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| 5 | [[quoteright:320:[[Webcomic/DarthsAndDroids https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/master_yoda2.jpg]]]] |
| 6 | |
| 7 | ->''"Stop, thief! No welcome wagon, 'hello stranger' with that good coffee flavor for you! Offer expires while you wait; OperatorsAreStandingBy."'' |
| 8 | -->-- '''Wreck-Gar''', ''WesternAnimation/TheTransformersTheMovie'' |
| 9 | |
| 10 | %% If you're going to edit the trope description, please be sure to follow the self-demonstrating syntax's |
| 11 | %% Alternating Alliteration that's already in place. Don't ruin the joke! |
| 12 | %% |
| 13 | This trope deftly describes when wily characters can't understand unusual dialog delivered brazenly by an alien or outsider. The twist? While ''words'' are apprehensible, the text's [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Syntax syntax]] -- significant rules regulating grammar generation -- remains reclusive. [[SelfDemonstratingArticle Perhaps paired words will always alliterate]], or orators must mangle texts to fit fifteen-syllable sentences. Regrettably, results sound strange, appearing as garbled gibberish to the central characters, but basic sentence syntax conforms coherently ''to the strange speaker.'' |
| 14 | |
| 15 | Critical concept: attending audience ''can'' clearly surmise sense after attaining strange syntax's prime principles. Axiom acclimation therefore turns into intriguing core component of overture. |
| 16 | |
| 17 | Can come as a radical result of other {{trope}} titled, fittingly, FutureSlang, since Strange Syntax Speaker shows principal precepts are aggressively changed, contrasted against adversary trope's trend of only exchanging expressions. Frequently, {{fictiona|ry}}l and [[GratuitousForeignLanguage alien words]] will be broached to trouble the turgid fiction further. Sometimes, said words will be [[SesquipedalianLoquaciousness begrudgingly obscure]], of course clouding the talking attempts anon. |
| 18 | |
| 19 | When wacky rules run obscenely obtuse, strange speaker can commonly appear as {{Cloudcuckoolander}}, cackled at and/or otherwise made misunderstood. Regular recurring scenario sets protagonists pursuing education, enlightenment of obscure syntax system for finding important information. If intended, it's [[ElectiveBrokenLanguage Idiosyncratic Elected Elocution]]. |
| 20 | |
| 21 | Compare, contrast against alternatives {{Conlang}} (covering artificial argots overall) or singsong StarfishLanguage; look also at vanilla VerbalTic trope. Intermittently, [[GratuitousIambicPentameter Iambic pentameter]] presents itself in many media as a common case. Often overlaps with witty [[YouNoTakeCandle Candle Constraint]]. |
| 22 | |
| 23 | Zestful? [[IntentionalEngrishForFunny Zero Wingrish]] would compare concepts. |
| 24 | |
| 25 | If indigenous syntax strange to travelers, this trope can convene. Excessive examples abound; avoid listing live representations resultant, otherwise OcularGushers guaranteed following futility. |
| 26 | |
| 27 | ---- |
| 28 | !!Examples: |
| 29 | [[foldercontrol]] |
| 30 | |
| 31 | [[folder:Anime and Manga]] |
| 32 | * "All of the little sisters (actually clones) of Misaka Mikoto in ''Manga/ACertainScientificRailgun'' speak in a flat monotone with added self-narration at the end", [[SelfDemonstratingArticle says Misaka giving an accurate description of her style of speech]]. |
| 33 | * Nick and Terry, a duo of brothers from ''Anime/DaisukiBuBuChaCha'', speaks exclusively in rap. |
| 34 | * Early Viz translations of ''Manga/DragonBallZ'' have Piccolo speaking in a very bizarre, [[AntiquatedLinguistics old-fashioned]] dialect until it's dropped after a couple of volumes. |
| 35 | * ''Manga/MyBrideIsAMermaid'': Shark Fujishiro speaks as if all sentences are questions. |
| 36 | [[/folder]] |
| 37 | |
| 38 | [[folder:Comic Books]] |
| 39 | * ''ComicBook/ChaosWar'': Amatsu-Mikaboshi, the Chaos King, has taken to speaking in haikus exclusively. |
| 40 | * In ''ComicBook/TheLeagueOfExtraordinaryGentlemen: The Black Dossier'', the character Galley Wag is from a dark-matter dimension and speaks in a bizarre slang like "Bread and Tits!" and "Huff yer oyver in all you'm tick senned such a plumious sparktackle?" While the statements make sense in context, the human Mina can understand Galley Wag and provide translation. |
| 41 | * Also by Creator/AlanMoore, ''ComicBook/VForVendetta's'' title character only spoke in iambic pentameter. They scrapped that for the movie, though, because it would have sounded weird as balls. |
| 42 | * Often employed in Creator/GrantMorrison's ''ComicBook/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, the Pale Police speak nonsense that is anagrams of what they want to say, and so on. |
| 43 | * ''ComicBook/XMen'': |
| 44 | ** Blindfold speaks rather oddly, usually by putting too many polite phrases in her speech, and when referring to locations when using her psychic powers. It doesn't help that half the time [[spoiler:she's talking to her invisible friend Cipher]]. |
| 45 | ** Selfsame trope also applies to [[ComicBook/NewMutants Warlock]] somewhat. |
| 46 | ** Hepzibah of the Starjammers has a very distinctive manner of speech that combines terse sentences with a structure that places the identifier before the quantifiable, whilst also downplaying multiples. Presumably, it's an attempt to convey in vocal structure the natural "dialect" of her pheromone-based native language. |
| 47 | -->Chris, '''Shi'ar''', they were! Shi'ar not '''friends''' anymore... If ever '''were'''! Turned, Lilandra has! Forget you how we '''met'''? ...In '''slave pits''' of '''Chandilar'''! '''Abducted''' you from Earth, '''wife''' by Lilandra's brother, Majestor '''D'Ken''', '''killed'''... '''me''', for 'terrorism' in there. '''Raza''', his race '''exterminated'''. '''Ch'od's''', too. The whole '''reason''' we '''rescuing Kree''' is because '''been''' there we. '''Suffered''' that. |
| 48 | -->Lucky? '''Lucky'''? You '''born''' dim, Chris, or do you have to '''work''' at it? We got no main '''weapons''', no faster than light '''drive''', no shields. Firefight would have '''lit up''' whole nebula like '''lantern'''. We just hung out big '''notice''' to Shi'ar strike force saying ''''Hey''', birdies -- here we '''are'''.' |
| 49 | * The ComicBook/New52 ''ComicBook/TeenTitans'' featured Thrice, a team of three metahuman brothers with powers that involve merging into one body and splitting apart. The combined form always uses first person ''and'' first person plural pronouns, possessives, etc., referring to "I/We", "me/us", and so on. |
| 50 | * R'amey Holl, a member/warrior of the ComicBook/GreenLantern Corps, speaks/communicates [[SelfDemonstratingArticle in a dual way]] that leaves multiple interpretations/readings for each of her sentences. |
| 51 | * ''ComicBook/TheTransformersMarvel'': |
| 52 | ** The character Weirdwolf, like Yoda, backwards, he speaks. Also reversing standard sentence structure, Decepticon Pretender Monster Slog is. |
| 53 | ** [[InsistentTerminology Freelance Peace-Keeping Agent]] ComicBook/DeathsHead, who was introduced in the Transformers comics, turns most of his statements into questions by adding the word "yes" to the end, yes? |
| 54 | ** Statement: On his reappearance in the later end of the run, Shockwave began prefacing every statement based on what he was doing. |
| 55 | * ''ComicBook/{{Invincible}}'': |
| 56 | ** The comic briefly featured a species of alien shark-people who reverse standard sentence structure. Their sentences also aren't always completely grammatical if you were to shift them back into normal syntax. "Made clear to me it is. Dead my men are. None left there is but us. See this I can." |
| 57 | ** Octoboss, the crime lord from "another world" who's been terrorizing Earth for several decades. Syntax and prepositions are completely beyond him. |
| 58 | * In the original ''ComicBook/{{Asterix}} and the Britons'', all the Britons came off as this, due to speaking in French but keeping the words in the English order. |
| 59 | * In the ''ComicBook/GuardiansOfTheGalaxy'' miniseries ''Guardians of Infinity'', Aerolite of the Guardians of 1000 AD has strange speech patterns which he blames on his TranslatorMicrobes. "Fighting is not on my list of liking things. But it ''is'' on my list of things I am good at doing." |
| 60 | * ''ComicBook/TheTransformersRobotsInDisguise:'' Rum-Maj speaks in the strange way, with odd choices of words to suggest she not a native speaker of Cybertronix. Comparing that to her partner Wreck-Gar, ''he'' is coming off as the coherent one. As time goes by, Rum-Maj's statements become more grammatically correct. |
| 61 | * ''[[ComicBook/TheTransformersIDW The Transformers: Spotlight Wheelie]]'' gives an explanation for why the title character talks in rhyme- he was stranded on an alien planet for years with a companion who's UniversalTranslator only worked if the phrase was rhyming. Eventually, he became so used to doing so that he lost the ability to speak normally. |
| 62 | * The goblins in ''ComicBook/BeastsOfBurden'' have their own way of speaking, including differences in pronunciation (e.g. "aminals" for "animals", "cass" for "catch") and grammar. |
| 63 | -->'''Goblin:''' You ''dead'', cat! Dead an' et up in me belly! |
| 64 | |
| 65 | * {{Franchise/Superman}}: [[OddballDoppelganger Bizarros]] usually talk in Bizarro speak, which has them say the opposite of what they really mean with HulkSpeak thrown in. The large amount of [[ConfusingMultipleNegatives double negatives]] this causes, as well as how the usage of Bizarro-speak varies from Bizarro to Bizarro (and from [[DependingOnTheWriter writer to writer]]), its practically impossible to piece together what they’re actually trying to say. |
| 66 | [[/folder]] |
| 67 | |
| 68 | [[folder:Fan Works]] |
| 69 | * The [[CloudCuckoolander quirky]] zombie priestess Adelleh from [[https://web.archive.org/web/20120503190121/http://www.fanfiction.net/s/5153247/1/Tunnels_The_Tale_of_Tavor_T1 these]] [[https://web.archive.org/web/20120503190052/http://www.fanfiction.net/s/5153268/1/Taken_T2 two]] ''Webcomic/LookingForGroup'' fanfic speaks like something in-between this and YouNoTakeCandle; she is also a ThirdPersonPerson. |
| 70 | * ''Fanfic/IWokeUpAsADungeonNowWhat'': The dominant language spoken in Central appears to use a Verb Subject Object sentence structure. This only rarely comes up because Taylor's translation function retcons her memories so she thinks she heard the words in the correct order for English, but if someone gets interrupted mid-sentence she will occasionally hear the words in the order they were spoken. |
| 71 | * ''Fanfic/NobodyDies'': Arael's speech can be... interesting to try to decipher, as it appears to say the same thing in multiple ways simultaneously: |
| 72 | -->"We are (not simply [more than {we are the mechanism of life eternal} monsters] monsters) what we must be."\ |
| 73 | "I have done (created [brought the {saved us all} next age] wonders) the impossible." |
| 74 | * In the ''Fanfic/PonyPOVSeriesChaosVerse'', [[spoiler:[[BigBad Nightmare Phobia]]]] [=StaRtS TalKIng lIKe ThiS=] after she hits her VillainousBreakdown. |
| 75 | * Back in the original ''FanFic/PonyPOVSeries'', [[ClockRoaches the Blank Wolf]] in the Shining Armor Arc is an odd example. Every word it speaks is represented by being written backwards, with the first (technically last) letter always capitalized. |
| 76 | * ''Fanfic/FriendshipIsMagicalGirls'': As a shout out to [[WesternAnimation/TeenageMutantNinjaTurtles2012 the Kraang]], all the members of [[{{Mooks}} the Infestation]] talk like this, constantly repeating themselves, and using "that which is" and "the one who is" to describe every little thing. |
| 77 | * ''Fanfic/AThingOfVikings'': In the dragon POV scenes, Dragonese is shown in ''<bracketed italics>'' with Object-Subject-Verb order (i.e. Yoda-speech) to illustrate its alienness to human speech. |
| 78 | [[/folder]] |
| 79 | |
| 80 | [[folder:Film -- Animated]] |
| 81 | * In ''WesternAnimation/Home2015'', the Boov (especially Oh) regularly mix up tenses, verbs, nouns, and English grammar in general with phrases like "Can I come into the out now?" and "It should to hover much better now." |
| 82 | * Zig Zag the Grand Vizier from ''WesternAnimation/TheThiefAndTheCobbler'' speaks entirely in rhyme. Since he's voiced by Creator/VincentPrice, it's all kinds of awesome. |
| 83 | --> '''Zig Zag:''' [[BadassBoast ONE mistake will suffice!!! Don't treat me lightly twice!!!]] |
| 84 | * The Junkions from ''WesternAnimation/TheTransformersTheMovie'' speak entirely in commercial jingles and other pop-culture soundbites. A visitor's ability to understand them depends entirely on one's ability to "talk TV". |
| 85 | -->'''Wreck-Gar:''' "Yes, friends, act now! Destroy [[PlanetEater Unicron]]! Kill the Grand Poobah! Eliminate even the toughest stains!" |
| 86 | ** Definitely done as a ShoutOut to Music/WeirdAlYankovic's song "Dare To Be Stupid", which is the Junkions' {{Leitmotif}} and uses commercial slogans for its lyrics. |
| 87 | ** Also from the movie, [[KidAppealCharacter Wheelie]] speaks entirely in rhyme. |
| 88 | --->'''Wheelie:''' Friend find, look behind! You go wrong way, you fool I say.\ |
| 89 | '''Grimlock:''' Me Grimlock fool?\ |
| 90 | '''Wheelie:''' Picture you got, now fool you not! |
| 91 | [[/folder]] |
| 92 | |
| 93 | [[folder:Film -- Live-Action]] |
| 94 | * Played for comic effect in ''Film/{{Airplane}}'' with {{Jive|Turkey}}. |
| 95 | * In ''Film/AClockworkOrange'', the gang's "Nadsat" slang often involves unusual word order, conjugation and word choice in addition to the mostly Russian-based slang words. The film's version is less pronounced than the book's, since the viewer only has about 90 minutes to become accustomed to it. |
| 96 | * Although he is American, Cheyenne from ''Film/OnceUponATimeInTheWest'' has an unusual way of speaking, as though English wasn't his first language. This is because English was ''not'' supposed to be his first language. He was written as a Mexican, Manuel Gutierrez, but Creator/SergioLeone decided that Creator/JasonRobards couldn't play one convincingly. |
| 97 | * The Sheriff of Rottingham from ''Film/RobinHoodMenInTights'' starts transposing his words whenever he starts to get [[{{Angrish}} angry]]. Usually he just transposes a word or two ("Over that boy hand!") or syllable ("Struckey has Loxxed again"). But when Robin and Marian kiss during the banquet he completely loses it: |
| 98 | -->'''Sheriff:''' KING ILLEGAL FOREST TO PIG WILD KILL IN IT A IS!\ |
| 99 | '''Everyone:''' What?\ |
| 100 | '''Sheriff:''' It is illegal to kill a wild pig in the King's forest! |
| 101 | * ''Franchise/StarWars'': With a [[http://itre.cis.upenn.edu/~myl/languagelog/archives/002173.html Object-Subject-Verb word order]], [[OldMaster Master Yoda]] usually speaks. A defining characteristic, his strange syntax is, and often parodied. |
| 102 | ** He was much less rigid with this in the original trilogy, and could sometimes even turn an eloquent phrase here and there (like "Once you start down the dark path, forever will it dominate your destiny!" or "do or do not, there is no try"). It mostly comes in during his first few scenes, when he's using ObfuscatingStupidity and actively screwing with Luke. In the prequels it's [[{{Flanderization}} Flanderized]] and he almost never speaks in any other order, [[SelfDemonstratingArticle regardless if horribly butchered the resulting language becomes]] ("Not if anything to say about it I have!"/"Around the survivors a perimeter create!"). |
| 103 | ** It's been speculated that Yoda's speech is essentially that of a Galactic Basic speaker from 8-900 years ago, [[FridgeBrilliance when Yoda was young]]. This would explain why the member of Yoda's species in ''VideoGame/KnightsOfTheOldRepublic'', who's otherwise a Yoda {{expy}}, uses the same syntax as everyone else. If the ancient dialect is thought of as being "translated" to "modern Galactic Basic" for the convenience of the audience, then Vandar Tokare's syntax didn't stand out from that of other characters because ''everybody was using more Yoda-like syntax''. This also shows in works where Yaddle - a younger member of his species introduced in ''Film/ThePhantomMenace'' - speaks, but talks exactly like everyone else. |
| 104 | ** Another possibility is that [[ElectiveBrokenLanguage Yoda talks like this on purpose]], both [[TricksterMentor to mess around with people]] and to get them to listen attentively to what he says. This theory was confirmed for the [[Franchise/StarWarsLegends Legends]] continuity in the ''Literature/FateOfTheJedi'' novel ''Backlash''. |
| 105 | ** In one episode of ''WesternAnimation/StarWarsCloneWars'', Yoda uses a JediMindTrick to get one of Padmé's guards to agree with him. This leads to the guard talking in the same way as him. Padmé sees right through it, but goes along with it. |
| 106 | ** In the prequels, [[TheScrappy Jar Jar Binks]], and to a lesser extent the other Gungans, speaks a pidgin Galactic Basic that involves [[HulkSpeak dropping articles such as "the" and using "me" in place of "I"]] and adding the syllable "sa" at the end of every pronoun ("meesa" instead of "I am", "yoosa" instead "you are", etc.). Post-''[[Franchise/StarWarsLegends Legends]]'' [[Franchise/StarWarsExpandedUniverse Expanded Universe]] works would play with this in regards to Gungans living among the stars. In ''[[Literature/StarWarsLastShot Last Shot]]'', Han introduces himself to a Gungan security guard in stereotypical Gungan syntax, only for said Gungan to reveal that he speaks normal Basic and is quite offended by the presumption. In ''[[Literature/StarWarsOutOfTheShadows Out of the Shadows]]'', it's mentioned that some offworld Gungans use their own syntax as a form of ObfuscatingStupidity. |
| 107 | * ''Film/VForVendetta'': V's vernacular vigilantly vexes viewers via very variant vocabulary.[[note]]'V' tends to speak in words featuring the letter V, although not exclusively.[[/note]] |
| 108 | -->'''Evey:''' ...Are you like, a crazy person?\ |
| 109 | '''V:''' I am quite sure they will say so. |
| 110 | * ''Film/TheDarkCrystal'': The Skeksis Chamberlain speaks in a strange broken manner to the Gelflings. In the original version of the film, the Skeksis speak a ConLang, so the Chamberlain's was supposed to switch to broken English to communicate with the Gelflings in these scenes. The ConLang was removed, but his broken speech wasn't altered. It could perhaps be explained as the Chamberlain assuming that the Gelflings are simple-minded. His speech is similarly broken throughout ''Series/TheDarkCrystalAgeOfResistance'', even though he speaks more normally around Skeksis in this film. |
| 111 | [[/folder]] |
| 112 | |
| 113 | [[folder:Literature]] |
| 114 | * In Robert Silverberg's "A Time of Changes", a planet has been settled by humans that consider using first person pronouns obscene. A character at one point deliberately uses "I" to indicate disrespect and it's considered "fighting words." |
| 115 | * {{Newspeak}}, from George Orwell's ''[[Literature/NineteenEightyFour 1984]]'', uses strange syntax in an effort to simplify the language and reduce the number of words. However, most of the novel is written in standard English, or "Oldspeak". |
| 116 | * In ''Literature/TheAbyssSeries'' by Dom Cutrupi, [[MysteriousWaif the mysterious orphan]] Melody who became the protagonist's adoptive sister has a peculiar speech disorder. Instead of using proper grammar and syntax, she just puts words after one another: for instance, when she wants to say "I am hungry", she would say "I. Hungry.", and "Where are we going?" would become "Where. We. Go". |
| 117 | * ''Literature/Babel17'' by Creator/SamuelRDelany, a novel that's all about language, a privateer, called Butcher, never uses the words "I" or "you". Which is strange to start with, but when Wong, the language expert, is intrigued, and decides to try and help him with this problem, the results are, at first, truly strange, as Butcher struggles to figure out how to use these words properly. |
| 118 | * Creator/AnthonyBoucher's story "Barrier" has an entire future society that speaks "Farthingized" English, named after the author of the (in-story) book "This Bees English". All irregular verb forms have been eliminated, as have articles, and pronouns no longer indicate case. Same thing haves happened to other remaining major languages. It bees actually illegal to speak irregular English, enforced by police ("Stappers", from "Gestapo" ... story beed written in 1942). |
| 119 | ** Farthingized English is odd but comprehensible, unlike that of the Venusian from the far future whose society has painstakingly excavated scraps of literature from ruins and reconstructed "langue Earthly" without realizing that that the scraps are not all from a single language. |
| 120 | * In ''Literature/TheQuirkyTaleOfAprilHale'' by Cathy Octo, the titular protagonist April Hale speaks like Yoda when she's nervous. |
| 121 | * ''Literature/StarWarped'', a parody of ''Star Wars'', inevitably applies this trope to the Yoda parody, ''Yodella'' (due to his yodelling tendencies in-between sentences). And exeggerates it, probably as a TakeThat - Yodella even said "tainly, cer" and "dear, oh" in two separate instances. |
| 122 | * Likewise, in ''Literature/YadaYadaPrayerGroup'' series by Dave and Neta Jackson, Ruth Garfield talks like Yoda. |
| 123 | * The wise uncle Vi'son from ''Literature/WarpedAndWired'' by Joshua Caleb also speaks like Yoda. |
| 124 | * ''Literature/TheBookOfDave'' by Will Self has a [[{{Conlang}} futuristic language]] called Mokni, a phoneticized form of Cockney mixed with bastardized London cabbie slang. |
| 125 | * In ''Literature/CastleHangnail'', the castle's cook has an idiosyncratic way of speaking that sticks to present tense and avoids pronouns and other connective words, and comes out sounding vaguely Russian. |
| 126 | * The teens from ''Literature/AClockworkOrange'' speak Nadsat, which includes Cockney rhyming slang, Anglicized Russian and German words, and a generally unusual syntax, such as Dim's assertion, "Bedways is rightways now..." |
| 127 | -->'''Alex''': There was me, that is Alex, and my three [[FutureSlang droogs]], that is Pete, Georgie, and Dim, [[ShapedLikeItself Dim being really dim]], and we sat in the Korova Milkbar making up our rassoodocks what to do with the evening, [[ConLang a flip dark chill winter bastard]] though dry. |
| 128 | * The Trofts from ''Literature/TheCobraTrilogy''. [The noun, they place it first]. |
| 129 | * ''Literature/TheCrownJewels'' by Walter Jon Williams has Count Quik, a Troxan, whose species seems to have difficulty with both Human and Kholasi languages. When he first meets Drake, he explains, "On unbusiness I am inning this system. Humanity is me interested. I big tour taking am. Am on Earth big finishing, acquaintance making." |
| 130 | * In Creator/KurtVonnegut's ''Literature/DeadeyeDick'', Haitian Creole is said to only have a present tense, leading to some very odd grammar. Of course, it's implied that the Haitians simply don't bother trying to teach the American proper grammar. |
| 131 | -->"He is dead?" he said in Creole. "He is dead," I agreed. "What does he do?" he said. "He paints," I said. "I like him," he said. |
| 132 | * The first book from the {{Literature/Eisenhorn}} trilogy gave us the alien Saruthi, who did this when they spoke [[strike:English]] Gothic. Ironically, that was probably the [[StarfishAliens least strange]] thing about [[EldritchAbomination them]]. |
| 133 | * ''Literature/FinnegansWake''. |
| 134 | -->"Behove this sound of Irish sense. Really? Here English might be seen. Royally? One sovereign punned to petery pence. Regally? The silence speaks the scene. Fake!" |
| 135 | * Abigail from ''Literature/GlovesOfVirtue'', yet another {{Cloudcuckoolander}}. |
| 136 | * In ''Literature/TheGodlingChronicles'' by Brian D. Anderson, the old hermit magician Felsafell has very peculiar speech patterns, often reversing words in sentences in Yoda fashion, [[CrypticConversation speaking cryptically]], and [[ThirdPersonPerson frequently referring to himself in the third person]]. |
| 137 | * The house elves (Dobby, Winky, etc.) in ''Literature/HarryPotter'' use a strange syntax, particularly in the way they conjugate verbs ("You is being a very bad house elf!"). They mostly come off sounding uneducated, which is hardly surprising given their slave status in the books. |
| 138 | * Herald Alberich from Creator/MercedesLackey's ''Literature/HeraldsOfValdemar'' series routinely speaks Valdemaran with Karsite word order, which is usually Object-Subject-Verb similar to Yoda's. He was born and raised in Karse and only ended up in Valdemar after being kidnapped/rescued by a [[IntellectualAnimal Companion]], who eventually [[ExpositionBeam psychically fed Valdemarian vocabulary into his head]] ... and ''only'' vocabulary, leading Alberich to use Valdemarian words with Karsite grammar. |
| 139 | * ''Literature/KushielsLegacy'': the second book, ''Kushiel's Chosen'', gives us [[IstanbulNotConstantinople Illyrian]] pirate Kazan Atrabiades, who often ends his sentences with a repetition of an earlier pronoun used. Granted, he's not speaking his native language when he does this. |
| 140 | -->'''Kazan:''' I almost think you gave an order, you. It is a good thing I am a pirate, and do not heed such things, I. |
| 141 | * Tad Williams' ''Literature/MemorySorrowAndThorn'' gives us Binabik, whose slightly unusual speech is partly defined by an excessive use of the present participle to the exclusion of the present tense. For example, he would say "is being" instead of simply "is". |
| 142 | * Spook from the [[Literature/MistbornTheOriginalTrilogy first]] ''Franchise/{{Mistborn}}'' trilogy speaks really oddly in the first book, using a nigh-incomprehensible form of street slang. In one scene the whole crew gets in on it, much to Breeze's annoyance. Amusingly enough, by the time of ''Literature/WaxAndWayne'', his guttural street slang is considered to be the ClassicalTongue. |
| 143 | * Mannie in ''Literature/TheMoonIsAHarshMistress'' speaks (and narrates the entire novel) without using articles or other "nulls" (what he considers meaningless words), as well as Russian and Australian slang. This is justified by both the fact that the Russian language lacks articles, and the People's Republic of China in this future now has an empire which includes both Australia and much of the Asian part of the Soviet Union, and has shipped a lot of 'undesirables' off to the moon. Mannie, being a native "Loonie", has ancestry from both on both sides, and has picked up shards of every language sent to Luna. |
| 144 | * ''Literature/MyFamilyAndOtherAnimals'': Spiro's sentences tend to be fairly well-arranged -- well within the syntactical range of normal English -- except for pluralisation applied entirely at random. Phrases like "I remembers when you were fineds two thousands drachmas for dynamitings fish" are par for the course. |
| 145 | * In ''Literature/ThePhantomTollbooth'', when the Humbug knocks over the stalls in the marketplace at Dictionpolis and the words spill out everywhere, the salesmen are unable to voice their complaints in correct word order. |
| 146 | * In ''Literature/PhoenixRising'', there's an insectoid mook that speaks like this. For instance, telling a colleague he's complaining about something that's actually good fortune, it says, "Gladness I feel; wisdom for you, likewise should you feel." It's not clear whether this is a personal idiosyncrasy or something it shares with the rest of its race, as it's the only one of its race to get any lines. |
| 147 | * Mr. [[ConMan Jingle]] in ''Literature/ThePickwickPapers'' - strangely incoherent speech - talks like a telegram - rum fellow - very. Broca's Aphasia? |
| 148 | * Creator/TerryPratchett: |
| 149 | ** Both Foul Ole Ron in the ''Literature/{{Discworld}}'' novels and Mrs Tachyon in ''[[Literature/JohnnyMaxwellTrilogy Johnny and the Bomb]]'' speak in nonsense phrases, a favorite being "Millenium hand and shrimp". Whether their mutterings actually have a coherent underlying syntax is undetermined, though Gaspode (Ron's talking dog) clearly understands him. 'Millenium hand and shrimp' itself apparently came from a Chinese food menu and the lyrics to "[[Music/{{Flood|TheyMightBeGiants}} Particle Man]]" in a random word selector. |
| 150 | ** In ''Literature/{{Sourcery}}'', the captain of the ship that carries Rincewind and Conina to Al-Khali talks like a less-educated version of Yoda. |
| 151 | ** High Priest Dios, from ''Literature/{{Pyramids}}'', never uses the past tense under any circumstance, leading to sentences like the below. It’s not that he has trouble with the language, he’s just tremendously fixated on tradition and precedent and hates acknowledging the passage of time. |
| 152 | --> His name is Ptah-ka-ba. He is king when the Djel Empire extends from the Circle Sea to the Rim Ocean, when almost half the continent pays tribute to us. |
| 153 | * Most aliens in ''Literature/{{Retief}}'' speak in odd ways. |
| 154 | ** The example of the Groaci. To begin all sentences with either abstract nouns or verbs in the infinitive. |
| 155 | * Jeanne from Charles Baxter's ''Literature/ShadowPlay'' invents her own language, with words like "corilineal", "zarklike", "descorbitant", "housarara". And it's just a small part of her {{Cloudcuckoolander}} madness. |
| 156 | * In the very first regular ''Literature/SherlockHolmes'' short story, "A Scandal in Bohemia", Holmes identifies the writer of a letter as German (which language has a somewhat fluid word order) by the sentence "This account of you we have from all quarters received." Holmes explains this deduction by saying that speakers of the other major European languages are, in general, not so "discourteous", in his words, to their verbs. |
| 157 | * The Chur, from Katherine Kerr's ''Literature/{{Snare}}'', typically speak at a frequency so low humans can't hear it, but can speak human languages if they strain. When doing so they use then-now-next strange grammar, including giving verbs a suffix indicating time ("they say-then", "we go-soon"), and presenting alternatives when asking a question or when uncertain ("We know-not if you lie not lie", "You understand not-understand?"). |
| 158 | ** Interestingly, the last two examples are very similar to how a native Mandarin speaker would speak English, since that is almost exactly the way it is said in Mandarin ("we not know" rather than "we know-not"). |
| 159 | * ''Literature/ASongOfIceAndFire'': |
| 160 | ** Jaqen H'ghar has an odd type of ThirdPersonPerson in which he never uses "I", but instead will use "A Man". So like instead of saying "I'm called Jaqen H'ghar" he would say "A man calls himself Jaqen H'ghar". He even seems to do something similar when referring to other people: When addressing Arya Stark, the one character he has extensive dialogue with, he will say "a girl" instead of "you". This may be because he belongs to a faction whose members give up their personal identities, although it seems more like an individual VerbalTic. |
| 161 | ** For what it's worth, none of the others in the sect use the same syntax, nor does Jaqen once he assumes another disguise. According to ''Literature/TheWorldOfIceAndFire'', this is actually a cultural speech pattern typical to the Free City of Lorath, where Jaqen claims to hail from. |
| 162 | ** It's also a bit similar to the manner of speaking in Slaver's Bay where Unsullied soldiers and other slaves, for example Missandei, refer to themselves in third person and with "this one" while they use the correct second and third person for anyone else. |
| 163 | --> Missandei: "This one's name is Missandei, Your Grace." |
| 164 | ** Salladhor Saan is using the gerund form whenever the situation is calling for a verb, as well as being another ThirdPersonPerson. |
| 165 | * ''Literature/StarCarrier'': A small example with the Agletsch, although this is more a feature of their [[TranslatorMicrobes translation devices]]. Specifically, their questions are statements with a "yes-no" added at the end. It's not much different from an English sentence ending in "isn't it?", although that implies that the Agletsch are unable to ask an open-ended question. |
| 166 | * A peripheral alien character in the ''Literature/StarTrekTitan'' series of books started out speaking in mangled syntax (which makes no sense; as a Starfleet officer, he would have a universal translator). He's since stopped doing that. |
| 167 | * ''Franchise/StarWarsLegends'': In ''Literature/{{Shatterpoint}}'', the natives of Mace Windu's homeworld Haruun Kal place the subject last — "Go now to the jungle, I" — when speaking Basic. When Mace, who previously visited the world as a teenager, uses what he remembers of the local language, the TranslationConvention renders his words in the same order. |
| 168 | * In ''Literature/TheStormlightArchive'', inkspren tend to use simply "be"/"is" to indicate something's existence/presence (i.e. "This truth ''is''" rather than "this is true" or "the grinders will soon ''be''" rather than "the grinders will arrive soon"). |
| 169 | * In ''Literature/TheSwordOfTruth'', Adie never declines the verb "be". It is a trait of her home language. Others from the same land were shown to speak in a similar manner, but occasionally use ordinary grammar. |
| 170 | * The cockroaches from ''Literature/TheUnderlandChronicles'' 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?" |
| 171 | * ''Literature/TheWheelOfTime'': |
| 172 | ** Everyone raised in Illian uses "do be" instead of conjugating "is". |
| 173 | ** Taraboners often state everything as questions, yes? |
| 174 | * In ''Literature/TheWolfChronicles'', ravens often speak in haiku. |
| 175 | * The dolphins from ''Literature/MermaidsSong'' all use subject-object-verb order. |
| 176 | [[/folder]] |
| 177 | |
| 178 | [[folder:Live-Action TV]] |
| 179 | * A RunningGag by GOB from ''Series/ArrestedDevelopment'' whenever he gets upset or excited (''"Still mad me, Michael?"''). |
| 180 | * In "Bargaining", the first episode of Season 6 of ''Series/BuffyTheVampireSlayer'', the Buffybot's [[BondOneLiner punning]] still isn't working properly. When she finally stakes the vamp, she exclaims, "That'll put marzipan in your pie plate, bingo!" Perhaps it was stuck on dadaist humor. |
| 181 | * ''Series/DoctorWho'': |
| 182 | ** In [[Recap/DoctorWhoS22E2VengeanceOnVaros "Vengeance on Varos"]], Sil has a quirky translator which results in sentences such as, "Like this Governor we do not. Replace you must arrange most soon," and "Intolerable all of this Doctor being allowed to live!" |
| 183 | --->'''Sil:''' You agents of Amorb are!\ |
| 184 | '''Peri:''' I don't know what that is or even what he says.\ |
| 185 | '''Governor:''' Sil's language transposer has an eccentric communication circuit. But, don't tell him, it's my only amusement. |
| 186 | ** In [[Recap/DoctorWhoS29E11Utopia "Utopia"]], the alien Chantho begins every sentence with Chan, and ends it with Tho. Apparently, to not do this is rude, the equivalent of swearing in her language. (Compare Japanese use of ''keigo'' words such as ''desu'' or ''-masu''.) This also means that she says her name as "Chan-Chantho-Tho". |
| 187 | * River Tam from ''Series/{{Firefly}}.'' It's uncertain whether she's speaking from some consistent internal syntax, or her dialogue is a result of her traumatic background. It generally sounds like she automatically says whatever pops into her head before her thoughts are finished. Simon says something to that effect in one episode. |
| 188 | * ''Series/GameOfThrones'': Jaqen H'ghar refers to everyone―first, second, or third person―by indefinite phrases such as "a man" or "a girl", although sometimes he suffers from OohMeAccentsSlipping such as when he says "And you pour water for one of them now. Why is this right for you and wrong for me?" |
| 189 | * In ''Series/{{House}} M.D.'', House once had a patient with a form of aphasia who replaced every word with a word somehow related to but separate from what he meant. The connections were fuzzy enough that they got him to correctly say yes and no, and finally figured out that [[spoiler:when he said "bear" he meant "bipolar", as in "polar bear"]]. This makes it a CurseOfBabel plot. |
| 190 | * Michael Harris in ''Series/{{Newhart}}'' speaks in alliteration. |
| 191 | * ''Series/OurMissBrooks'': |
| 192 | ** DumbJock Stretch Snodgrass's grammar is atrocious. It's a toxic combination of current slang, malapropisms and double negatives. |
| 193 | --->'''Miss Brooks''': Stretch, it is incorrect to use a double negative in a sentence. You've just used four of them.\ |
| 194 | '''Stretch Snodgrass''': Oh! So what I said was alright then? |
| 195 | ** Stretch's brother [[SuspiciouslySimilarSubstitute Bones]] is the same way. |
| 196 | * ''Series/StargateSG1'': Colonel Jack O'Neill does this the second time he has the [[NeglectfulPrecursors Ancients']] knowledge downloaded into his brain. Subverted in that he does it just to make fun of Daniel's lack of clarity when trying to explain what Jack has been doing. |
| 197 | -->'''Daniel:''' Sphere. Planet. Label. Name.\ |
| 198 | '''Jack:''' Following. You. Still. Not. |
| 199 | * ''Franchise/StarTrek'': |
| 200 | ** In the ''Series/StarTrekTheNextGeneration'' episode [[Recap/StarTrekTheNextGenerationS5E2Darmok "Darmok"]], Captain Picard is stranded with an alien who speaks a language [[SpeaksInShoutOuts composed entirely of figurative phrases]]. The Universal Translator gets their ''literal'' meaning just fine, but without knowing the stories they're alluding to, it's impossible to decipher what they're actually talking about. |
| 201 | ** ''Series/StarTrekVoyager''. In [[Recap/StarTrekVoyagerS4E4Nemesis "Nemesis"]], Chakotay is shot down in the middle of a war zone, and is aided by the human-looking Defenders who speak in a Creator/GeoffreyChaucer-like dialogue evoking heroic fantasies in their fight against the AlwaysChaoticEvil Kradin. TheReveal is that Chakotay has been captured and is undergoing propaganda brainwashing to turn him into a Defender. Whether the Defenders dialogue is due to translation issues or something to do with the process is not revealed, but Chakotay is [[GoingNative shown talking the same way as the brainwashing takes effect]]. |
| 202 | ** The Klingon language - which was invented by linguist Marc Okrand for ''Film/StarTrekIIITheSearchForSpock'' - generally uses an object-subject-verb word order, which is the reverse of English. The language was designed to sound alien to humans. |
| 203 | * Creator/RonnieBarker of ''Series/TheTwoRonnies'' performed a comedic monologue as the spokesman of the Words Putting in Order Wrong the Society (or similar), transposing words that would give rise to the maximum DoubleEntendre comedy (e.g. ''"I'll meet you in the Four Tails for a cock-feather."'' |
| 204 | * In an episode of ''Series/{{Titus}}'', Christopher knows Erin is hiding something because, when she's lying, words not flow from her mouth good. |
| 205 | -->'''Erin Fitzpatrick''': Hey! Car drive not work me, everything think that solves you?\ |
| 206 | '''Christopher Titus''': (pause) Something from me hiding you are? |
| 207 | * The 456 from ''Series/TorchwoodChildrenOfEarth'' seem to have shades of this in the beginning. They speak in a way that is intelligible but reinforces their creepiness. The civil servant who deals with them is suitably freaked. |
| 208 | -->'''The 456:''' Speak.\ |
| 209 | '''Frobisher:''' I am speaking!\ |
| 210 | '''The 456:''' We would speak.\ |
| 211 | '''The 456:''' Soon.\ |
| 212 | '''Frobisher:''' I'm sorry?\ |
| 213 | '''The 456:''' Return... soon. |
| 214 | * ''Series/TheTwilightZone1985'' episode "Wordplay" is based on this trope. A man has an unusual experience: The people around him are suddenly using words incorrectly, ''e.g.'', saying "dinosaur" when they mean "lunch". More and more words get replaced, until other people's speech becomes complete gibberish to him. He ends up having to re-learn the meaning of words out of a children's book. |
| 215 | * In ''Series/TheWalkingDead'' the Scavengers speak a strange clipped version of English. No explanation has been given as to how they came to develop such an odd diction in only two or three years. |
| 216 | [[/folder]] |
| 217 | |
| 218 | [[folder:Music]] |
| 219 | * Creator/EricIdle's ''Rutland Weekend Television'' had the host of a short chat show and his guest talking like this. |
| 220 | -->'''Host:''' Ham sandwich bucket and water plastic duralegs rubber mac fisheries underwear? |
| 221 | * ''Code Monkey'' by ''Music/JonathanCoulton'' is written in the clinical, stilted style of B.A.S.I.C. programming (10subject->task->goto->etc) |
| 222 | [[/folder]] |
| 223 | |
| 224 | [[folder:Tabletop Games]] |
| 225 | * ''TabletopGame/WorldTreeRPG'': Sleeth always speak in the present tense, even when discussing events firmly in the past or future, and use "the" instead of "a". Combined with their incredible bluntness, this makes for interesting speech patterns. "Hey, I have the message for you. Two days ago, your sister dies." |
| 226 | [[/folder]] |
| 227 | |
| 228 | [[folder:Theatre]] |
| 229 | * ''Dogg's Hamlet, Cahoot's Macbeth'' by Creator/TomStoppard features a language consisting of the same words as English, but with different meanings (so that, for instance, "useless" means ''afternoon'', and "afternoon" means something dreadfully insulting). Stoppard got the idea from an essay by Creator/LudwigWittgenstein, who pointed out that in such a circumstance, two people might interact [[OneDialogueTwoConversations without ever realising that they're speaking two different languages]], and illustrated with a hypothetical conversation that gets reprised in the first act of the play. |
| 230 | * In ''How I Became Stupid'' by Martin Page, the supporting character Aas can speak only in verse--this is stated to be the result of his being used to test an experimental babyfood containing high levels of phosphorous. It also made him nearly eight feet tall and causes him to glow faintly in the dark. |
| 231 | * Dogberry's lines in ''Theatre/MuchAdoAboutNothing'' are a strange mix of {{Malaproper}} and odd syntax. |
| 232 | * Ian Doescher's ''Creator/WilliamShakespeare's Franchise/StarWars'' series largely retains the expected iambic pentameter of [[InTheStyleOf Shakespeare's style]], but it deviates in a few key places for either characterization or a joke: the low-born Boba Fett speaks entirely in prose, [[TheDitz Jar-Jar Binks]] speaks in lines containing only ''nine'' syllables (as in, [[StealthInsult he's a beat short of a full verse]]), and Yoda speaks entirely in ''haiku''. |
| 233 | [[/folder]] |
| 234 | |
| 235 | [[folder:Video Games]] |
| 236 | * The ''VideoGame/SidMeiersAlphaCentauri'' ExpansionPack ''Alien Crossfire'' gives us Progenitors, who toe the line between this and AliensSpeakingEnglish due to TranslationConvention. Alien-to-alien speech is rendered as normal, fluent language. However, alien-to-human communication is impossible until you research a tech which allows ''in-universe'' translation, which renders Progenitor speech with a syntax roughly equal to "Subject: Statement". |
| 237 | --> Humans : there is no space inside rocket. Progenitor : space exists around all things with mass. Space : "here". Inside rocket : "there". Secret: bring here to there. |
| 238 | * The Rikti in ''VideoGame/CityOfHeroes'' speak like this as well. They are a race of telepaths and it is only late in the game during certain missions that one gets the new Mark III translator and can not only suddenly speak English properly, but can now understand it just as well. He finds our childish vulgarities rather quaint. |
| 239 | * On some servers of ''VideoGame/SpaceStation13'', there is a species known as the Giant Armored Serpentids. They speak in rambling run-on sentences held together with conjunctions. Where a human might say "Today I went to store to buy eggs, however, it was closed since it was so hot. I went home empty-handed.", a Serpentid might say "Today I went to store to buy eggs but it was closed since it was so hot so I went home empty-handed." |
| 240 | * ''VideoGame/StarControl'''s Daktaklakpak provide a similar challenge -- their language is so mathematical and formulaic that initially the tech teams don't even think they're ''sentient.'' Once you obtain a translator their speech remains formulaic and stilted: "Statement: Daktaklakpak are superior to Humans. Interrogation: What are Humans doing in our space?" |
| 241 | * The Orz from ''VideoGame/StarControlII'' have [[StarfishAliens thought processes so alien]] that the best translators cannot fully process their language. Translations end up using a combination of best guesses and mixed metaphors for the unknown words. |
| 242 | -->"They are '''*camping*''' in this '''*playground*''' and would definitely like to '''*play*''' with '''*friendlies!*'''" |
| 243 | ** More relevantly, their lines use very idiosyncratic grammar. |
| 244 | * ''VideoGame/KnightsOfTheOldRepublic'': |
| 245 | ** The player character can speak almost every alien language, so you get subtitles even for what the Jawas on Tatooine are saying. Nevertheless, even subtitled, their syntax is rather strange. |
| 246 | ** The [[AxeCrazy HK-47]] and the HK-50 models preface their sentences with a description. However, they are perfectly capable of modulating their speech synthesizers to add inflection when necessary for infiltration. |
| 247 | --->'''HK-47:''' Annoyed statement: I would greatly prefer blasting them, master, but you are the master. |
| 248 | * The G-Man from ''VideoGame/HalfLife'' [[ACCENTUponTheWrongSyllable places emphasis on unusual syllables]] and pauses for breath in all the wrong places, though his diction is perfect and his vowels are never mispronounced. All of this is used to suggest that he's some sort of EldritchAbomination making a [[UncannyValley less-than-perfect imitation of humanity]]. |
| 249 | ** The Vortigaunts on the other hand, pronounce words fairly clearly but use strange word ordering and exhibit a few quirks such as placing "the" in front of someone's name. When speaking in their own language, both participants speak simultaneously, so they also step on the ends of each other's sentences in English every now and then. |
| 250 | ** The Nihilanth doesn't get many lines, but those he does get reveal a peculiarity: he starts in the middle of a line, says the full line, then repeats only the first half: "...the last. I am the last. I am.." "...you done? What have you done? What have..." |
| 251 | * In ''VideoGame/SonicChronicles: The Dark Brotherhood'', the Kron speak in a strange, slightly garbled format, saying things like "Die you now!" You can ask them about it, at which point they'll maintain that they're speaking perfectly normal English and ''you're'' the ones saying it wrong. |
| 252 | * ''Franchise/MassEffect'': |
| 253 | ** A minor alien species, the elcor, exhibit a form of this. They all speak in a deep monotone, and preface their sentences with the tone it would be in, e.g. "genuine enthusiasm," followed by a sentence with no noticeable enthusiasm. They talk like that with non-elcor because they express emotion through pheromones, subsonics, and extremely subtle body language that most other species can't detect. It's apparently part of the ubiquitous TranslatorMicrobes. |
| 254 | --->'''Asari:''' Wait. Did you hack your translator so you could control your kinetic language processing?\ |
| 255 | '''Elcor:''' [[SuspiciouslySpecificDenial With a sincerity such that skepticism would be deeply insulting]]: [[BlatantLies No]]. |
| 256 | ** Another example would by the hanar, who cannot speak as humans do at all; their translators/synthesizers render their bioluminescent language into spoken words. Furthermore, all their translated speech is exceedingly polite, avoids reference to personal pronouns like "I" and they will rarely use their names unless introducing themselves, preferring "it" or "this one", i.e. "This one hopes that we will converse again soon." They have two names, in fact; a Face Name (for public use) and a Soul Name (for family and very close friends). You can ask them about it and they will say that they consider it extremely rude and egotistical to use the first person with somebody they know only on a Face Name basis. Hanar who interact with other races have to take special classes so as to learn not to be offended. The hanar believe that they were taught language by the Protheans; in ''VideoGame/MassEffect3'', your Prothean squadmate is not impressed. |
| 257 | ---> '''Javik''': It's a pity we didn't teach them to speak ''better''. |
| 258 | ** Though really combination of TerseTalker and MotorMouth, Mordin Solus verges into this due to combination of elided speech and TechnoBabble. |
| 259 | * Lampshaded with the Dangling Participle in ''VideoGame/KingsQuestVIHeirTodayGoneTomorrow'': |
| 260 | -->'''Alexander''': You speak strangely, friend.\ |
| 261 | '''Dangling Participle''': Strange my speech is not! Eloquence I speak with! |
| 262 | * Thorn of ''Videogame/FinalFantasyIX'' uses inverted sentences, like Yoda (and usually says the same thing Zorn says, except Zorn doesn't invert them.) |
| 263 | * The Emps from ''VideoGame/UltimaVII''; passive voice seems to be what is always used by them. |
| 264 | --> "Your wish is to meet wisps? An idea how you can be helped by Trellek is had by me. Wisps are contacted by Trellek's whistling. A whistle for you can be made by him, perhaps. Talking with him again should be your next action." |
| 265 | ** Also, the gargoyles, who drop pronouns and only use infinitive-form verbs. At one point in ''U7'', it is mentioned that they speak in "Gargish syntax" to preserve their cultural ties. |
| 266 | ---> "To be named Horffe. To be the Captain of the guard. To serve and protect the people of Serpent's Hold." |
| 267 | * Nya! Of ''VideoGame/SuperMarioRPG'', both this and a regular VerbalTic, Bowyer uses. Nya! |
| 268 | * Similarly, Fawful of the ''[[VideoGame/MarioAndLuigi Mario & Luigi]]'' series has this practically programmed into the speech center of his brain... |
| 269 | --> "IT IS THE OVERHEAT!" |
| 270 | ** The Oho Jees speak with broken grammar and often say bizarre things both in and out of battle. |
| 271 | --> "Ah! I am m-me! This is first time. ❤" |
| 272 | --> "I no believe!" |
| 273 | * Fnarf of ''Videogame/TheBardsTale'' had a tendency to speak with alliteration. |
| 274 | -->'''The Bard:''' I've had just about enough of these atrocious alliterative announcements... [[GotMeDoingIt Now I'm doing it!]] |
| 275 | * The Chiss bartender Baldarek on Nar Shaddaa in ''VideoGame/JediOutcast'' has problems speaking Basic and constantly confuses singular and plural nouns. |
| 276 | --> '''Baldarek:''' (''Kyle Katarn holding a lightsaber to his face'') Please! Noble Jedis! {{Not in the face}}s! |
| 277 | ** This is not typical of Chiss, though, as Thrawn has no problems speaking Basic at all. Then again, he is specifically mentioned to be good at languages (he speaks Basic fluently after studying for a few weeks), and is a genius in general. |
| 278 | * The people of Xian (a FantasyCounterpartCulture version of China) in ''VideoGame/GoldenSun'' use some strange sentence structures (though not nearly as strange as some fanfic writers portray it), presumably to show that they normally speak a different language from the heroes. This is present even in the Japanese versions, as references to it are made in the ''4koma Gag Battle'' doujinshi. |
| 279 | ** Curiously, Xian's successor-nations in ''Dark Dawn'' are filled with people who speak normally. |
| 280 | * The Great Mizuti from the first ''VideoGame/BatenKaitos'' speaks in the [[ThirdPersonPerson third person]], insists on being called "the Great Mizuti," rarely conjugates "to be" (i.e. "the Great Mizuti be invincible!") and will occasionally string together two related words after the end of a sentence. |
| 281 | * Gree droids from ''VideoGame/StarWarsTheOldRepublic'' speak Basic, but with bizarre turns of phrase. |
| 282 | --> '''[=Nam-aK=]''': My black sphere evolves to a purple parallel because of you. When I impart this development, [=Pat-aK=] will progress enthusiasm with the Senator. |
| 283 | * If the winquotes in ''VideoGame/StreetFighterXTekken'' are any indication (since the crossover retains the characters' usual behaviors), this is [[VideoGame/{{Tekken}} Yoshimitsu]]'s usual speech pattern. |
| 284 | * [=Zer0=] of ''VideoGame/Borderlands2'' has a weird habit of speaking in haikus. While he mostly uses it for combat taunts, even his idle dialog is in haiku form. In ''VideoGame/TalesFromTheBorderlands'', he has a conversation with Moxxi where each sentence makes up a haiku. |
| 285 | -->'''[=Zer0=]''': My quest is not done.\ |
| 286 | '''Moxxi''': My reward for you is gonna be long, ''hard'' and '''powerful'''.\ |
| 287 | '''[=Zer0=]''': [[NotDistractedByTheSexy Gortys remains out of reach.]]\ |
| 288 | '''Moxxi''': It's a rocket launcher!\ |
| 289 | '''[=Zer0=]''': [[DontExplainTheJoke Yes. Innuendo.]] |
| 290 | ** The only times he doesn't speak in haiku form are in ''The Son Of Crawmerax DLC'' where he expresses frustration at the [[HypocriticalHumor irritatingly cryptic note left for him]] and in an ECHO Log from ''VideoGame/Borderlands3'' when he meets, and subsequently falls for, ex-barista Lorelei [[InLoveWithYourCarnage who had just finished clearing out a squadron of Maliwan soldiers]]. |
| 291 | * In the English translations of the 5th generation ''Franchise/{{Pokemon}}'' games, International Police Agent Looker speaks with weird syntax, suggesting that [[EloquentInMyNativeTongue his native tongue]] is not the local language in [[VideoGame/PokemonDiamondAndPearl Sinnoh]] or [[VideoGame/PokemonBlackAndWhite Unova]]; he averts this in [[VideoGame/PokemonXAndY Kalos]], giving us a likely candidate for his native region. This is not present in the Japanese versions. |
| 292 | ** In ''VideoGame/PokemonGoldAndSilver'' and the remakes, there was a Team Rocket member who spoke this way and said that he would quit Team Rocket and return to his homeland and family. In ''Black and White'' (and the sequels), you find him in Unova with his family... and he still does the weird syntax. Apparently he's not actually EloquentInMyNativeTongue. |
| 293 | ** ''Gold and Silver'' also has Earl, teacher at the Pokemon School, who speaks in a manner similar to [[Franchise/StarWars Yoda]]. For example, when you first meet him, he asks you "Hello! You are trainer? Battle Gym Leader, win you did?" |
| 294 | * In ''VideoGame/ShinMegamiTenseiStrangeJourney'', some of the demons you can talk to will speak this way. |
| 295 | * Backwards sentences its all speaks ''[[VideoGame/PlantsVsZombies2ItsAboutTime Time About It's 2: Zombies Vs. Plants]]'' from Warp Thyme. [[labelnote:Wait, what?]]Thyme Warp from ''VideoGame/PlantsVsZombies2ItsAboutTime'' speaks all its sentences backwards.[[/labelnote]] |
| 296 | * SelfDemonstrating/{{Spamton}} from ''VideoGame/{{Deltarune}}'', the personification of junk mail and spam advertising, has [ONE WEIRD TRICK!!] in his dialogue where certain words are switched out for [LIMITED TIME ONLY], [NON-FUNGIBLE] advertising jargon and salesman lingo. Some of his sentences contain missing , too many [EXCLAMATION MARKS!!!!] or, just like in real scam emails, grammatical and spelling errors in [Specil] places. The most intriguing aspect of his speech is [HYPERLINK BLOCKED], a phrase he’s seemingly censored from saying by an outside entity (common theories are that it means “soul”, “freedom” or “LOVE”, as in ‘Level of Violence' from ''VideoGame/{{Undertale}}''. A full analysis of his dialog quirks can be found [[https://web.archive.org/web/20220110065350/https://cyberzuzu.tumblr.com/post/665206148324114432/spamton-dialog-quirks-guide-after-hours-of-work-I here.]] |
| 297 | * All the jellyfish shopkeepers in ''Franchise/{{Splatoon}}''. Jelonzo in [[VideoGame/Splatoon1 Inkopolis Plaza]] is this trope, speaking like a TranslationTrainWreck of an old video game, while the others have their own quirks regarding the language due to not being native speakers. However, by the time of the ''VideoGame/Splatoon3 [[DownloadableContent Expansion Pass]]'', he's improved his language, but he still calls clothes "body cloths": |
| 298 | -->'''Splatoon 1 Jelonzo:''' You are having the freshest of levels! Jelonzo is selling you the body cloths of the dreams!\ |
| 299 | '''Splatoon 3 Jelonzo:''' Whoa. You just keep getting fresher. Don't think I haven't noticed! I hope you find something you like. |
| 300 | * The Fireflies of Spooky Swamp from ''VideoGame/SpyroYearOfTheDragon'' speak entirely in haiku. Moneybags even adopts this manner of speech when he asks for gems to open a bridge in the level. |
| 301 | * ''VideoGame/FireEmblemThreeHouses'' has two. |
| 302 | ** Petra speaks in mangled English, because unlike everyone else in the game, she's not from Fodlan, but Brigid, a far-off nation, and she's still learning to speak the local tongue. |
| 303 | ** Flayn also speaks in an odd, very formal and precise diction and sometimes her speech comes off as very archaic and stilted. While her grammar is technically correct, it's still very off. [[spoiler:This is one of the many hints that she's in fact a Really700YearsOld saint]]. |
| 304 | * Ulysses from ''VideoGame/FalloutNewVegas'' speaks in an utterly bizarre manner; he mostly uses sentence fragments, emphasizing verbs and nouns, and habitually uses [[PurpleProse poetic, metaphorical word choices]] (such as referring to the NCR and Legion as "the Bear" and "the Bull", respectively). One gets the feeling that he is driven to cram as much meaning into every breath as he can; it's indicative of [[EveryoneIsJesusInPurgatory his endless quest to ascribe meaning to everything]]. |
| 305 | * ''VideoGame/{{Control}}'' features [[EldritchAbomination an otherworldly, extradimensional being]] known as The Board whose "voice" is largely incomprehensible radio static, yet is nonetheless comprehensible if it's directly talking to you, represented through subtitles. However, some of the words they "speak" are [[MultipleChoiceFormLetter of multiple choice]], [[SelfDemonstratingArticle sometimes all being true/equal/satisfactory, sometimes being contradictory/nonsensical/horse]]. This gives the impression of a being operating on a much higher level of understanding than humans, but having trouble condensing its hyperreal concepts into plain English... which is exactly what The Board is. |
| 306 | ** There's also an entity known as FORMER, a bizarre tardigrade-like ''thing'' that in the base game which The Board claims used to be part of them but was ousted for unknown reasons. In the ''Foundation'' DLC, it tries to peacefully contact Jesse and uses a similar radio-like "voice" used by The Board, [[BlackSpeech but the translations are even more garbled]], consisting of [[SelfDemonstratingArticle < Random @#$#@$ Nouns @#$@# Symbols @#$ Disconnect @#$* Mess >]] that only provides a vague suggestion of what it's trying to say. |
| 307 | * In ''VideoGame/PlanescapeTorment'', the [[MageSpecies Night Hag]] Ravel Puzzlewell has a dialect that can only be summarized as "odd". Like Yoda, she tends to use an Object-Subject-Verb speech order, is a ThirdPersonPerson, and she's prone to partially or wholly repeating sentences by substituting words with their textual homophones. She may also go off on something of a tangent or switch topics entirely based on a homophone that particularly catches her attention. [[ElectiveBrokenLanguage Except when she chooses to speak in the proper speech order and/or use first person perspective dialogue, which she randomly does]]. It's left ambiguous if she always talked like this, or if maybe it's a side-effect of going more than little nuts over centuries in an extraplanar prison. |
| 308 | * ''VideoGame/DivinityOriginalSinII'': Elves who left their homeland in the aftermath of the recent war speak of the past and future in the present tense, in contrast with elves who have had more time to acclimate to human lands, and, presumably, the CommonTongue. |
| 309 | * In ''VideoGame/PuyoPuyoFever2'', Gogotte, an elf-like humanoid with an obsession with mushrooms, speaks with each half of his sentences switched around, not unlike Yoda (e.g. "My special soup, this is"). |
| 310 | * In ''VideoGame/ClubPenguin'', Sensei speaks almost exclusively in haikus. |
| 311 | * ''VideoGame/ZeroWing'': The PAL version of the Mega Drive port unintentionally made every character into this, thanks to the GoodBadTranslation. The 2023 PC port mostly fixed this and made the dialogue grammatically correct, except for that of BigBad CATS, who continues to speak this way [[AscendedMeme so as to retain the famous]] "AllYourBaseAreBelongToUs". Interestingly, the PC's opening has a FunnyBackgroundEvent of a screen saying "Translation error", implying the ship had an auto-translator which was damaged, causing CATS' message to be rendered this way. |
| 312 | * Most languages in ''VideoGame/ChantsOfSennaar'' follow a sentence structure of Subject — Verb — Object ("I like music"). The Bards instead use Object — Subject — Verb ("music, I like"), [[spoiler:which presents an increased challenge when it's time to translate conversations between Bards and other people.]] |
| 313 | [[/folder]] |
| 314 | |
| 315 | [[folder:Webcomics]] |
| 316 | * Ars and the other imps, a small dragonic species, from ''Webcomic/{{Gaia}}'' [[http://www.sandraandwoo.com/gaia/2011/12/20/the-red-hall-024/ always speak in third-person, future tense]]. |
| 317 | * Vodka from ''Webcomic/EveryButtonHurtsTheOtherGuy'' has a poor (and inconsistent) grasp of English syntax, but is exceptional in this despite his being from a comic with an international cast. Russel sometimes gets in on this too, which is especially odd considering he's one of the few native English speakers. |
| 318 | * In ''Webcomic/TheOrderOfTheStick'', |
| 319 | ** Orcs (and half-orcs) seem to always refer to themselves in the third person, pay no heed to verbal conjugation, skip copulas and [[AllLowercaseLetters use lower-case everywhere]] until...: |
| 320 | --->'''Mungu''': mungu rather finish grammar lesson for today.\ |
| 321 | '''Crong''': yes, crong hope crong get to verbal conjugation before end of week.\ |
| 322 | '''Gok''': gok look forward to first-person pronouns.\ |
| 323 | '''Mungu''': capital letters intrigue mungu. |
| 324 | ** Oona the bugbear is talking with unusual syntax implying that her native tongue is having a different structure to Common. Is also a ThirdPersonPerson. |
| 325 | * In ''{{Webcomic/Outsider}}'', the insectoid Umiak's speech is translated in a rambling manner with several redundancies, an artifact of the Umiak language's stack construct. |
| 326 | -->'''Kikitik-27-Tikhak-Tikkukit''': Abnormality it is communication with [The Enemy Forces] when the situation is shown to be abnormal by [[[GeneralRipper The Storm-Witch]]] known to us that does not retreat when attacked which is abnormal and the existence of [The Object In Question] that cannot be obtained by direct action which is abnormal... We do not expect success of communication however there is nothing to be lost by communication when the time becomes irrevocable as it has... |
| 327 | * [[http://www.neorice.com/aptgg_215 Lacey]] from ''Webcomic/APathToGreaterGood''. Later subverted when he no longer has to impress people and speaks normally instead. |
| 328 | * In ''Webcomic/SchlockMercenary'', the space station manager Mister Aliss speaks in a very odd dialect characterized by using a lot of unnecessary "-ings", poor understanding of metaphors, and painfully arranged grammar (example: "You suspect? What is of the suspectings?"). From that Tagon identifies him [[spoiler:(wrongly)]] as a part of a class of diplomats raised underwater among the Celeschul native species who grew up speaking Galstandard Peroxide, the preferred language of aquatic sophonts. |
| 329 | ** The Oafa from the "Broken Wind" arc have their own dialect, although Tagon refers to it as a form of Peroxide accent early on. It features a number of odd terms that appear to derive from common English idioms translated via [[LanguageEqualsThought the mindset of flying jellyfish creatures]] ("perambulatory limb-stretchings" instead of "stretch their legs", for example, or "underfooted" instead of "crushed underfoot"), and uses somewhat odd plural forms for verbs ("And general, thank you for the most persuasive invitings of your famously victorious son to lead it") and time units ("fifty-two of centuries"). |
| 330 | * ''Webcomic/{{Starslip}}'': after a conversation with Mr. Jinx about how laughably simple human languages are, a fellow Cirbozoid speaks with total disregard for word order. |
| 331 | * ''Webcomic/TerrorIsland'' applies alliteration when [[http://terrorisland.net/strips/148.html flaunting flashbacks.]] |
| 332 | * Dover Cheetah from ''WebComic/TheSuburbanJungle'' is such a huge nerd that he speaks entirely in BASIC programming language. Unless someone doesn't understand, then he switches to hypertext markup. |
| 333 | [[/folder]] |
| 334 | |
| 335 | [[folder:Web Original]] |
| 336 | * WebVideo/JakeAndAmir: Amir Blumenfeld. He speaks simultaneously in strange riddles, half thoughts, similes and turns of phrases that don't make sense, and insults. Sometimes he tries to ape things Jake has said to him to sound smarter or more normal, but always manages to screw them up or deliver them at the wrong time. |
| 337 | * ''WebOriginal/StarsInBlack'', for Franchise/StarWars parody it is, a Yoda-like speaker must have. |
| 338 | * In the ''Videogame/DwarfFortress'' LetsPlay ''LetsPlay/{{Bravemule}}'', this is the way all of the dwarves talk, in order to cement the impression that they are a totally different culture. It's combined with alien terminology, for example "elf" seems to stand for everything that is an enemy or related to such, "dreg" would be a pariah and "clod" a non-pariah dwarf. |
| 339 | -->'''13th Obsidian 1054''' |
| 340 | ----->''I am struck with fond recollections before the end. I remember the child I was and the arthavers I hailed in the mountainhome. It was engraved images from disciplined hands that endured on warm walls.'' |
| 341 | |
| 342 | -->'''14th Obsidian 1054''' |
| 343 | ----->''Hollowed around the deep caverns to avoid cave elves. A trail of broken mudstone is behind and above. I do not know how deep the tunnel to the underworld must become or the name I will give for the tunnel.'' |
| 344 | |
| 345 | -->'''15th Obsidian 1054''' |
| 346 | ----->''Oh that unscrupulous cat! It does not understand we will die.'' |
| 347 | ** However, when humans get a POV, they’re shown to speak in a different but equally strange way that incorporates YeOldeButcheredeEnglishe. |
| 348 | -->'''Day 305 of Scouting''' |
| 349 | ----->''I spat when Atrix shouted to march on the Dwarf menace, for vengeance of the caravan crushed, or be marched on, for vengeance of the Milker slain. I would not hearken to shouting, as she does not hath a soldier heart, nor is war yet our mission. I am not a coward before the Dwarf. It is not yet our mission.'' |
| 350 | * In [[{{WebVideo/Starpocalypse}} Starpocalypse]], {{God}} is mocked for this. |
| 351 | -->'''God:''' "I am who am!"\ |
| 352 | '''Science Councilor:''' "Ha! More like "I am he who doesn't understand syntax"." |
| 353 | * In one Website/CollegeHumor video, [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s_F23P7uD1M everyone talks in Emojis]]. |
| 354 | -->'''Emily:''' Little family, wedding ring, scissors. ''["My parents are getting divorced."]''\ |
| 355 | '''Emily's friend:''' Smiling poop, sweat droplets. ''["That's hard shit."]''\ |
| 356 | '''Dad:''' Adult woman face, pointy finger a-okay hand, offensive racial stereotype! So, little angel boy! ''["Your mother was sleeping with Mr. Chan! [[NeverMyFault It's not my fault!]]"]'' |
| 357 | * In ''WebAnimation/NeuroticallyYours'', the character Piltz-E the squirrel speaks in this manner. |
| 358 | [[/folder]] |
| 359 | |
| 360 | [[folder:Western Animation]] |
| 361 | * Ed on ''WesternAnimation/EdEddNEddy'' was known for this. |
| 362 | -->'''Eddy:''' Hey, where's Double D?\ |
| 363 | '''Ed:''' Do not adjust your set! (''runs after Edd'') |
| 364 | ** In Ed's case, it's less that he uses a strange syntax and more that he's a {{Cloudcuckoolander}} and borderline idiot who has his brain rotted from too much TV. |
| 365 | ** Rolf, having immigrated from [[{{Ruritania}} somewhere vaguely in Eastern Europe]], typically has his speech peppered with a series of culturalisms that may or may not even make sense in his native land. Occasionally though, he speaks sentences that are grammatically correct but so awkwardly worded (usually with a complete lack of pronouns, or redundant words that would typically get skipped) that they make little sense to a casual listener, such as this instance where he [[ItMakesSenseInContext saw Eddy plummeting at them in a suit of armor made from an old pot-bellied stove]]. |
| 366 | --->'''Rolf:''' Rolf's eyes fool the brain of Rolf!\ |
| 367 | '''Kevin:''' What are you talking about, dude?\ |
| 368 | '''Rolf:''' "Rolf's eyes fool the brain of Rolf", must I spell it? |
| 369 | * ''WesternAnimation/InspectorGadget'': In the episode "Dry Spell", M.A.D. agent Kirk Boulder was assisted by a [[CreepyTwins pair of identical trolls]], one wearing orange and one wearing blue. Whenever the one in orange said something, the one in blue would repeat it... changing the order of the words. |
| 370 | -->'''Troll in orange:''' We are ready!\ |
| 371 | '''Troll in blue:''' Ready we are! |
| 372 | * In an episode of ''WesternAnimation/SonicTheHedgehogSatAM'', the wizard Lazaar speaks similarly to Yoda, reversing nouns and verbs. |
| 373 | * In the ''WesternAnimation/SpongeBobSquarePants'' episode "Pickles", a supposed error in [=SpongeBob=]'s Krabby Patty order causes him to become unable to do anything properly, including speaking. |
| 374 | -->'''[=SpongeBob=]:''' Mr. Krabs, hello. Do you how do?\ |
| 375 | '''Mr. Krabs:''' Why you talking funny, lad?\ |
| 376 | '''[=SpongeBob=]:''' I anything can't do right since because pickles.\ |
| 377 | '''Mr. Krabs:''' Nonsense. You'll be back making Krabby Patties like your old self in no time.\ |
| 378 | '''[=SpongeBob=]:''' I think don't ready back to go to work, Mr. Krabs. |
| 379 | * The [[HiveMind Kraang]] in ''WesternAnimation/TeenageMutantNinjaTurtles2012'' have a manner of speaking that defies any real explanation. Just have some examples: |
| 380 | -->'''Kraang 1:''' Kraang, are those who are coming to this place coming to this place?\ |
| 381 | '''Kraang 2:''' I lack that knowledge, Kraang. I will inquire of Kraang about that knowledge. ''(turns to other Kraangs)'' Do you have the knowledge if those coming to this place are near this place, Kraang?\ |
| 382 | '''Snake:''' THEY'RE TURTLES!!! Call them Turtles! "Are the Turtles here?!"\ |
| 383 | '''Kraang 3:''' There are lights of a vehicle which contain that what you wish us to call "The Turtles" coming to this place which you wish us to call "here". |
| 384 | ** The only Kraang to fully avoid this is [[TheDragon Kraang Sub-Prime]], who is apparently the ''only'' Kraang that bothered to actually learn how to speak English rather than just relying on his robot suit's translator to do all the work. He gives his subordinates a tongue-lashing after getting sick of listening to them. |
| 385 | --->'''Sub-Prime''': [[SurroundedByIdiots You guys are as dumb as a bunch of rocks!]] Seriously! What's taking so long?!\ |
| 386 | '''Kraang''': Much of Kraang's mutagen supply was spent in the invasion of the city known as New York City.\ |
| 387 | '''Sub-Prime''': What is it with "the Kraang's invasion of the city known as New York City"?! What is that?! [[LampshadeHanging We've been here for thousands of years, yet can't even speak proper English?!]]\ |
| 388 | '''Kraang''': [[NotHelpingYourCase Kraang does not understand the query known as Kraang Sub-Prime's query.]] |
| 389 | * As established in ''WesternAnimation/TheTransformersTheMovie'', [[Franchise/TransformersGeneration1 Junkions]] on the television series speak in odd mishmashes of television quotes. |
| 390 | -->'''Wreck-Gar:''' You are in danger of being cancelled or losing your time slot!\ |
| 391 | '''Ultra Magnus:''' What'd he say?!\ |
| 392 | '''Rodimus Prime:''' We're gonna get killed. |
| 393 | * ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic'': Young Kettle Corn, from ''Marks and Recreation'' often talks in haiku. |
| 394 | * Briefly [[ParodiedTrope spoofed]] with the Nibblonians in ''WesternAnimation/{{Futurama}}''. |
| 395 | -->'''Ken:''' Does he not know? |
| 396 | -->'''Nibbler:''' He does not know. |
| 397 | -->'''Fiona:''' He knows not? |
| 398 | -->'''Nibbler:''' Knows not does he. |
| 399 | -->'''Nibblonian:''' Not he know— |
| 400 | -->'''Ken:''' ''Enough!'' |
| 401 | * The title character of ''WesternAnimation/{{Fangbone}}'' (and the original ''Literature/FangboneThirdGradeBarbarian'' books) has a tendency to do this due to the oddities in how Skullbanians talk compared to humans. The most prominent example of his unusual speech is how he tends to say "X's Y" as "Y of X" (for example, he calls Bill's mom "Mom of Bill"). |
| 402 | * ComicBook/{{Starfire}} of ''WesternAnimation/TeenTitans2003'' and ''WesternAnimation/TeenTitansGo'' learned English through [[MagicKiss a superpowered kiss]], and for whatever reason, her approach to the language is fluent, but quite idiosyncratic. She rarely uses contractions, has a tendency to misplace or misuse articles, and when combined with [[BluntMetaphorsTrauma her loose grip on colloquialisms]], she comes across not too dissimilar to an ESL speaker in the real world (plus, it results in gems like "We might journey to the mall of shopping" and "Let us kick the butt!"). |
| 403 | [[/folder]] |
| 404 | |
| 405 | [[folder:Real Life]] |
| 406 | * "Milwaukeese". In some parts of Wisconsin, people will speak English using German syntax. Examples: |
| 407 | ** "Tie the dog loose and let him run the alley down." |
| 408 | ** "Make out (or on) the light." [[note]]Though with real German syntax that would be "Make the light out."[[/note]] |
| 409 | ** Throwing a random "once" into the sentence. |
| 410 | ** Using "by" in place of any "preposition of spatial relation". |
| 411 | ** "Come down by my house, where the streetcar bends the corner 'round, and whistle me out once so my Momma can see who I hang by." |
| 412 | * [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aphasia Aphasia]] can work like this. |
| 413 | * Second language speakers often retain the patterns of their native languages in the new language. For instance, Russian lacks articles (the, a, an) so a Russian speaking English will often drop them ("President of United States negotiated treaty with Russia today" etc). |
| 414 | * In heraldry, [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blazon blazons]] use Old French grammar, which can be jarring for a novice heraldry enthusiast (especially English-speaking ones, but even ones who speak Modern French can get thrown for a loop). |
| 415 | * Anyone who teaches themselves to speak another language from books or movies can end up using some archaic words and syntax if said books and movies are significantly old. |
| 416 | [[/folder]] |
| 417 | ---- |
| 418 | ''Give grace that the examples ended the trope's strange self-demonstrating direction...'' |
| 419 |
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