Yoda Dialogue

Can anyone help me on how to write like Yoda speaks. Thanks.

J_J

 

Um, basically if it sounds right you're doing it wrong, and if it sounds like your Latin homework, you're doing it right. Of course that advice won't help much if you're not a native speaker of English.

Yoda tends to put the verb first and the subject last, but not always.

"Reckless he is."

Not:

"He is a reckless young man."

Or:

"Begun this cold war has."

Not:

"The cold war has begun."

Or:

"Unfortunate this is."

Not:

"This is unfortunate news."

His phrases tend to be clipped; he does not use unecessary words to make his point.

"Do. Or do not. There is no try."

Not:

"You can do it or you cannot do it. You cannot try it."

He does have a sense of humor, not everything he says is serious, though there is usually a message.

"When 800 years old YOU are, look so good you will not."

Not:

"I look my age Buddy."

Is there some specific dialogue you are having trouble with?

Hope that helps a little in any case.

 

Thanks. I think that will help.

 

Finished, this lesson is. Done, you are... eh eh eh... speak like one handsome muppet, you will!

 

Just make sure you never say anything the way it would normally be said. For example, in one of my stories he tells a character "Look like a drowned rat you do."

Not: "You look like a drowned rat."

And yoda has a tendency to put wisdom in nonsense, like in ESB "Great Warrior? Hmmmmm Wars not make one great" Which is a pretty profoud statement, but the way he says it makes it almost funny, another example also from ESB : "Looking? Found someone you have. Hmmm? He he"He also has a tendency to try and put others who are to puffed up in their place, like in AOTC when he tells Obi Wan and Mace that over confidence a arrogance is a flaw more common among jedi. ok, hope that helps.

 

A subject I specialize in this is. Known quite well for my Yoda impression I am.

It's really easy when you think about it. The object of the sentence usually goes last.

Yoda- Last the object of the sentence usually goes.

And the action of the sentence usually comes first.

Yoda- Ran very far he did.

See? Easy it can be, when practice you do.

 

Note, however, sometimes, Yoda doesn't ALWAYS reverse the word order...

TPM: "I sense great fear in you"
ESB: "You will be. Heh. You will be."

-Tim

 

I also noticed that in ESB he thinks he overspeaks sometimes. He bursts out, then stops, and calms down. "That place--(luke looks at him, then he says looking down) full of the darkside it is." or something to that effect. He did it a few times.

 

Yoda doesn't ALWAYS reverse word order.

TPM: Fear is the path to the dark side.
AOTC: Seeing you alive warms my heart.
ESB: Only a fully trained Jedi with the force as his ally can defeat Vader and his emperor.
ROTJ: There is another Skywalk...

There's no formulaic "trick" to it. The thing is just that everyone can recognize Yoda dialogue. When you write for him, say it out loud, Frank Oz accent and all. If it sounds like Yoda could actually be saying it, use it. If it sounds wrong, scrap it and retry.

 

Well, I'd have to echo everything they all said. There's no real trick to it, just whatever sounds like Yoda would say works, and what doesn't, doesn't. But do try Ty-Gon's suggestion and say it outloud. It works better that way.

 

One thing though: I'm probably butting in here, but try to do it the right amount and not out Yoda Yoda. Get it? Like put in some phrases that are more normal so sound like a caricature of hisself, he does not. For very bad that would be.

 

Good, this thread is.