Yoda speak - how do you write it well?

Hi all,

Looking for some advice or guidance here. I've got to a part in my story where Yoda makes an appearance and I'm having some issues over how you would write his speech patterns and make it believable for Yoda.

I've done a search in here and gone back as far as July plus read the FAQ and I couldn't find any mention of any guides, etc. so I assume there's nothing recent on this subject - apologies if there are but I did search for any before starting this thread - in here.

So, can anyone give me any pointers, guidance or help here? Or point me in the direction of any online resources that could help me out?

Many thanks,

Darth

 

Well, one thing to remember is that he does not actually invert every sentence, which I find is an easy trap to fall into.

...

I can't actually think of anything else right now.

 

Persephone is right. Yoda only inverts his sentences about half the time. Plus his sentences are always pretty short. I think the sentence he says to Padme at the beginning of AOTC is the longest one he does in the films - the one about warm feelings to his heart.

You might be better off describing what he is doing than a lot of dialogue. His actions often speaks louder than his words.

 

when I needed to do something with Yoda in it, this site is one that helped me very, very much...

http://inuse.blogspot.com/2006/04/know-his-priorities-yoda-does.html

 

He does it more (and more awkwardly) in the prequels, so if you can, use ESB and RotJ as your guides instead. [Do not use appearances in commercial or awards shows.] Then just listen, really listen, to how he speaks. As they've said, it's not every sentence, and it's not always a simple inversion. What is moved -- to the beginning or the end, depending on how you look at it -- changes from one sentence to another, and words (usually auxiliary verbs) may then be added in to help clarify. And that's important because Yoda's meaning should never be obscured by his syntax; if it is, rewrite it.

 

I've never wrote Yoda talk much, but I would suggest writing short to the point sentences.

 

Yoda's speach pattern reminds me of the way Jewish people speak. If you've ever been around Jews, think about how they speak. There used to be a good show on TV called Brooklyn Bridge that didn't last of course, because it was too good, but the grandma on there spoke like Yoda.

If you say the above in Yoda speak, it would go like this:

"The way Jewish people speak, Yoda's speach pattern reminds me of. Yes? If ever you've been around Jews, think about how they speak. There used to be a good show on the holonet called Brooklyn Bridge. Last long it did not. To good, it was. The grandma on there spoke like Yoda. Yes? Hm, yes, she did!" He nods and limps away, and the rhythm of his cane hitting the floor faded away. (Sorry, I just had to add that last! )

 

A lot of Yodaspeak involves putting the primary verbs in a clause at the end of the phrase. I wish I could contribute more, because Yodaspeak is literally how Biblical Hebrew sounds when translated literally into English, but I just took Hebrew. I don't know how to explain it.

 

[Do not use appearances in commercial or awards shows.]

I agree!

Basically what everyone else said - go with ESB and ROTJ, because even when he inverted his speech, he still spoke very naturally. In the prequels, his dialogue feels more forced, like they tried too hard to emphasize his manner of speaking.

Also, compare him to someone like Obi-Wan, who says things that change meaning depending on your point of view. Yoda, on the other hand, tells it like it is, and IMO that's why he doesn't really share his visions of the future - too many interpretations to make a decision based on them. Obi-Wan is more melodious - words, sentence construction, formal diction. Yoda's sentences are often short, with the least amount of words necessary and sometimes less than that.

One book I read said that Yoda's first appearance in ESB really appeals to children, and I think keeping in mind how kids speak will help.

 

I don't have anything to add really, but I was disappointed you didn't at least attempt to write the title of this thread in Yoda-speak

 

"Hmm, Yoda speak, eh? -- Write it well, how do you?" He pokes you with his gimmer stick. "Hmm?" He turns and walks away, chuckling to himself.

That's another thing I notice about Yoda. He peppers his speach with "Hm." and "Eh?" alot.

 

I can't really add any more than what's been written. To me, I have to actually say it out loud (and I'll admit, with a Yoda accent) to see if it sounds okay. You can tell when it's too much just by listening to yourself. Just don't go on overkill with inverting stuff.

 

Read a lot of Shakespeare.

Old English, Yoda speaks, hmm. Sometimes, backwards talk, they do.

 

To me, I have to actually say it out loud (and I'll admit, with a Yoda accent) to see if it sounds okay. You can tell when it's too much just by listening to yourself.

I agree with this. You can tell when it sounds forced this way.

 

Hi all,

Thanks for the suggestions and tips, I'll certainly take them on board the next time I try and write how Yoda speaks. I'd already had a crack at it in the story I'm currently writing and I'm not sure how successful I've been but I think I've got a better idea of how to write his speech patterns now. Of course, one way to practice would be to write a Yoda-centric story but I don't know if that would be biting off more than I could chew or not.

Still, if anyone else has any tips or suggestions, like Yoda, I'm all ears!

Darth

 

The official Star Wars website used to have a chat thread called "Talk like Yoda" but they locked it for some reason. *shrugs* Some of the posts seemed a bit forced, but a lot of them were good. If I can find it I'll post a link.

EDIT:

I couldn't find the "Talk Like Yoda" thread on the SW site. It must have been permanantly deleted a while ago.

 

Having written Yoda-speak to varying degrees of success, I figure I might add a bit to this discussion. Firstly, I disagree with those who say we should ignore Yoda?s PT dialogue. Yes, it sounds a bit forced but that, I believe, is due largely to GL trying to create some kind of real structure to Yoda?s dialogue?something that he didn?t really have in ESB and RotJ.

Honestly, it?s a function of what sounds like something Yoda would say. The most important thing I think is that his sentences are invariably short (that?s consistent between the OT and the PT). Yoda seems to constantly contemplate what it is he wants to say and then say it in as few words as possible. Whether or not he does the reversal of the subject and the verb is often situation-dependent and I don?t think it?s fair to say that there is a rule to it. In fact, I would argue that it is only when he is saying something of great gravitas p) that he goes to the trouble of going to the effort of making the words flow like ?normal? sentence structure.

Dialogue is always tricky and writing it in Yoda-speak is just another wrinkle. At the end of the day, if it?s stilted it probably has less to do with your sentence structure and more to do with the content of the dialogue and whether or not its appropriate for the character.

 

hm Lots of Jews came from Germany hm? Maybe it is that they used German syntax for english sentences ?(Germans invert sentences at question at reasons why (because) and others, even though young people nowerdays forget that.

 

Kidan posted a link to a good, well-informed and link-heavy article up there. For convenience's sake, I'm going to extract the conclusions for us:

To add to this, Yoda is a deep thinker, and he never allows himself to talk before first weighting the impact of his words. So, from a writer's point of view, it might be a good idea to - every time you get to a moment of dialogue with Yoda - step back and think it over, question the reasons for the discusion and general, where Yoda would want such a discussion to lead, etc. He does this quickly, but we don't have his wisdom and brain power to work with, so we gotta fake it. And this would be one possible way.

 

I have to agree with Souderwan, as I too have written Yoda at varying points of his life; and each time I turned to the films as a dialogue coach (Dark Rendezvous wasn't a bad source either). But I concentrated on AOTC, ROTS, ESB and ROTJ (TPM didn't give me enough to work with), and you almost have to repeat the lines to yourself, much like an actor trying to get into the head of a character played previously by another actor; ala Ewan McGregor practicing Sir Alec Guiness' lines from the OT just before filming a scene for PT.

Once you feel yu've got it down, write what e needs to say. I found it to be that simple.
Maybe I really crapped it up and don't even know it...

 

I think Dunedin Jedi is right - with German syntax does Yoda often speak. When learning German I was, correct my sentences that way I did. Sounded it like Yoda? (Actually, I don't know if Yoda ever asked questions that way in the OT.)

Anyway, my 2 â?¬uro cents that was.

 

That would be more like, "Sound like Yoda, does this?"
His sentences are normally structured with a tight grammatical eye for proper English, and almost always in the immediate present tense.

Another structural note to keep in mind: Use contractions, Yoda does not.

Also, I believe he is keenly aware of when he's repeating a reversed object (<subject> does, will be, is not, etc.), reserving repetition only for very important lessons.
(IE: "Miss them, do not; mourn them, do not.")

 

Just wanted to say thanks once again to everyone who has given me tips or suggestions on Yoda speak.

I think I have a better understanding of the syntax and when and where to use it now.

It'll be a good couple of weeks until I need to write some of his speech again but I'll bear all of your advice in mind when I do.

Once again, many thanks to you all.