A joyous day it is, yes, hmmm. Talk Like Yoda day it is! Begun it did in 2006 according to a Facebook page, and now we continue to celebrate.
Today also is the 31st anniversary of the theatrical release of The Empire Strikes Back, which is where Yoda made his cinematic debut. From the start, he was a popular character. Jim Henson, who recommended to George Lucas that he use Frank Oz as Yoda’s voice, wrote in his log at the time that “Yoda [is] a big hit.”
Upon first sight, the tiny green creature looks nothing like a great warrior. But his eyes (said to be based on Albert Einstein’s) reveal a depth of knowledge, and everything he says sounds wise. (Well, except for when he says “How you get so big eating food of this kind?) That’s not particularly meaningful.
Some may argue that Yoda’s voice is a little too similar to Grover’s of Sesame Street, but his words and facial expressions give him a personality all his own. Unique, Yoda is. Even the CGI version in the prequel Star Wars films did nothing to reduce his appeal (though we won’t discuss the goofy-looking puppet in The Phantom Menace; he has been replaced by CGI in the Blu-ray versions).
If you are unsure how to speak like Yoda and still want to participate in this special day, then head on over to The Yoda-Speak Generator. It does a great job of converting Basic to Yoda-speak. It translated “It is a period of civil war. Rebel spaceships, striking from a hidden base, have won their first victory against the evil Galactic Empire” to “Period of civil war, it is. Rebel spaceships, striking from a hidden base, their first victory against the evil galactic empire have won.” For additional authenticity, I personally recommend adding a “Yes, hmmm” every few sentences. Like that, Yoda would.
Yesterday, Star Wars author Dan Wallace (author of The Jedi Path: A Manual for Students of the Force, Star Wars Year by Year a Visual Chronicle, and many more) tweeted that he had been interviewed by the St. Petersburg Times to discuss this special Yoda day. You can find the article here, but Wallace cautions against overdoing the Yoda-speak, pointing out that “Will he finish what he begins?” is actually correct grammar.
I like to think that Yoda’s way of speaking, considering his advanced age, is similar to Chaucerian English. It seems rather foreign to us, perhaps a bit more formal, but it’s really just an indication of how language evolved over time. Yoda, therefore, uses an older form of the universe’s Basic. (But that’s just my theory).
Here’s to a very happy Talk Like Yoda Day!
With you may the force be. Yes, hmmm.