Help with Yoda talk I need

Hi everyone! I'm very new to writing and I need some help with my Yoda Talk. It's just not working right now.

If you can help me please do!

 

Well, I once heard someone point out the fact that Yoda always puts the most important word first and then works the sentence around it. Maybe that will give you a guide.

 

Jedi-Bounty

I thought for sure it would be tough as heck to write Yoda-speak until I got started. All you have to do is turn all of your sentences around and move the verbs into the wrong places. Then read your line of dialogue, think of Yoda's voice in your head, and see if it sounds like something he would say. Also, he doesn't always say everything backwards- mostly when he's just really emphasizing things.

Here's a little excerpt from a Ani/Padme proposal I wrote to give you a little idea. Just look at where I placed the verbs:

Obi-Wan and Yoda stood outside the medics lab as the transplant team worked to assemble and attach the new mechanical arm for Anakin. Obi-Wan unconsciously touched his deeply scored arm from his battle with Dooku on Geonosis. The medics confirmed that his nerve cells successfully begun the regeneration process. And thankfully his recovery should be successful with no permanent damage.

"Do you think he'll be the same with the new arm"? Obi-Wan asked, worry inching into his usual calm voice.

"No difference it should make, to young Skywalker. Highly skilled the medics are. Anakin will need time to retrain, but with his recovery I see not any great difficulties," Yoda replied. Obi-Wan nodded and looked down the hall. Senator Amidala lay sleeping, finally overcome from exhaustion, on a visitor's couch. It had taken much coaxing to get her to see any medics to tend to her own wounds she received while on Geonosis. She nearly refused to leave Anakin's side.

Obi-Wan lowered his voice. "I am worried about his growing attachment to Senator Amidala. It is obvious that her attachment is nearly as strong as his."

Yoda nodded remembering the Padawan and the Senators embrace in the hanger on Geonosis.

"The price Skywalker knows of Jedi forming personal attachments. Worried I am not. Trust we must, that he will make the right decisions," Yoda replied. "When healed he is, let him escort the Senator home and allow him to say his goodbyes to her."

Obi-Wan saw the logic in Yoda's plan and bowed to his master. He still felt a slight twinge of doubt.

 

****BUT*****

Remember that even in the movies Yoda does not rearrange ALL of his sentences. Especially the short sentences.

"...For my ally is the Force, and a powerful ally it is..."

That last part may sound backwards, but it was a common syntax in Old English.

Overboard, you must not go, with the sentence restructuring. I think that is the most common mistake.

 

Well, I was having a Yoda-talk day at school once and my friend hit it right on the nail.

"Talk like Yoda you do. Put predicate before subject. The purpose of predicate defeat."

 

Last time I had to write Yoda-talk, I read a lot of Shakespeare & Chaucer first. Someone on another thread pointed out that Yoda's speech pattern approximates German (the verb goes at the end), and that German and Middle English had a lot in common.

(Yes, I know Shakespeare is Early Modern English and not Middle English. Work with me here).

Some Shakepearian sentences picked at random:

• "My Lord of Herford, my message is to you."



• "I prithee, Lucio, do me this kind service: this day my sister should the cloister enter, and there receive her approbation."



• "What, stand thou idle here? Lend me thy sword."

I focused on making Yoda sound vaguely Shakepearian instead of just "backwards." Looking back, I can see I borrowed a certain "blank verse" sound too. The result wasn't too bad:

Made plain to me are many hidden things, yet not all paths are mine to foresee. Your future is clouded, Obi-Wan. Knew this I did when first you were brought to me. See you at all into this boy's destiny?

I also toned down all the eccentricities when I had to have Yoda say something really important:

Cautious you must be in this matter. Doubt is the vehicle of the Dark Side. Yet so can be a hasty certainty.

I didn't want to risk the line sounding humorous or distractingly odd: "In this matter cautious you must be. The vehicle of the Dark Side doubt is. Yet so can a hasty certainty be." (Not too bad that way, but I have to untangle it in my brain--not what I wanted my readers to do).

::shrug::

YMMV

 

Help you I can. The master of Yodaspeak am I. PM me you may.

 

Thanks everyone! I really appreciate the advice. I've thought over all of it and used it to write my Yoda speak parts.

If anyone else has any advise, I would like to hear it.

 

Well someone has said so before but let me reiterate: DO NOT OVERDO IT. Too much of a good thing, as far as I'm concerned, is also of the Dark Side. Don't try to out-Yoda Yoda. Also he doesn't tend to waste words much. Hope this helps.