On Language 5/17: Yoda’s Grammar

YodaOut of this world Yoda’s syntax always has been
Chicago Tribune, May 17, 2005
By Nathan Bierma
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This week’s final installment of the “Star Wars” franchise is not only the end of a cinematic era. The completion of George Lucas’ second trilogy will be the last hurrah for one of the most grammatically eclectic film characters of all time: Yoda. ...

Yoda is a syntactical switch-hitter, alternating among object-initial sentences (“Rootleaf I cook”), subject-initial sentences (“A Jedi’s strength flows from the Force”), and sentence fragments (“No different! Only different in your mind.”)

Sometimes you will hear Yoda start a sentence with the kind of adjective that grammar textbooks call a subject complement, as in “Strong is Vader,” or he will separate helping verbs from main verbs, as in “Help you I can.”

Here’s Geoff Pullum‘s extended analysis of “Help you I can,” which is not for the grammatically faint of heart (much less a newspaper):

(Update: Pullum’s more formal follow-up is at LL. In another e-mail, he clarifies that in “I can help you,” “can” is actually the main verb and “help” is ‘“a nonfinite verb heading a catenative complement.” Got that?)

(Update 2: I commented on this article for Chicago Public Radio—see the 5th segment.)

Posted by Nathan Bierma on 05/17 at 09:32 AM

  1. Yeah, when I first saw Star Wars, I went around talking like Yoda.  I mean… talk like Yoda, I did.  I bought my kids a Yoda doll that talks and answers questions when you ask it.

    Maybe you could use it, too.  Peace.

    Posted by Joshua Gulick  on  03/22  at  09:09 PM

  2. Very much it was pleasant to me, I shall necessarily advise to esteem it all!! Thanks for a post.

    Posted by Arkashka  on  04/26  at  10:14 AM

  3. To much Yoda’s syntax - my child make me boring with it :)

    Posted by Photofan  on  05/07  at  04:11 AM

  4. Star Wars is my favorite film!!

    Posted by Alexandr  on  05/07  at  08:18 AM

  5. Yodish, the language of Yoda of Star Wars fame is quite similar to that of our standard English. The words he uses are the same as those we use. They are intended to be used for the same purpose or part of speech.

    Posted by Arizona Web Design  on  05/16  at  11:06 AM

  6. times, they are changing - once there was Yoda, and nowadays kids talk like the living dummy or the creature from the deep - refer to Goosebumps Horrorland series for more names. Kidtalk is ever changing.

    Posted by Amy Goosebumps  on  05/23  at  01:09 PM

  7. Great picture

    Posted by Playburg  on  06/19  at  04:49 PM

  8. Harry Potter is my favorite film :)

    Oyun

    Posted by Oyun  on  06/23  at  08:12 AM

  9. The movie i like. Star war i like.

    funny yoda is.

    Overall, i actually find yoda’s way of speaking really funny :D my mates and i always make fun of him and get a good laugh outta it :D

    Posted by Jason Cazee  on  08/11  at  10:23 AM

  10. Great post. Thanx!

    Posted by Tomcat  on  08/23  at  08:15 AM
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