ThisVeryWiki: JustForFun/TVTropesWillRuinYourVocabulary.

----
!!Examples:

[[foldercontrol]]

[[folder:Advertising]]
* The people in the [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i1AwFY6MuwE Bing]] commercials (a.k.a. "Search Overload Syndrome").
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Anime & Manga]]
* TK from ''Anime/AngelBeats'' tends to speak in English song lyrics and titles. Possibly a parody, as it's noted in one episode that despite this, he actually speaks poor regular English.
* OccidentalOtaku Susana ("Sue") Hopkins from ''Manga/{{Genshiken}}''. 90% of what she says are Anime quotes (often quite obscure, but always relevant). This covers enough territory that only the club members (and not all of them) are sure Sue actually ''speaks or understands spoken Japanese'' in any way other than having memorized a library of quotes and their translations - which is the point: Sue amuses herself by invoking FunnyForeigner status while attending a Japanese school.
* Misogi Kumagawa from ''Manga/MedakaBox'' has this as his entire schtick, but it's played with. His character tic is that whenever he speaks, he does so with brackets, which in story is him quoting various different ''Magazine/ShonenJump'' manga. However, outside of a few blatant quotes, it's not clear which series he's actually invoking when he speaks. This is intentional on his part, as he speaks with their voices in order to invoke their coolness and badassery that he feels he himself lacks. When he drops the brackets, you know things have gone serious.
* Mikoshiba from ''Manga/MonthlyGirlsNozakiKun'' CannotTalkToWomen, and parroting DatingSim quotes are the only thing he can speak to females that he's not familar with.
* The title of ''Manga/ICantUnderstandWhatMyHusbandIsSaying'' comes from the fact that Kaoru never picks up on [[{{Otaku}} Hajime's]] references.
* Nyarko from ''Literature/NyarukoCrawlingWithLove'', being a massive otaku, usually puts at least one anime or {{Toku}} quote into every sentence she utters. Her fellow aliens Cuko and Hasta aren't ''quite'' as bad, but they still get in their fair share.
* OtakuSurrogate Konata from ''Manga/LuckyStar'' frequently makes video game and anime references that go past her friend's heads.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Comic Books]]
* Creator/ImageComics' Horridus is a CuteMonsterGirl who was kept locked in a basement for most of her life, with a TV as her only companion. She learned to talk from it, so most of the things she says are catch phrases and advertising slogans.
* ComicBook/TheJoker in ''Comicbook/TheLongHalloween'' and ''Comicbook/DarkVictory''. His EstablishingCharacterMoment has him quoting ''Literature/HowTheGrinchStoleChristmas'' after tying up a family on Christmas Eve and, true to the character, swiping all of their Yuletide decorations.
* Egghead, an old villain of Henry Pym. Goliath II (Clint Barton) made fun of it, while defeating him.
-->'''Goliath:''' Dude, I may not be an expert in literary quotations, but something smells rotten in Denmark, and it's you!
* ''ComicBook/{{Batwoman}}'': Elizabeth “Beth” Kane/Alice/Red Alice is Kate Kane's identical twin sister, who was supposedly killed in a terrorist attack along with their mother. She resurfaced years later as Alice, the new High Madame of the Religion of Crime, before seemingly falling to her death. Until the very end of the Elegy arc, she spoke solely in quotes from Literature/AlicesAdventuresInWonderland. Although she can speak in other ways, she still occasionally uses them.
* Other Franchise/{{Batman}} villains who indulge this trope include the Mad Hatter (who, like Red Alice, uses ''Alice's Adventures in Wonderland'' quotes); the Scarecrow, who uses [[IronicNurseryTune nursery rhymes]]; and minor villains Humpty Dumpty, who also gets in on the nursery rhyme action; and the Film Freak who frequently quotes dialogue from famous films. This is heavily [[DependingOnTheWriter dependent on who's writing them, though]]; in some cases, the Hatter and Scarecrow speak ''exclusively'' in quotes, while in others they're quite philosophical and have in-depth conversations (given that they're both [[EvilGenius extremely intelligent]], it's not hard to see why).
* A truly bizarre example occurs in one story featuring ComicBook/TheQuestion. The titular hero needs to speak to the "[[GeniusLoci Spirit of Metropolis]]", and so travels to the heart of the city and begins talking. Metropolis itself responds, but since it obviously doesn't have a mouth, it instead compels various citizens to walk by at just the right time while in the middle of conversations. What The Question hears as those passerby are near him are the Spirit's answers.
* Jeff from ComicBook/ScudTheDisposableAssassin is a patchwork monster who speaks only in quotes from movies, TV, commercials, songs, etc. Notably, while the comic's MediumAwareness has a "suggested voice cast" for most characters, Jeff has none, implying that it's actually reusing the audio from the original sources.

[[/folder]]

[[folder:Fanfiction]]
* In ''Fanfic/TealovesSteamyAdventure'' and [[Fanfic/DiamondAndSilversExcellentAdventure the sequel]], there's a running gag that Apple Bloom only speaks in song lyrics.
-->Applejack said sheepishly: “Failed experiment. Her brain glitched and now she only talks in song lyrics. Not even sensible ones”\\
[[Music/{{Chumbawamba}} “I get knocked down, but I get up again, you’re never gonna keep me down.”]] Apple Bloom said cheerfully.
* ''Fanfic/ThisBites'' features a baby transponder snail named Soundbite who ate the Noise-Noise fruit, letting him perfectly mimic any sound he hears. After eating [[SelfInsert Cross's]] iPhone and gaining access to the internet, Soundbite often quotes various forms of media to communicate. This even extends to other characters, as he can translate the language of animals into human language, but usually gives the animals the voice of a famous character such as Donald Duck or Achmed the Dead Terroist.
* ''Fanfic/HalloweenUnspectacular'': The second MythArc has Allsworthy, who names all of his plans after pop culture references and gives shout-outs with every other sentence, much to the annoyance of everyone around him.
* In the ''WesternAnimation/TransformersAnimated'' fanfic [[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/5428736/1/Transform-and-Transcend Transform and Transcend]] after being wounded in the final battle, Wreck-Gar is repaired using earth technology, specifically a music CD, and afterwards can only speak in lyrics from a [[Music/WeirdAlYankovic popular parody artist]]. Naturally, it's a shout out to the Junkians from the G1 Movie, see below.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Film -- Animated]]
* In ''WesternAnimation/MarsNeedsMoms'', the alien girl named Ki [[LearntEnglishFromWatchingTelevision learned her English from watching early 1970's television]].
* Wreck-Gar and all the Junkions from ''WesternAnimation/TransformersTheMovie'' just as they apparently patched themselves up with junkyard scraps, their speech was a stew of radio announcers and commercials and such. (Sample dialogue: "Stop, thief! No welcome wagon 'Hello, stranger' with that new coffee flavor for ''you''!") The reason for this being that they intercept Earth transmissions and apparently can't get enough of them.
* Radio from ''WesternAnimation/TheBraveLittleToaster'' didn't communicate exclusively through radio phrases, but he did generally talk like a DJ and occasionally did comments in the form of news reports or radio dramas.
* Ibor from ''WesternAnimation/TwiceUponATime'' communicates through video clips playing on the TV set that makes up his head.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Film -- Live-Action]]
* The Scarecrow in ''Film/TheWiz'' sometimes communicates by reading quotes from the newspaper in his stuffing.
* ''Film/BatteriesNotIncluded'': Harry only speaks in commercial taglines. He even provides the TitleDrop.
* The receptionist with a British accent in ''Film/DancinItsOn'' seems to speak entirely in Shapespeare quotes worked into {{pun}}s.
* Number Five/Johnny Five does a lot of this in both ''Film/ShortCircuit'' movies, especially due to his exposure to television in the first film.
* In ''Film/{{Explorers}}'', the three kids meet aliens who pick up [[LearntEnglishFromWatchingTelevision English From Watching Television]]. One did a better job than the other so the latter communicates by speaking out tv catch phrases and clips from old black and white tv recordings.
* Bumblebee from ''Film/Transformers2007'' has a damaged voice box and can only communicate via his car radio. This turns him into a bit of a DeadpanSnarker. (And one of the soundbites he plays is the alien from ''Explorers''.) His voice was repaired by the end of the first film, but in [[Film/TransformersRevengeOfTheFallen the]] [[Film/TransformersDarkOfTheMoon sequels]] he went back to speaking in soundbites (with an explanation that he either just took another hit to the voicebox or he's playing it up).
* Weebo in ''Film/{{Flubber}}'' uses clips from old Disney films incorporated into her regular speech.
* LV from the British film Little Voice has an incredible talent for mimicking different singers' voices. Towards the end of the movie during a particularly traumatic event, she seems to get "stuck" and only speaks in quotes from different songs and movies. Once everything gets resolved, she's back to normal.
* Variation: In the movie version of ''Film/BeingThere'', [[Creator/PeterSellers Chance the Gardener]] doesn't so much ''speak'' in shout outs -- though his speech does reflect the trope that RealisticDictionIsUnrealistic because it's what he knows from television -- as ''behave'' in shout outs. He almost unconsciously imitates physical behaviors he sees on the small screen. He can give a confident, hearty handshake to the President of the United States because he saw news footage of someone else giving the President one, and recreates the OrbitalKiss from the original ''Thomas Crown Affair'' with a woman who's in love with him when she enters the room at just the right moment.
* The [[FunWithSubtitles Subtitles For People Who Don't Like The Movie]] option does this for ''every'' character in ''Film/MontyPythonAndTheHolyGrail'', replacing the original dialogue with lines from Creator/WilliamShakespeare.
* A scene in ''Film/{{Tombstone}}'' has Doc Holliday and Johnny Ringo throwing down in Latin. While it's arguable their choice of words does have a point, the fact remains they're communicating in references, not holding an actual dialogue in Latin.
* In the 1989 film ''Film/TheDreamTeam'', the character Albert is a mental patient who loves watching TV, particularly sports, and only communicates by mimicking what he's heard on television.
* ''Film/SmallSoldiers''. When Major Chip Hazard activates the other Commandos, he gives them a RousingSpeech that is composed entirely of famous quotes from war movies.
* ''Film/StarTrekVITheUndiscoveredCountry'' has the Klingon General Chang quoting historical figures and [[ShoutOutToShakespeare Shakespearean]] [[InTheOriginalKlingon plays]] throughout the film, especially in the climactic space battle, where almost all his lines are lifted from Shakespeare.
* The killer in ''Film/TheTripper'' only speaks using UsefulNotes/RonaldReagan quotes.
* ''Film/BlackSheep1996'': During MTV's "Rock The Vote" event for the Washington election, [[StonersAreFunny a stoned Mike Donnelly]] [[MistakenForSpecialGuest gets mistaken for his brother, gubernatorial candidate Al Donnelly]], and speaks to the audience in shout-outs.
-->'''Mike:''' [[Music/BruceSpringsteen 'Cause I'm born in the USA]]! [[Music/BeastieBoys You gotta fight for your right to vote]]! [[UsefulNotes/NeilArmstrong That's one small step for man, one giant]]... [[UsefulNotes/MartinLutherKingJr I have a dream]]! [[Music/JohnLennon Power to the people]]!
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Literature]]
* In ''Literature/TheLastUnicorn'', it is the nature of butterflies to speak this way, repeating only snippets of songs and poetry they've overheard.
* In ''Literature/BookOfTheNewSun'', soldiers from the Ascian empire are taught speaking entirely in quotations given by higher-ups. One soldier Severian meets manages to ''[[https://www.gwern.net/docs/culture/1983-wolfe-thecitadeloftheautarch-thejustman tell a story]]'' using these quotations.
* In ''Literature/BrotherToDragonsCompanionToOwls'' by Creator/JaneLindskold, the main character can only communicate via quotes from literature. It's heavily implied that she is autistic.
* In ''[[Literature/TheHeroesOfOlympus The Son of Neptune]]'' the harpy Ella has this to a degree. While she can speak in short, original sentences of one to three words each, she's prone to peppering her speech or segueing into quotes from things she's read.
** Echo is also a variant, since she can only speak by repeating some or all of what the people around her say.
* The hermit monks on the Canaan Island in ''Pelagia and the Black Monk'' (from ''Literature/SisterPelagia'' series) are not allowed to speak at all, but their prior may utter five words a day, four of which must be a quote from the Bible.
* The Savage in Aldus Huxley's ''Literature/BraveNewWorld'' read the collected works of Creator/WilliamShakespeare many times and as a result, he peppers his conversation liberally with lines from plays like ''Theatre/TheTempest'' -- hence the title of the book.
* In ''Literature/StrandedWithABillionaire'' by Jessica Clare, the heroine Bronte [[HurricaneOfAphorisms really loves quoting aphorisms by ancient philosophers (Plato, Aristotle, etc.)]]; the hero Logan [[CharmPoint finds this very attractive]].
* In ''Literature/ParadisePine'' series by Delia Latham, [[EccentricMentor the mysterious and wise Miss Angie]] quotes the Bible very often.
* ''Literature/AWrinkleInTime'' gives us Mrs. Who, the second of the three celestial beings who accompany the children on their adventure. She speaks almost constantly in quotations from writers, philosophers, playwrights, religious texts, and poetry. It's [[JustifiedTrope justified]] in that Mrs. Who is [[SufficientlyAdvancedAlien some kind of alien]] who doesn't take to English very easily; as such, she finds it easier to use other people's words to express what she's thinking or feeling.
* ''Franchise/DoctorWhoExpandedUniverse'':
** The Doctor's conversation with Centcomp in the Literature/DoctorWhoNewAdventures novel ''So Vile a Sin''. The system wasn't designed to have a voice of its own, so it speaks "in a jarring mix of words, snipped from media sources".
-->'I,' she said, in the voice of a little girl. 'Know,' said a deep-voiced man with a Southern accent. 'You,' said an elderly woman.
** The [[GeniusLoci living city]] in the Sixth Doctor short story "Walkin' City Blues" does likewise. Except instead of choosing the right words, it picks a programme that conveys the ''impression'' of what it's trying to say.
** The creature in the Eighth Doctor short story "Transmission Ends" has a form of telepathy in which it communicates with the Doctor by pulling appropriate images out of the Doctor's memory.
* ''Literature/ThePlaneteers'': In "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.
* In ''Literature/TooTooSolidFlesh'', one of the android actors undergoes a trauma leaving her able only to speak her lines from ''Theatre/{{Hamlet}}''.
* ''Literature/{{Narrenturm}}'': One of the madmen locked in the titular tower speaks only in quotes from the Literature/BookOfRevelation.
* David from ''Literature/{{Rules}}'' finds borrowing other people's words much easier than producing his own. He especially likes ''Literature/FrogAndToad'', and can hold entire conversations in ''Frog and Toad'' quotes.
* Clark from ''Literature/ExperimentalFilm'' speaks almost entirely in echolalia, largely taken from movies, cartoons, and songs.
* ''Literature/DogsDontTalk'': Most of Johnny's speech consists of song lyrics, usually by Music/TheBeatles.
* ''Literature/{{Dune}}'''s Gurney Halleck is taken to peppering his speech with quotations of various in-universe works, as the Duke Leto [[LampshadeHanging lampshades]] after he leaves a conference with him, having been ordered to negotiate with spice smugglers:
--> '''Duke Leto:''' Gurney, take care of that smuggler situation first.\\
'''Gurney:''' 'I shall go unto the rebellious that dwell in the dry land.'\\
''(Gurney leaves)''\\
'''Duke Leto:''' Someday I'll catch that man without a quotation and he'll look undressed.
* When Emmet from ''Literature/TheRoosevelt'' was little, he memorized ''Film/TheBluesBrothers'' and for a few years communicated almost entirely in ''Blues Brothers'' quotes.
* ''Literature/MoojagAndTheAuticodeSecret'': Moojag's friend Wats' dialogue consists largely of titles of Beatles songs.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Live-Action TV]]
* In the ''Series/DoctorWho'' serial "[[Recap/DoctorWhoS6E2TheMindRobber The Mind Robber]]" the Doctor and co are trapped in the Land of Fiction. One character is Lemuel Gulliver from ''Literature/GulliversTravels'', whose dialog is all oddly context-appropriate quotes from the book. Other {{Public Domain Character}}s appear, but he's the only one that does this.
** Also, in the episode "[[Recap/DoctorWhoS32E5TheRebelFlesh The Rebel Flesh]]", a doppelganger of the Doctor is created from the titular Flesh. In his first scene he speaks only in catchphrases from previous Doctors.
* Plato, the talking motorcycle from ''Series/TeamKnightRider.'' His rider Trek was the same way.
* ''Series/NightCourt'': Nana Visitor plays a homicidal crazy woman with MultiplePersonalities . Her personalities are taken from various movies.
* ''Series/KungFuTheLegendContinues'': In "Secret Place", the perp of the week is a crazy man who speaks in the voices of various characters: Creator/JohnWayne, Music/{{Elvis|Presley}}, Scotty from ''Series/{{Star Trek|The Original Series}}'', ComicStrip/{{Popeye}}, Creator/JackNicholson, etc. But not Johnny Carson, at least not now, because he's not on any more. The episode originally aired in 1993, when that was a recent occurence.
-->'''Peter:''' I know how this guy's mind works. He's a split personality, all of them famous. He lives in the pages of TV Guide.
* ''Series/MajisukaGakuen'': Kenpou's nickname refers to the Constitution of Japan and she speaks her mind by quoting a somewhat related article from it for the given situation (and quotes random articles when she's panicking).
* ''Series/TheGreatestAmericanHero'': On the rare occasions the aliens who gave Ralph the super suit contact him, they manipulate the radio so that one word snippets (from commercials, talk radio, and songs) come across making up a sentence. In the pilot episode, the aliens communicate with Ralph and Bill via radio: they're in Bill's car and the aliens cause Bill's car radio to switch quickly between radio stations, as they use what's already being said on the radio to communicate.
* ''Series/WhoseLineIsItAnyway'' had a game where the players had to improvise a scene, speaking only in well-known song titles.
-->'''Wayne:''' Do you know the way to San Jose?\\
'''Chip:''' Route 66!
* ''Series/{{Bones}}'':
** Brennan's cousin only communicates by quoting Creator/BenjaminFranklin until Brennan convinces her to say what '''she''' thinks, not what Franklin thought.
** In another episode, a StreetPerformer who portrays a live bronze statue of Creator/WilliamShakespeare speaks only in Shakespeare quotes; and unless your speech to him is in Shakespeare quotes he won't respond, just stand or sit completely still.
* For a while Hiro in ''Series/{{Heroes}}'' is only able to communicate in pop-culture references due to his mind being manipulated.
* ''Series/StarTrekTheNextGeneration'': In "[[Recap/StarTrekTheNextGenerationS5E2Darmok Darmok]]", the ''Enterprise'' 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]]. The episode proved so popular that it is sometimes shown in Communications classes as an example of how common background is necessary to understand someone.
* In ''Series/JohnFromCincinnati'', John Monad communicated almost entirely by means of repeating phrases that other characters had already said.
* In ''Series/LilHorrors'', Abercrombie Necros is a zombie who does little more than watch television. When the set is faulty, broken, or otherwise out of order, he often melts down, simply by repeating phrases often appearing on television sets without reliable signals.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Music]]
* Music/SmashMouth played with this in the chorus of "Walkin' On The Sun"
-->So don't delay, act now.\\
Supplies are running out.\\
Allow, if you're still alive,\\
Six to eight years to arrive,\\
And if you follow\\
There may be a tomorrow,\\
But if the offer's shunned,\\
You might as well be walking on the sun
* A song by ''a cappella'' rock band The House Jacks, "Good Things," has verses composed exclusively of slogans from commercials.
-->You're in, you're in good hands,[[note]]Allstate[[/note]]\\
Have it your way![[note]]Burger King[[/note]]\\
If you don't look good, we don't look good[[note]]Vidal Sassoon[[/note]]\\
You deserve a break today![[note]]UsefulNotes/McDonalds[[/note]]
* Music/SoulJunk started off making noise-rock with lyrics entirely composed of verses from Literature/TheBible. However, with ''1955'' and subsequent albums, frontman Glen Galloway moved away from this and wrote original lyrics (though even these were heavily influenced by scripture)--this coincided with a switch to playing rap and electronic music. Then Galloway went back to the scripture-as-music approach, hard: he's made it his goal to set the entire Bible to music and record it. He doesn't plan to release most of it (he's well aware that large portions of the Bible don't make for interesting listening) but the albums ''1960'' and ''1961'' were results from that project.
* "Ralph Wiggum" by Music/TheBloodhoundGang is a song composing entirely of quotes from Ralph Wiggum of ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons''.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Newspaper Cartoons]]
* Kim Rosenthal, who many years later would become Mike's second wife in ''ComicStrip/{{Doonesbury}}'', spoke only in media-derived soundbites when she was a baby.
* Shakespug, a minor character in ''ComicStrip/GetFuzzy'', prefers to speak only in lines from Shakespeare's many works. It's been shown that he ''can'' speak normal English, he just prefers not to.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Podcast]]
* Doug Eiffel from ''Podcast/Wolf359'' speaks mostly in pop-culture references. However, the [[spoiler: Dear Listeners]] learned English by listening to his logs, meaning that the [[spoiler: presumed EldritchAbomination aliens]] ''also'' fit this trope.
-->'''Hilbert:''' You can understand English?\\
'''[[spoiler: Dear Listeners]]:''' We have good Spidey Senses. With enough time and examples we've been able to work out the nitty-gritty's. Although there have been issues. We are still trying to figure out what you mean by "crazy wamajama."\\
''{{Beat}}''\\
'''Minkowski:''' ''[to Doug]'' Would it have killed you? Would it have ''killed'' you to speak English like a normal person?! It was ''literally'' your one job!
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Professional Wrestling]]
* Perhaps in a bit of {{foreshadowing}} what an odd event SHINE 12 [[BizarroEpisode would be]], Leva Bates ventured into this to get ready for her upcoming match with Wrestling/ChristinaVonEerie, thinking if she meditated hard enough there (though more likely passed out) she would meet her {{spirit| advisor}} guide. She did, and to her bewilderment, it spoke in pop culture references.[[/folder]]

[[folder:Tabletop Games]]
* The kenku, a raven-like humanoid race in TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons, were cursed to lose their voices and their creativity. This means that not only can they only "speak" by reproducing various sounds and quotes, they also can't get around this by writing, as they can't come up with ''anything'' new.
* One interlude in the Termination Shock rulebook features an alien whose native language is gestural using a translator that speaks in soundbites from movies, TV, and podcasts.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Theatre]]
* In ''[[http://www.glencrossfilms.com/?tag=corsetless Corsetless]]'', the protagonist Olivia speaks only using lines from Shakespeare's plays.
* The Djinn from ''Theatre/TwistedTheUntoldStoryOfARoyalVizier'' speaks entirely in movie quotes which happen to share a word or phrase with the last thing someone said to him. This tendency spoofs the [[TheGenieKnowsJackNicholson Genie Knows Jack Nicholson]] trope while deconstructing the SpeaksInShoutOuts trope, as Ja'far is incredibly confused by it and becomes increasingly annoyed by how difficult it is to communicate this way... though [[OnlySaneMan every other character]] [[InformedAttribute finds the Djinn]] [[RunningGag really funny]]. The only time the Djinn actually verbally interacts with someone is when he baits Ja'far into a [[WhatsAHenway "what's a dickfor?"]] joke, and it's implied that Aladdin is able to hold actual conversations with him.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Toys]]
* ''Franchise/{{Transformers}}:''
** The Junkions speak only in shout outs. How much they do so depends on the continuity. Sometimes they can make coherent statements inbetween the TV speak, other times it's made out of cobbled together TV jargon. In the IDW comics, it's exclusive only to Wreck-Gar, who's expanded into non-TV shout outs sandwiched between coherent statements.
** ''ComicBook/BeastWarsUprising:''
*** Plasma, whose head has long been filled to capacity, tends to gibber human poetry and music to herself.
*** Goldbug, much like the film series's Bumblebee, only talks in musical quotes thanks to a damaged voice box.
*** Run-Over the Micromaster only talks in quotes from ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons''. Apparently in that universe, the show ran for several thousand episodes, so even four centuries later, Run-Over always has a quote handy. ''Excellent''...

[[/folder]]

[[folder:Video Games]]
* Many of V's lines in ''VideoGame/DevilMayCry5'' are quotes from Creator/WilliamBlake poems.
* The Chanters in the ''Franchise/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. The player can attempt to mess with them, though they manage not to slip up.
* In ''[[VideoGame/CrisisCore Final Fantasy VII: Crisis Core]]'', Genesis constantly quotes the in-universe play ''Loveless''. Reactions to this vary between confusion, tolerance, and (especially in Sephiroth's case) exasperation.
* Captain Tom Paris in the ''VideoGame/StarTrekOnline'' mission "Delta Flight". In keeping with his {{canon}} characterization as a FanOfThePast, his dialogue is peppered liberally with 20th century pop culture references, to the point where his daughter Lieutenant Commander Miral Paris {{lampshades}} it before introducing the PlayerCharacter to him.
* In ''VideoGame/ProjectXZone'', when a character speaks about something, [[VideoGame/NamcoXCapcom Xiaomu]] likes to reference something from that character's game, or reference something pertaining to their voice actor, or any random old Namco game. In the second game, she references random video games, anime, and movies.
* Kiesha Philips from the ''VideoGame/BackyardSports'' series often cites quotes from songs, cartoons, and TV shows.
* ''VideoGame/{{Gex}}'', being a huge TV fan, often mentions quotes from older TV shows and songs.
* In ''VideoGame/TheSimpsonsGame'' level "Big Super Happy Fun Fun Game", the various Sumo enemies all have Comic Book Guy's likeness, and accordingly, their dialogue consists almost entirely of video game and anime references.
-->'''Fire Sumo''': I burn like [[Franchise/{{Pokemon}} Cyndaquil]]!\\
'''Sumo''': [[Franchise/KingdomHearts Every light must fade, every heart must return to darkness.]]\\
'''Sumo''': OnlyAFleshWound! That's a quote from ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyIX''! Ha ha!\\
'''Sumo''': [[Manga/{{Akira}} TETSUO!]]
* A majority of ''VideoGame/DukeNukem'''s quotes are references to action movies, especially his famous "[[ChewBubblegum all outta bubblegum]]" quote, which originated in ''Film/TheyLive'', as well as "Hail to the King, baby" which originated in the ''Franchise/EvilDead'' film ''Film/ArmyOfDarkness''.
* [[TheAhnold Albert Spindlerouter]] from ''VideoGame/LegoCityUndercover'' seems to be physically incapable of uttering a sentence that doesn't contain the title of an Creator/ArnoldSchwarzenegger movie.
-->'''Albert:''' Fix that fuse box! I don't need any more Film/CollateralDamage!\\
'''Albert:''' Urgh, that gate needs repairing. Did you not hear it Film/JingleAllTheWay?\\
'''Albert:''' We're behind on this job! I mean, it's already Film/The6thDay!\\
'''Chase:''' Isn't anyone else doing any work here?\\
'''Albert:''' Oh, I'm sorry if this seems like a Film/{{Raw Deal|1986}}.\\
'''Albert:''' C'mon, c'mon! Don't you understand a simple [[Film/{{Commando}} command? Oh?]] No reply? Good!\\
'''Albert:''' Stop walking, man! Start [[Film/TheRunningMan running, man!]]\\
'''Albert:''' C'mon, get through there! And hurry up! It's almost the [[Film/EndOfDays end of day!]]\\
'''Albert:''' Don't make mistakes! We can't use an Film/{{Eraser}}!
* Practically ''everyone'' in the world of ''VideoGame/{{Borderlands}}'' uses pop culture references in everyday conversation, to the point where it's become a series staple.
* In ''VideoGame/ChocoboRacing GP'' the guest characters from mainline Final Fantasy games tend to quote the games they originate from. Terra Branford manages to take this to an extreme where she speaks almost exclusively in quotes from ''FinalFantasyVI'' to the point that it and the other characters' reaction to it is treated as a RunningGag.
* [[BigBad Vez’nan]] of VideoGame/KingdomRush spends the final level taunting the player and speaks this way, referencing sources as diverse as Literature/Dune, Franchise/StarWars and VideoGame/{{Portal}}.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Web Animation]]
* ''WebAnimation/TheOMORIBOYChronicles'': All of Music/{{Pitbull}}'s lines are taken straight from his songs.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Webcomics]]
* In ''Webcomic/{{Erfworld}}'' when Jack Snipe the foolamancer is mentally incapacitated he speaks mainly in quotations, most notably those of "The Fool" in Creator/WilliamShakespeare[==]'s ''Theatre/KingLear''.
* Assok in ''Webcomic/ThePropertyOfHate'' can only repeat things said by others present. RGB says he has no voice of his own. This may or may not be related to Assok [[spoiler: having originally been an elephant]].
* ''Webcomic/PvP'' has the character the [=LOLbat=], a Franchise/{{Batman}} parody who always speaks in [[MemeticMutation internet memes]].
* In ''Webcomic/RustyAndCo'', [[http://rustyandco.com/comic/level-6-30/ the zombie speaks only in proverbs and proverbial cliches.]]
* ''Webcomic/TwoLumps'': When they did a story arc based on ''The Wizard Of Oz'', the [[http://www.twolumps.net/d/20070411.html Copycattin' Lion]] could only speak in other people's words.
* Played for drama in Creator/RebeccaSugar's short digital comic ''Dont Cry For Me, I'm Already Dead''. Jim and Alan, a pair of close brothers, loved quoting ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'' to each other, up until Alan got into a fatal car accident. [[spoiler:While Alan was able to recover, he was effectively left unable to speak or move. The only time when he's able to make clear responses is when Jim quotes ''The Simpsons'' to him again, and he's able to weakly respond in kind.]]
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Web Original]]
* The ''[[Literature/GhostRoads Sparrow Hill Road]]'' series has [[spoiler:Gary the car]], who communicates by twisting his radio dial to songs that give appropriate voice to his feelings.
* Website/SCPFoundation
** [[http://scp-wiki.wikidot.com/scp-1502 SCP-1502]] is a small robot designed to be obsessed with ''Series/BoyMeetsWorld'', and which speaks only in Shawn Hunter's quotes from the series, as well as increasingly identifying itself with the character.
** In the "Phase 3 - Finale (Cantabile con brio)" portion of [[http://www.scp-wiki.net/the-musical-suspects The Musical Suspects]] a mobile task force encounter an weaponized anomalous effect that prevents people from being able to communicate in any manner other than by singing Queen lyrics.
* In the ''{{Franchise/Transformers}}'' stories for ''[[Literature/TransformersShatteredGlass Shattered Glass]]'', Beachcomber has a faulty processor, and after the Autobots land on Earth he starts speaking almost exclusively in song lyrics from the 60s and 70s, almost as if he were picking up a radio station.
* In ''WebVideo/CommodoreHustle'', after Beej has [[ItMakesSenseInContext every single internet meme uploaded directly into his brain]] by [[MadScientist Paul]], he can only speak in memes. (He gets better. [[{{Cloudcuckoolander}} Mostly.]])
* The ''WebAnimation/ZeroPunctuation'' review of ''VideoGame/HuntDownTheFreeman'' quotes ''Series/TheLikelyLads'' theme.
* Almost anything in the [[WebAnimation/SuperMarioGlitchy4sSuperMario64Bloopers SMG4 World]].
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Western Animation]]
* One of the robot network executives in ''{{WesternAnimation/Futurama}}'' talks only in TV catchphrases.
* Holt from ''WesternAnimation/TheClevelandShow'' is prone to this.
* Clara's retarded cousin Bleh from ''WesternAnimation/DrawnTogether'' speaks only in reviews of the film ''Film/IAmSam'' (though, interestingly, she always includes the word "raves" when quoting the critic, even though some of the reviews she quotes are quite negative).
* Peter being mugged by movie critic Gene Shalit on ''WesternAnimation/FamilyGuy''.
--> '''Gene:''' Don't ''Film/PanicRoom'', I'm not going to Creator/WilliamHurt you. I only want your ''Film/TangoAndCash''. So just ''Film/PayItForward'', and we'll all be ''Film/HappyGilmore''.
--> '''Peter:''' ... [[FlatWhat What?]]
** Also in "Running Mates" when running for school board president, this is Peter's opening statement:
-->'''Peter:''' [[Series/OneDayAtATime1975 Uh, this is it. This is life. What you get, so go ahead and have a ball.]] [[Series/DiffrentStrokes 'Cause the world don't move to the beat of just one drum; what might be good for you may not be right for some.]] [[Series/TheFactsOfLife You take the good, you take the bad, you take 'em both and then you have...]] My opening statement. [[Series/FamilyTies Sit, Ubu, sit.]] [[VanityPlate Good dog.]]
* ''WesternAnimation/NedsNewt'' has about every other thing Newton says. His transformations provide a quick tip as to what the shout out is to.
* A variant appeared in one episode of ''WesternAnimation/{{Dilbert}}''- when he and his coworkers ventured into an enormous shopping mall, they encountered a group of "mall natives" (per Wally, they had been early morning powerwalkers who just stayed there), who only talk in the names of retailers and restaurants you would find in a mall.
* Luna from ''WesternAnimation/TheLoudHouse'' loves rock music, especially [[BritishRockstar classic British rock]]. At least once an episode she will reference a 60s-80s rock song, usually by its title.
* Succulentus from the ''WesternAnimation/OKKOLetsBeHeroes'' episode "Know Your Mom". Almost every line he says during a fight is a reference to a [[NuMetal Nu-Metal]] song, culminating with him chanting "bloom-cactus, bloomin' in the plaza" to tune of the scatting from "Freak on a Leash". To top it all of, he's voiced by [[Music/{{Korn}} Johnathan Davis]].
* In the ''WesternAnimation/TinyToonAdventures'' episode, "Elephant Issues", which partially parodies [[VerySpecialEpisode very special episodes]], in the segment, "C.L.I.D.E. and Prejudice", the titular robot C.L.I.D.E.[[note]]Which [[FunWithAcronyms stands for]] "Cybernetic Laser Ionized Digital Entity".[[/note]] speaks in game show shout outs, with a dash of [[Film/TwoThousandOneASpaceOdyssey the HAL 9000 computer]] added in.[[note]]He refers to everyone around him as "Dave", and speaks with a similar voice.[[/note]]
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Real Life]]
* During the Heian period in Japan it was in vogue for the aristocrats to know as much classic poetry as possible, and private conversations could well be held entirely in poetry quotations.
* In Real Life members of the Baker Street Irregulars fan club often hold conversations exclusively in quotes from the Franchise/SherlockHolmes Canon.
* In some social media sites, particularly ones with character limits (Twitter, Imgur) where some users practically do nothing else but quote their favorite movie lines or songs.
* Many [[Website/{{Reddit}} subreddits]] seem to have the main purpose of attaching quotes from its subject matter franchise to as many contexts as possible, such as [[https://www.reddit.com/r/PrequelMemes/ r/PrequelMemes]] for the ''Franchise/StarWars'' Prequel Trilogy.
[[/folder]]

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