When Luke Skywalker accepts his mission to avenge his father and be trained as a Jedi Knight, his Master’s speech is rather unique. Throughout theStar Warsfranchise, the only person to speak like Master Yoda isMaster Yoda. Across the galaxy, only two more creatures like Yoda exist (at least so far). When Anakin Skywalker was just a Padawan, he met Jedi Master Yaddle, who was on the Jedi Council with Yoda. The Mandalorian, sometime after Luke had become a recluse, was hired to rescue an infant who turned out to be named Grogu.
Though Yoda, Yaddle, and Grogu are the same species, they are not necessarily related. At this point, Yoda and Yaddle are the only ones of their species that we’ve seen talk, as Grogu is an infant. InStar Wars: Tales of the Jedi,Bryce Dallas Howard voicesYaddle, confirming that Yoda’s unique form of communication is entirely his own. At this point in theStar Warssaga, the species these three belong to is shrouded in mystery, specifically in regard to syntax. Yoda’s speech leads audiences to believe he is wise based on his aged appearance and peculiar speech pattern. But the question still remains: why does Yoda talk the way he does?
Yoda’s Speech Pattern
Consider other species in theStar Warsuniverse who do not speak standard English. For example, Chewbacca, a Wookie, speaks in a series of growls and howls, whereas the Jawas and Tusken Raiders speak their own respective languages despite being human or human-like beings. Language and its subsequent elements like development, semantics, and syntax give insight into a culture and its history. According toThe Atlantic, language is structured by subject, verb, and object. Yoda’s speech structure is object-subject-verb, or OSV, which adds into themystery of his speciesand makes him more alien.
While fans clamor over what is canon and whether Darth Vader is scarier than Darth Maul, one thing is for certain: many fans were intrigued by Yoda’s syntax during his premiere. This initial reaction to the way Yoda spoke was well accepted. Yoda was the first character of his kind, so his speech pattern, like Wookies or Jawas, seemed unique to his species. Since his debut, he is regarded as one of the wisest characters in the entire saga. His wisdom is derived from his speech structure and has inspired countless lists of affirming quotes.
Related:Star Wars: Studio Ghibli’s Animated Baby Yoda Short Debuts on Disney Plus
Jedi Master Yaddle and Grogu’s Speech Patterns
The excitement that precededStar Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menacewas met with much disdain. Except for the introduction of one character: Jedi Master Yaddle. With the Jedi Council being an integral part ofEpisodes 1-3, fans were anxious to see if the OSV speech Yoda used was innate to his species. But Jedi Master Yaddle was just present, no lines or indication that she shared Yoda’s speech pattern. The first woman-appearing of her species, and it took practically 20 years for a limerick of confirmation: Yaddle speaks more commonly, with subject-object-verb structure, making Yoda even more mysterious.
As fans learn more about Yaddle via the Disney+ series,Tales of the Jedi, the question of their species still lingers. The answers, hopefully, will berevealed with Grogu. WhenThe Mandaloriandebuted a baby, it’s safe to assume no one was expecting the baby to be half a century old! Grogu being an infant at 50, the equivalent of midlife for humans, left fans with more questions about the species than answers. With regard to Grogu’s speech, he babbles much like a human baby does. With Grogu then, it would be safe to assume that his speech is going to be similar to Yaddle’s SOV pattern. Therefore, Yoda’s OSV speech is entirely his own unique form of English.
Related:Star Wars: Tales of the Jedi: Who is Master Yaddle?
George Lucas’ Own Words
According toher, Yoda’s character design is based on the genius Albert Einstein. Not only does this add to his mystique as a wizened sage, but it could also explain why he speaks in a specific way. Famously, Einstein didn’t speak full sentences until he was five years old, yet was one of the greatest minds the world has known. In fact, an economist coined the phrase Einstein Syndrome to help explain this phenomenon. Just as the inspiration for Yoda’s design is known, George Lucas himself has spoken on why Yoda speaks the way he does. In this video fromStar Wars Theory, the narrator quotes Lucas’ reasoning for Yoda’s speech. Essentially, Lucas’ creation of characters and their languages was to take other languages' syntax and make them sound alien. With Yoda in particular, he flipped the syntax around and made it as understandable as possible to understand. Lucas’ intention was for audiences to focus on the philosophical lessons rather than trying to decipher another alien species’ language.
