Yoda’s speech pattern in a time when a certain baby is around
By: Kevin Botejara
Tags: Linguistics, Star Wars, The Mandalorian, Yoda, Baby Yoda

Yoda’s speech pattern is one –of the many– iconic elements that paints Star Wars so characteristically. For as much as he speaks in a grammatically broken English, he is easily understandable while sounding alien, intricate and emanating wisdom, and also, perhaps because of how we relate to his jediesque fatherly figure, affable. It would be completely unfathomable to see him speaking any other way, it is set in stone, or more on theme, the will of the Force.

But this particularity didn’t raise an in-universe problem for as long as he remained the only figure of his mysterious species. It’s true we had Yaddle since 1999 from The Phantom Menace, the younger female green look-alike of the old-time master, who sat alongside him on the Jedi Council. Nevertheless, she was mute. Silent script-wise, therefore no problem arose here. However, we now have a more prominent third member of the species. And prominent comes as a short word to define the massive popular impact that the little Baby Yoda had on his first appearance. He’s a fifty something year old baby/toddler-to-be who hasn’t passed his babbling phase, but when and if he manages to grow up (let’s be honest, the fandom and the world could not overcome it not being a when) he will have to start speaking with a proper grammar. Be that grammar whichever it is.

And that’s precisely the key of the matter: how will he be speaking? And not just how, but what really matters is the why. Whether he speaks with a grammatically correct English or the Yoda’s version of the language, two speakers establish a rule that demands a reason. Ok, it’s not an actual demand, but plenty of fans will wonder, the cohesiveness of Star Wars calls for it, and at the very least, it would be awkward not to have an explanation.

Maybe they have started thinking about it, maybe not. Maybe George Lucas had an answer in mind, maybe it doesn’t matter anymore. But a few things should be said from the point of view of linguistics, which after all it’s what this issue is about.

Some things have already been said about the oddities of Yoda’s speech pattern, and among linguists with far greater expertise on the issue than I do. But I’m not concerned here about the workings of his speech in itself. I’ll link in the end some articles about that for any curious mind who, guided by the Force, may be interested in deepening into that. What I’m interested in is in what it means if Grogu speaks in either way (assuming that there’s not going to be a third way, which shouldn’t be expected). So, if Grogu speaks in the same manner of Yoda, it could be argued that it’s obviously a mannerism of the species. If he speaks in ‘normal’ English, then it might be a peculiarity of Yoda’s own, so we will be curious as to why. Very little can be said if this is to be the case, for it remains purely (for the moment) in the field of creativity. So let’s go back to the first one and assume it is a species thing.

Then we have two possibilities. It could be a question of how their minds work, the internal grammar as a mental capacity, what prevents them from speaking any other way. This, as far as I know, seems quite complicated based on what we know of human language. And never mind they aren’t humans exactly, but in this sentient diverse galaxy most aliens speak in human languages, understood as linguistic systems. Plainly said, and as everyone knows, adopted children and migrants that acquire the language of the community of destiny at early stages do not develop any foreign accent. So, in my opinion, and if no other linguist challenges this assumption with an insight that I’m lacking, this option should be ruled out.

The most logically explainable version would be that the particularity of this speech pattern in speaking Basic is an affection caused by how the grammar of the native language of the species works. The different pattern is so ingrained in the speakers of this language that when switching to basic as a second language speaker, the grammatical structure is transferred. This is a fairly common phenomenon. Which makes the case for the most plausible explanation for it. And for the one I would vote, had I any say on it (you wished).

Lastly then, and assuming this last one to be the answer, we have the issue of how will Grogu actually speak. Because if he was young enough –and he certainly is now– when he started being exposed to Basic, he has little reason to inherit the trait even if he has also been exposed to their native language. And if he had none or little contact with the last one but only with Basic, he should definitely have no affection whatsoever. The solution for this is not linguistically clear, but depends on how Jon Favreau and Dave Filoni wish to depict his background. I only argue that it should be coherent and linguistically informed.

But, would the world be capable of accepting a baby Yoda not speaking in the curious cutesie way we associate these green wide-eared little fellas to? An answer to this question yet we do not have.