History Main / PokemonSpeak

** In ''[[Recap/StarTrekLowerDecksS04E02IHaveNoBonesYetIMustFlee I Have No Bones Yet I Must Flee]]'':
--> Narj: [[KillerRabbit The Moopsy]] will drink your bones!

-->Moopsy: Moopsy!

* In the ''WesternAnimation/FelixTheCatJoeOriolo'' cartoons, we have recurring bit-player Vavoom, an impish little boy who is only capable of saying his name, and [[MakeMeWannaShout saying it]] ''[[MakeMeWannaShout really]]'' [[MakeMeWannaShout loud]]. Interestingly, this becomes a source of conflict in [[Recap/JoeOrioloFelixTheCat1x103VavoomLearnsHowToFish "Vavoom Learns How To Fish"]]; Vavoom tries to warn a nearby town about a leaking Dam, but because he can only say his name in a way that literally blows people off their feet, they think he's harassing them and they try to capture and jail him.

* Parodied in ''WesternAnimation/ReBoot'', since no ''Pokémon'' parody would be complete without this. When the hero's reboot in the ''Pokémon''-style game, Frisket becomes a Pikachu expy, where instead of barking he would say "frisket."

* In-universe example: Guano from ''WesternAnimation/KappaMikey'' engages in this on [[ShowWithinAShow Lily-mu]].

The symptom is repeating its own name or a part thereof over and over. It's especially strange when one considers that cats don't go around saying "Cat! Cat!" et cetera. Sometimes it's [[CallingYourAttacks part of an attack]] or an affirmative of [[TheKidWithTheRemoteControl their master's commands]]. Often, it's the only thing the monster ever says, which may require RepeatingSoTheAudienceCanHear.

** Who says it's restricted to only Pokémon? Recurring character Mr. Sukizo's {{Catchphrase}} in Japanese translates to "I like it!", based on the 好き/"suki" of his own name ([[LostInTranslation this didn't translate to English]], where his catchphrase is instead "Remarkable!"). Similarly, [[VideoGame/PokemonGoldAndSilver Lyra]] (whose Japanese name is Kotone) has the catchphrase/VerbalTic "Koto ne?" ("Right?") in Japanese.

** The bun cows in "Bantantra Divas" make low-pitched "bun, bun, bun" sounds.

* ''VideoGame/PuyoPuyoTetris'' has Sig's alternate voice in the Japanese version makes all of his voice clips entirely this, resulting in "Shigu!"

* PlayedForLaughs when the ''WebVideo/GameGrumps'' played ''VideoGame/SpeedRunners'', with Ross's impression of LetsPlay/{{Markiplier}} (who's in the game as a GuestFighter) is just him saying "Markiplier!" over and over while approximating Mark's voice. When this is brought up during one of Mark's own ''VideoGame/GrandTheftAutoV'' videos, he remarks "Apparently I'm a Pokémon."

* ''Film/JohnWickChapter4'' features John getting escorted to a crime lord by a member of the Ruska Roma named Klaus. We learn this as for some inexplicable reason, all three of his lines are simply "I am Klaus." Director Chad Stahelski confirmed the whole gag was partly a ShoutOut to ''Film/GuardiansOfTheGalaxy2014'', partly because it was placeholder dialogue that [[PermanentPlaceholder they realized sounded funny to leave in unaltered]].

[[folder:Real Life]]
* Various languages name some animals after the sounds they make (as mentioned near the top of the page).
** Many birds are named after the sounds they make, such as the bobolink, the chickadee, the phoebe, the potoo, and most famously, the [[CuckooClockGag cuckoo]]. Some have theorized that the extinct dodo got its name because of the sound it made. Seeing as dodos were a type of pigeon, this would make sense (pigeons are known for making soft "doo-doo, doo-doo" calls).
** The [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coqu%C3%AD Coqui]] from the island of Puerto Rico.
** There's a Brazil-native bird known in Portuguese as "Bem-te-vi" (something like "I-saw-you-well"), named after an approximated onomatopoeia of the sound it always makes.
** The [[RepetitiveName tokay gecko]] is notable because [[DepartmentOfRedundancyDepartment both "tokay" and "gecko" are onomatopoeia for the sound it makes]].
** The [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dik-dik dik-dik]], ridiculously cute critter that it is, is so named for making a noise that sounds like "dik-dik" or "zik-zik".
** The killdeer is a bird named for its call.
** One hypothesis for the origin of the word "owl" is the proto-Germanic "uwwa", which is an imitation of an owl's hoots.
** In ''Literature/LastChanceToSee'', during the trip to New Zealand, Mark Carwardine tells Creator/DouglasAdams that the kea is one of those species that announces its own name, and it would be great for birdwatchers if the Pallas grasshopper warbler would learn the same trick.
** In Swedish, it is rather common to refer to a dog as "vovve" (which is derived from the sound of a dog's bark) and to a bird as "pippi" (which is derived from the sound of a bird's twitter). These terms are seen as a childish way to refer the animals and is often used by Swedish children.
** Raven is known as "Korp" in Swedish based on the common calls it makes. Swedish is the only germanic language that named the raven after its sound rather than using the variations of words that are related to the English word for raven.
** The European bird called the [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Common_chiffchaff Chiff-Chaff]]. The bird is called after its sound not only in English, but in other languages as well (e.g. in Dutch, it's rendered as "Tjif-Tjaf").
** The [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grey_go-away-bird grey go-away bird]] of Africa has an alarm call that sounds eerily similar to someone saying "go away!" very quickly in English.
** Even cryptids have this going for them; the Buru, an unusual crocodile-like creature from India, and the Ahool, an Indonesian fish-eating monkey-bat are both said to be named after the sounds they make.
* [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yL_-1d9OSdk "Chicken chicken chicken"]] chicken Chicken Chicken, chicken chicken [[http://isotropic.org/papers/chicken.pdf chicken chicken]] chicken chicken chicken CHICKEN. [[MakesJustAsMuchSenseInContext Chicken chicken chicken chicken chicken chicken.]]
* Interestingly, it's remarkable how many different languages have [[http://www.mothersdaycelebration.com/mother-in-different-languages.html similar sounds for the word meaning "mother."]] Some wonder if the reason is because the first language-like sound babies make is "ma" (Note that another early sound babies make is "da"), so of course the parent took it on. Or maybe they just heard their older siblings going "Mom-mom-mom-mom-mom-mom-mom-mom-mom..."
* Humans with severe aphasia may speak like this, such as Paul Broca's famous patient, Louis Victor Leborgne, who was [[VerbalTicName nicknamed]] "Tan" after the only sound he could make.
* Mike "The Situation" Sorrentino of ''Series/JerseyShore'' tends towards this.
* [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sSQH1Hin9-I Samuel Silva, Samuel Silva, Samuel Silva Samuel Silva. Samuel Silva Samuel Silva Samuel Silva, Samuel Silva.]]
* It is common in aviation and military use for a speaker to acknowledge a message directed at them by simply repeating their callsign or code. For example;
-->Caller: “Denver High, R Twenty-five." (Caller states who they are speaking to, then their own ID)
-->Receiver: “Denver High.” (The Receiver acknowledges)
-->Caller: “Request direct Denver for Northwest Three Twenty-eight.”
-->Receiver: “Northwest Three Twenty-eight direct Denver approved. H.F.”
-->Caller: “G.M.”
* Traditional Hungarian currency followed a GoldSilverCopperStandard, and the names of the various coins were based on the sounds they made when struck on a hard surface:
** Gold – ''csengő'', "clinking"
** Silver – ''pengő'', "ringing"
** Copper – ''kongó'', "pealing"
[[/folder]]

* Parodied in ''LightNovel/ToraDora'', where Ryuji gets so excited whenever it sounds like Inko-chan, his parakeet, is going to say her name. Inko-chan always stutters, then blurts out a word that is much more difficult to pronounce than "Inko".

** Yoshi stereotypically fits in this trope, despite 1) making other unintelligible noises and 2) there being several games where he is capable of full speech. ''VideoGame/SuperMarioWorld'', ''[[VideoGame/PanelDePon Tetris Attack]]'', ''VideoGame/SuperMario64'', ''VideoGame/PaperMario'', ''VideoGame/MarioParty3'', and ''VideoGame/SuperMarioGalaxy2'' are just some examples of this aversion, making this a DependingOnTheWriter case. A possible justification for everything except ''Paper Mario'': According to the end of ''Yoshi's Island DS'', one green Yoshi was born as a Star Child. He may, therefore, be the only one who speaks normally, implying that he's the main one you find in ''Super Mario World'' and ''Galaxy 2'' and the one who translates for you in ''VideoGame/SuperMarioRPG''. "Yoshi" is also an expression of affirmation in Japanese, similar to the way an English speaker might say "All right!" or "Okay!", hence why he says it at the beginning and end of levels.

** The bun cows in "Buntantra Divas" make low-pitched "bun, bun, bun" sounds.

* The ''Film/GuardiansOfTheGalaxy'' film trilogy, of course, has Groot, who is only capable of repeating the phrase "I am Groot" in various intonations. For no reason that is ever explained, Rocket Raccoon is able to translate him flawlessly to the audience and so does a lot of RepeatingSoTheAudienceCanHear. In fact, this was one reason ''why'' the role appealed so much to Creator/VinDiesel. [[spoiler:Subverted at the end before his HeroicSacrifice, where he says "''We are'' Groot" instead of his usual "I am Groot".]]

* ''Anime/PokemonTheSeries'' is the [[TropeNamers Namer]] and [[TropeCodifier Codifier]] of the concept (even more than [[Franchise/{{Pokemon}} the games]] the series adapts), and with good reason: nearly all Pokémon can only say their name or parts thereof. Perhaps the biggest reason for this is a [[WatsonianVersusDoylist Doylist]] one: having each Pokémon naming themselves makes it much easier for viewers -- especially kids -- to remember who they are, an increasingly important factor for marketing considering the series ''started'' with over 100 Pokémon, and the list has only gotten bigger and bigger. It's worth noting that this tradition is less conspicuous in its native Japanese than it sounds when localized to English (mostly due to names generally consisting of fewer syllables, often rarely strung in proper order), and that the series has been aware of this [[LampshadeHanging and has poked fun at it]] since ''the first episode'' (one of [[TheHero Ash Ketchum]]'s first lines upon meeting [[SignatureMon Pikachu]] is "Is your name all you can say?")
** [[SubvertedTrope The general exceptions to this rule]] are for the Pokémon that aren't supposed to be cute: Beastly and monstrous Pokémon, such as Charizard, simply roar, screech, trill, or bellow, Palkia being most well-known for reusing the distinctive call of the Varactyl from ''[[Film/RevengeOfTheSith Star Wars Episode III]]''. A few Pokémon are in-between; they make animal-like cries that sound vaguely like their names[[note]]Japanese or non-Japanese; [[NonDubbedGrunts in some cases, the Japanese cry is retained in dubbed versions]][[/note]], [[FridgeBrilliance just like some real animals]], such as Charizard (having a deep bellow sounding similar to its Japanese name "Lizardon") and Onix (having a guttural roar reminescent of its Japanese name "Iwark"). Others like Lapras make adorable cries that aren't their names, but are animalistic regardless.
** Then there's the handful of individual Pokémon who ''can'' speak, the most well-known being Team Rocket's Meowth, who taught himself how to speak [[SacrificedBasicSkillForAwesomeTraining in lieu of actually knowing how to learn moves or do battle]]. Other notable exceptions include the Gastly from "The Ghost of Maiden's Peak", and the Slowking from the second movie ''The Power of One''. This also tends to be more common for [[OlympusMons Legendary and Mythical Pokémon]] -- Mewtwo can communicate telepathically, but others like Manaphy and Shaymin can speak very literally.
** A funkier form of exception is with some Pokémon whose cries sound nothing like their names. Krabby and Kingler say something like "cookie cookie", Staryu makes a deep "[[Franchise/UltraSeries HYAAAH]]" sound, Surskit (or at least Viola's Surskit from the ''[[Anime/PokemonTheSeriesXY XY]]'' series) speaks entirely in a short "A" syllable. Sometimes it changes -- Electabuzz began making a comical gurgling babble that sounds like it's being electrocuted before playing straight Pokémon Speak from ''Advanced'' onwards, but the first time Akujiking/Guzzlord debuted in Japanese, it started out straight (speaking using "ji" and "ki" syllables), but with its second appearance, it (and its Shiny variant) just screams "AAAAA" with an amusingly human-sounding voice.

* While played straight in the anime and most other adaptations, the original ''Manga/PocketMonsters'' manga subverts this with most Pokémon capable of talking, with the exception of Red's Pikachu, who plays it straight.
* Mostly {{averted|Trope}} in ''Manga/PokemonAdventures''; again with the exception of Red's Pikachu, Pika, which plays it straight in rare occasions. The English Translation by Viz occasionally adds a few combat SFX that plays this straight, which is not present in the original Japanese language version. It makes sense, with the revelation that other existing countries speak other languages and call Pokémon different names.
* This is averted in the [[Anime/PokemonBlack2AndWhite2IntroductionMovie animated trailer]] for ''VideoGame/PokemonBlack2AndWhite2'', where the Pokémon make regular animal sounds. This also applies to the ''Anime/PokemonOmegaRubyAndPokemonAlphaSapphireAnimatedTrailer''.
* ''Anime/PokemonOrigins'' and ''WebAnimation/PokemonGenerations'' avert this, with it being a much closer counterpart to the games than the anime. Even Pikachu doesn't use its anime noises. This combined with the fact that Pikachu is shown using its game design[[note]]which has an oval-shaped head[[/note]] instead of its more familiar anime design caused a lot of [[TheyChangedItNowItSucks complaints]] from fans who found it jarring.
* Played straight in ''Manga/PokemonDiamondAndPearlAdventure''. Hareta's Piplup, for example, speaks in "Pip"'s, "Lup"'s, and "Piplup"'s like the Piplup in the anime.

* Groot retains this in ''Film/GuardiansOfTheGalaxy2014''. In fact, this was one reason ''why'' the role appealed so much to Creator/VinDiesel. [[spoiler:Subverted at the end before his HeroicSacrifice, where he says "''We are'' Groot" instead of his usual "I am Groot".]]
* In ''Film/PokemonDetectivePikachu'', this gets played as a problem: since no one is able to understand him and can only hear him say his name over and over again, the titular character is frustrated, lonely, and cynical as a result. Demonstrated in a scene where the lead character Tim asks a passerby if she can understand him: cue Pikachu saying "Pika-pika!" in the usual Ikue Ōtani voice from ''Anime/PokemonTheSeries'', and the woman thinking it's adorable.
** With the other Pokemon in the film, it varies -- some like Psyduck and Jigglypuff say their names (the latter reusing its existing voice acting from the anime), but most of them vocalize more like actual animals to suit the semi-realistic look and feel of the world.

* ''Wiki/{{Uncyclopedia}}'' has articles on [[http://uncyclopedia.wikia.com/wiki/User:Steve_Ballmer Steve "Developers! Developers!" Ballmer]] and [[http://uncyclopedia.wikia.com/wiki/Pikachu Pikachu]] written entirely in this.

* ''Mr. Blobby'', the British children's craze of the 1990s, only communicated through repeated use of his name.

* ''VideoGame/SonicTheHedgehog'':

* In ''WesternAnimation/ChickenLittle'', a teacher who is a sheep has his students translate words into "Mutton". The student find this very boring because every single word translates to "baa".

* In ''WesternAnimation/ChickenLittle'' a teacher who is a sheep has his students translate words into "Mutton". The student find this very boring because every single word translates to "Baa".

* the Onbaa in the ''Anime//{{Naruto}}'' filler episode do this,

** the Onbaa in the ''Anime//{Naruto}'' filler episode do this,