Editing Languages in Star Wars

{{Short description|Fictional languages and scripts}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=February 2018}}
{{DISPLAYTITLE:Languages in ''Star Wars''}}
{{Original research|date=October 2007}}

[[File:Star-Wars-aurek-besh-alphabet-chart.svg|thumb|320px|The Aurebesh alphabet is the primary [[constructed script]] seen throughout the franchise.]]
The ''[[Star Wars]]'' space opera universe, created by [[George Lucas]], features some dialogue spoken in [[fictional languages]]. The ''[[lingua franca]]'' of the franchise is known in-universe as Galactic Basic, which refers to the language of the film or work itself, be it English or a language that the work was dubbed or translated into.

Characters often speak languages other than Basic, notably Shyriiwook spoken by [[Chewbacca]] and other [[Wookiee]]s, droidspeak spoken by [[R2-D2]] and [[BB-8]], Ewokese spoken by [[Ewoks]], and Huttese spoken by [[Jabba the Hutt]]. None of these language names appear in the ''Star Wars'' films themselves.

The fictional languages were approached as [[sound design]] and developed largely by [[Ben Burtt]], sound designer for both the original and prequel trilogies of films. He created alien dialogue out of the sounds of primarily non-English languages, such as [[Quechuan languages|Quechua]], [[Haya language|Haya]], and [[Tibetic languages|Tibetan]]. This methodology was also used in ''[[Star Wars: The Force Awakens|The Force Awakens]]'' by [[Sara Forsberg]]. Lucas also insisted that written text throughout the films look as dissimilar from the [[English alphabet]] as possible, and [[Constructed script|constructed alphabets]] were developed.

Critics contend the languages constructed for the films compared unfavorably with the true [[constructed language]]s found in some other fictional works. The usage of heavily accented English for extraterrestrials characters was also criticized as contributing to the suggestion of racial stereotypes.

== Development ==
Language development was approached as [[sound design]] and was handled by [[Ben Burtt]], sound designer for both the original and prequel trilogies. He created the alien dialogue out of existing non-English language phrases and their sounds, such as [[Quechuan languages|Quechua]] for [[Greedo]] in the original ''[[Star Wars (film)|Star Wars]]'' film and [[Haya language|Haya]] for the character [[Nien Nunb]] in ''[[Return of the Jedi]]''.<ref name="WSJ">{{Cite news |url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/the-languages-of-star-wars-the-force-awakens-1452892741|title=The Languages of 'Star Wars: The Force Awakens'|last=Zimmer|first=Ben|author-link=Ben Zimmer|date=January 15, 2016 |work=[[The Wall Street Journal]] |department=Word on the Street|access-date=July 25, 2016|url-access=subscription}}</ref> He also used English, as in the original ''Star Wars'', where he synthesized originally English dialogue from a [[Western (genre)|Western]] film until it sounded alien.<ref name="BanthaTracks17">{{cite magazine |first=Ken |last=Rowand |publisher=Official Star Wars Fan Club |title= Interview: Ben Burtt |magazine= Bantha Tracks|issue=17|page= 2|date= August 1982}}</ref> Burtt said of the process: "It usually meant doing some research and finding an existing language or several languages which were exotic and interesting, something that our audience — 99 percent of them — would never understand."<ref name="MTV">{{cite web|last1=Katzoff|first1=Tami|title='Return Of The Jedi' Turns 30: Secrets Of Ewok Language Revealed!|url=http://www.mtv.com/news/1708006/star-wars-return-jedi-ewok-language-secrets/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140504233818/http://www.mtv.com/news/1708006/star-wars-return-jedi-ewok-language-secrets/|url-status=dead|archive-date=May 4, 2014|publisher=[[MTV]]|access-date=July 26, 2016|date=May 24, 2013}}</ref>

This methodology to create the sound of [[alien language]]s was carried into production of ''[[Star Wars: The Force Awakens|The Force Awakens]]''. Director [[J. J. Abrams]] asked [[Sara Forsberg]], who lacked a professional background in linguistics but created the [[viral video]] series "What Languages Sound Like to Foreigners" on [[YouTube]], to develop alien dialogue spoken by Indonesian actor [[Yayan Ruhian]].<ref name="WSJ" /> Forsberg was asked to listen to "Euro-Asian languages", and she drew from [[Gujarati language|Gujarati]], [[Hindi languages|Hindi]], and other Asian languages<ref name="Variety">{{cite magazine|url=https://variety.com/2015/film/news/star-wars-sara-maria-forsberg-language-1201663521/|title='Star Wars': YouTube Star Creates New Language For Aliens|last=Rizzo|first=Carita|date=December 16, 2015|magazine=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]|access-date=July 25, 2016}}</ref> as well as [[Indonesian language|Indonesian]] and [[Sundanese language|Sundanese]], Ruhian's [[First language|native language]].<ref name="WSJ" /> She also listened to languages she did not understand to better structure the words and sentences to sound believable.<ref name="Variety" />

During production of the prequel trilogy, Lucas insisted that written text throughout the films look as dissimilar from the [[English alphabet]] as possible and strongly opposed English-looking characters in screens and signage. In developing typefaces for use in [[Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones|''Episode II – Attack of the Clones'']], including Mandalorian and Geonosian scripts, graphic artist Philip Metschan created alphabets that did not have twenty-six letters like the English alphabet.<ref name="Metschan" />

== Galactic Basic {{anchor|Basic}} ==
Galactic Basic, often simply Basic, is ''the language of the work itself'' — in-universe, it is the [[lingua franca]] predominantly spoken by the inhabitants of the galaxy.<ref name="WSJ" /><ref name="TheNation"/><ref name="TechTimes" />

=== Accents ===
Lucas intended to balance [[American English|American accents]] and [[British English|British accents]] between the heroes and villains of the original film. He also strove to keep accents "very neutral", noting [[Alec Guinness]] and [[Peter Cushing]]'s [[Received Pronunciation |particular British accents]], which he perceived as "sort of mid-Atlantic neutral accents".<ref>{{cite magazine|last1=Scanlon|first1=Paul|title=George Lucas: The Wizard of Star Wars|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/movies/news/george-lucas-the-wizard-of-star-wars-19770825|magazine=[[Rolling Stone]]|date=August 25, 1977}}</ref> 
In critical commentary on [[Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace|''Episode I – The Phantom Menace'']], Patricia Williams of ''[[The Nation]]'' felt there was a correlation between accent and social class, noting that [[Jedi]] speak with "crisp British accents" while the "graceful conquered women of the [[Naboo]]" and "white slaves" such as [[Anakin Skywalker|Anakin]] and [[Shmi Skywalker]] "speak with the brusque, determined innocence of middle-class Americans".<ref name="TheNation">{{cite magazine|url=https://www.thenation.com/article/archive/racial-ventriloquism/|title=Racial Ventriloquism|last=Williams|first=Patricia J.|date=June 17, 1999|magazine=[[The Nation]]|access-date=July 26, 2016}}</ref>

To decide on the sound of [[Nute Gunray]], a [[Neimoidian]] character portrayed by [[Silas Carson]], Lucas and [[Rick McCallum]] listened to actors from different countries reading Carson's lines. Eventually, they chose a heavily [[Thai language|Thai]]-accented English, and Carson rerecorded the dialogue to mimic the Thai actor's accent.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.starwars.com/episode-ii/bts/profile/f20020530/indexp4.html |title=Silas Carson: Hero with a Thousand Faces |last=Chernoff |first=Scott |date=May 30, 2002 |publisher=[[Lucasfilm]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080103130737/http://www.starwars.com/episode-ii/bts/profile/f20020530/indexp4.html |archive-date=January 3, 2008 |access-date=July 26, 2016 |url-status=dead }}</ref> Gunray's accent was described by critics to be "Hollywood [[Orient]]al" that contributed to criticism of Gunray as an Asian stereotype.<ref name="TheNation" /><ref name="LATimes">{{cite news|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1999-may-26-ca-40965-story.html|title=A Galaxy Far, Far Off Racial Mark?|last=Harrison|first=Eric|date=May 26, 1999|newspaper=[[Los Angeles Times]]|access-date=July 26, 2016|url-access=subscription}}</ref><ref name="USNews">{{cite magazine|url=https://www.usnews.com/usnews/opinion/articles/990712/archive_001413.htm|title=Fu Manchu on Naboo|last=Leo|first=John|date=July 4, 1999|magazine=[[U.S. News & World Report]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081011082808/http://www.usnews.com/usnews/opinion/articles/990712/archive_001413.htm |archive-date=October 11, 2008|access-date=July 26, 2016}}</ref> [[Watto]]'s accent was similarly criticized as lending to [[Antisemitism|anti-Semitic]] and [[Anti-Arabism|anti-Arab]] connotations.<ref name="TheNation" /><ref name="USNews" />

=== Non-standard Basic ===
{{Quote box
| quote = "When gone am I, the last of the Jedi will you be."
| source = {{mdash}}an example of Yoda's unusual word order from ''[[Return of the Jedi]]''
}}[[Yoda]] characteristically speaks a non-standard [[syntax]] of Basic, primarily constructing sentences in [[object–subject–verb]] word order rare in natural languages. This sentence construction is cited as a "clever device for making him seem very alien" and characterizes his dialogue as "vaguely riddle-like, which adds to his mystique". This tendency is noted to be written for an English-speaking audience; the word order is retained in [[Estonian language|Estonian]] subtitles, where it is grammatical but unusual and emphatic, and Yoda's dialogue is in [[subject–object–verb]] word order in [[Czech language|Czech]] dubs.<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2015/12/hmmmmm/420798/|title=An Unusual Way of Speaking, Yoda Has|last=LaFrance|first=Adrienne|date=December 18, 2015|magazine=[[The Atlantic]]|access-date=August 1, 2016}}</ref>

[[Gungan]] characters, notably [[Jar Jar Binks]], speak in a heavily accented Basic [[dialect]] critics described as a "Caribbean-flavored [[pidgin]]",<ref name="LATimes" /> "a pidgin mush of [[West African languages|West African]], [[Caribbean English|Caribbean]] and [[African-American English|African-American linguistic styles]]",<ref name="TheNation" /> "very like [[Jamaican Patois|Jamaican patois]], albeit a notably reductive, even infantilized sort",<ref name=":0">{{Cite book|title=Encyclopedia of Fictional and Fantastic Languages|last1=Conley|first1=Tim|last2=Cain|first2=Stephen|publisher=[[Greenwood Publishing Group|Greenwood]]|year=2006|isbn=978-0313331886|pages=173–176}}</ref> and suggestive of stereotypical [[African-American culture]].<ref name="CNN">{{Cite web|url=http://edition.cnn.com/SHOWBIZ/Movies/9906/09/jar.jar/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20030225015424/http://edition.cnn.com/SHOWBIZ/Movies/9906/09/jar.jar/|url-status=dead|archive-date=February 25, 2003|title=Jar Jar jarring|last=Okwu|first=Michael|date=June 14, 1999|publisher=[[CNN]]|access-date=July 26, 2016}}</ref> This was cited as a trait that led to criticism of the Gungan species as a racially offensive stereotype or [[caricature]].<ref name="LATimes" /><ref name=":0" /><ref name="CNN" />

=== {{anchor|Aurekbesh}} Aurebesh ===
[[File:Tokyo Disneyland (Oct 2020) 13.jpg|thumb|Aurebesh signage at [[Star Tours – The Adventures Continue|Star Tours]], in [[Tokyo Disneyland]]]]
Aurebesh is an [[alphabet]] used to represent spoken Galactic Basic (i.e. English) and is the most commonly seen form of [[written language]] in the ''Star Wars'' franchise;<ref name="TechTimes">{{cite web|url=http://www.techtimes.com/articles/111268/20151127/google-translate-s-star-wars-easter-egg-adds-support-aurebesh.htm|title=Google Translate's 'Star Wars' Easter Egg Adds Support For Aurebesh|date=November 27, 2015|website=techtimes.com|last1=McKalin|first1=Vamien|access-date=July 26, 2016}}</ref><ref name="VentureBeat">{{cite news|url=https://venturebeat.com/2015/11/25/googles-latest-star-wars-easter-egg-is-aurebesh-support-in-google-translate/|title=Google's latest Star Wars easter egg is Aurebesh support in Google Translate|date=November 25, 2015|work=[[VentureBeat]]|access-date=July 28, 2016|last1=Novet|first1=Jordan}}</ref> its letters correspond to each English letter, plus certain English [[digraph (orthography)|digraph]]s.<ref name="EchoStation"/>

The alphabet was based on shapes designed by [[Joe Johnston]] for the original trilogy, which are briefly featured in screen displays in ''Return of the Jedi''. Johnston's design, called ''Star Wars 76'', was used to create a [[font]] and again used in ''Attack of the Clones'' by Metschan, who incorporated the font alongside the later Aurebesh version used in the spin-off products.<ref name="Metschan" />

In the early 1990s, Stephen Crane, art director at [[West End Games]], became intrigued with the shapes as they appeared on the [[Death Star]]. He sought to develop them into an alphabet to be used in West End Games' licensed ''Star Wars'' products, primarily to allow players to render their characters' names, and received permission from [[Lucasfilm]] to do so as long as it was  presented as one of many alphabets in the ''Star Wars'' galaxy, not the sole and exclusive alphabet. After copying the letters from screenshots by hand, he standardized the letters based on shapes similar to the [[Eurostile]] font. He named and assigned a value to each letter, and derived the name "Aurebesh" from the names of the first two letters: aurek and besh. Once Crane completed the alphabet, Lucasfilm requested a copy to distribute to other licensees.<ref name="EchoStation">{{Cite web|url=http://www.echostation.com/features/aurebesh.htm|title=Aurebesh Soup|last=Crane|first=Stephen|date=October 21, 2000|website=echostation.com|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110429204741/http://www.echostation.com/features/aurebesh.htm|archive-date=April 29, 2011|url-status=usurped|access-date=August 13, 2016}}</ref>

In anticipation of the December 2015 release of ''The Force Awakens'', [[Google Translate]] added a feature to render text into Aurebesh in November 2015, which was subsequently removed in February 2016.<ref name="TechTimes" /><ref name="VentureBeat" />

==Other languages==
===Dathomiri===
Archaic speech samples are found in ''[[Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008 TV series)|The Clone Wars]]'' season 3. [[Mother Talzin]], a Witch of Dathomir associated with the [[Nightsisters]], is found speaking Dathomiri while possessing Darth Maul on Dathomir.

In April 1994, the then unidentified language first appeared in Dave Wolverton's ''[[The Courtship of Princess Leia]]'', when the young Teneniel Djo unleashes a Spell of Storm on Luke Skywalker and Prince Isolder of Hapes. Through [[retroactive continuity]], ''[[Ewoks: The Battle for Endor]]'' (a 1985 made-for-TV film) was the language's first real appearance. In this story, Charal – a witch later retconned as a Nightsister – was seen incanting spells over a crystal oscillator.

===Binary===
Binary is a language consisting of beeps and other synthesized sounds used by some [[droid (Star Wars)|droid]] characters, such as [[R2-D2]], [[BB-9E]] and [[BB-8]].<ref name="WSJ" /> Burtt created R2-D2's dialogue in the original ''Star War''s with an [[ARP 2600]] [[analog synthesizer]] and by processing his own vocalizations via other effects.<ref>{{cite AV media|people=[[Ben Burtt]]|title=Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope [[audio commentary]]|medium=DVD}}</ref> In ''The Force Awakens'', BB-8's dialogue was created by manipulating the voices of [[Bill Hader]] and [[Ben Schwartz]] with a [[Talk box|talkbox]] running through a sound effects application on an [[iPad]].<ref>{{cite news|url=https://uproxx.com/hitfix/wait-a-minute-who-played-the-voice-of-bb-8-in-star-wars-the-force-awakens/|title=Wait a minute... who played the voice of BB-8 in ''Star Wars: The Force Awakens''?|work=[[HitFix]]|first=Drew|last=McWeeny|date=December 15, 2015|access-date=July 26, 2016}}</ref> Although binary is unintelligible to the viewing audience, many characters in the Star Wars films are able to understand it, most notably [[Luke Skywalker]].

===Ewokese===
The [[Ewok]]s of the forest moon of [[Endor (Star Wars)|Endor]] speak a "primitive dialect" of one of the more than six million other forms of communication that [[C-3PO]] is familiar with.  Ben Burtt, ''[[Return of the Jedi]]''{{'}}s sound designer, created the Ewok language, or [[Ewokese]].

On ''Return of the Jedi'' DVD commentary track, Burtt identified the language that he heard in the BBC documentary as [[Kalmyk Oirat]], a tongue spoken by the isolated nomadic [[Kalmyks]]. He describes how, after some research, he identified an 80-year-old Kalmyk [[refugee]]. He recorded her telling folk stories in her native language, and then used the recordings as a basis for sounds that became the Ewok language and were performed by voice actors who imitated the old woman's voice in different styles. For the scene in which C-3PO speaks Ewokese, actor [[Anthony Daniels]] worked with Burtt and invented words, based on the Kalmyk recordings.<ref>Ben Burtt, DVD commentary on ''The Return of the Jedi''.</ref> In a previous scene as C-3PO levitates, the Ewoks also spoke words (such as "look", "this", and "beautiful") of [[Tagalog language|Tagalog]].

Marcia Calkovsky of the [[University of Lethbridge]] holds that Tibetan language contributed to Ewok speech along with Kalmyk, starting the story from attempts to use language samples of Native Americans and later turning to nine Tibetan women living in the San Francisco area, as well as one Kalmyk woman.<ref>{{cite book|author=Canadian Anthropology Society|title=Culture|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=rUMWR1U7EVEC&pg=PA59|year=1991|publisher=Canadian Anthropology Society|page=59}}</ref> The story behind these languages' choices is referenced in Burtt's 1989 telephone interview, and many of the used Tibetan phrases translated. The initial prayer Ewoks address to C-3PO is the beginning of a Tibetan Buddhist prayer for the benefit of all sentient beings and/or [[brahmavihara|''brahmavihāra''s (or ''apramāṇa''s)]]. There is also the second quarter of a [[refuge (Buddhism)|refuge prayer]]. People of the [[Tibetan diaspora]] were puzzled, as many phrases they understood did not correlate to events on screen.

=== Ghor ===
Ghor is the language of [[List of Star Wars planets and moons#Ghorman|Ghorman]], featured in the second season of ''[[Andor (TV series)|Andor]]''. A specific language for Ghorman was created to emphasize its sense of community, insularity, pride, and desire to maintain control over itself. Because French actors were cast for Ghorman character, the language was developed by Marina Tyndall based on French and [[French phonology]]. Marion Deprez, a French dialogue coach, also contributed to its development. There are two writing systems: Ghorelle (High Ghor) and Dixian (Low Ghor), named after graphic designers Elle McKee and Lauren Dix, respectively.<ref name="GhorTrivia">{{Cite web |title=Secrets from the Set of Andor Season 2: Episodes 4, 5 & 6 |url=https://www.starwars.com/news/andor-trivia-guide-week-2 |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20250430075337/https://www.starwars.com/news/andor-trivia-guide-week-2 |archive-date=2025-04-30 |access-date=2025-04-30 |website=StarWars.com |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2025-04-21 |title=« “Andor” est un hommage à la Résistance française » |url=https://www.lepoint.fr/pop-culture/andor-est-un-hommage-a-la-resistance-francaise-21-04-2025-2587844_2920.php |access-date=2025-04-30 |website=Le Point |language=fr}}</ref>

===Rodian===
In the original ''Star Wars'' film, [[Greedo]] speaks an unspecified alien language understood by [[Han Solo]]; it was later identified as Rodian.<ref>{{cite journal|last=Peterson|first=Mark Allen|date=May 2008|title=Linguistic Moments in the Movies|url=http://linguisticanthropology.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/May-2007.-Volume-48.-Issue-5.-Linguistic-Moments-in-the-Movies-Mark-Allen-Peterson-p.-67.pdf|journal=Anthropology News|publisher=Society for Linguistic Anthropology|volume=49|issue=5|pages=67|access-date=July 26, 2016|doi=10.1525/an.2008.49.5.67.1}}</ref> Bruce Mannheim described Greedo as speaking [[Southern Quechua]] in "morphologically well-formed" phrases with sentences ultimately meaningless. Allen Sonnefrank, a Quechua speaker and [[linguistic anthropology]] student at [[University of California, Berkeley]], claimed [[Lucasfilm]] contacted him to record Quechua dialogue for the film. He was told the dialogue was to be played backward for the film. Sonnefrank refused to record the dialogue, feeling it to be a "potentially exploitative move best made by one whose first language was Quechua, if at all".<ref name="LinguistsInHollywood"/>

===Huttese===
[[File:Jabba's alphabet.jpg|thumb|"Jabba's alphabet" from a ''Star Wars''-themed [[Pizza Hut]] box]]
A language based on the [[Quechuan languages]],<ref>{{cite book|last=Segreda|first=Ricardo|title=V!VA Travel Guides: Peru|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=O3eK1nVLHgMC&pg=PA26|year=2009|publisher=Viva Publishing Network|isbn=978-0-9791264-3-7|page=26}}</ref> [[Hutt (Star Wars)#Huttese language|Huttese]] is a [[lingua franca]] in the ''Star Wars'' universe. It is spoken by many groups and species, on [[Nal Hutta]], [[Nar Shaddaa]], [[Tatooine]] and other worlds in and around Hutt Space, the region of the galaxy under the Hutts' sphere of influence. In the ''[[Star Wars expanded universe|Star Wars Legends]]'' continuity, the area covers former Hutt Empire dominions.

It is spoken in the films by both non-humans ([[Jabba the Hutt]], [[Watto]], [[List of Star Wars characters#Dugs|Sebulba]] and others) and humans. Notably [[Max Rebo Band|The Max Rebo Band]] communicate and sing in Huttese. Many Huttese alphabets are featured through the franchise, most notably the Boonta alphabet and Nal Huttese. The one considered "canonical" by fans is one found on promotional [[Pizza Hut]] [[pizza]] boxes.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.completewermosguide.com/huttese.html|title = The Complete Wermo's Guide to Huttese (And other Star Wars languages)}}</ref><ref>{{Wookieepedia|Unidentified Tatooinian alphabet}}</ref>

===Jawaese and Jawa trade language===
The [[List of Star Wars races (F-J)#Jawa|Jawas]], also found on Tatooine, speak in a high-pitched, squeaky voice. To speak to others of their species, along with speech, they emit a smell showing their emotions.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.starwars.com/news/much-to-learn-you-still-have-7-things-you-might-not-know-about-jawas|title = Much to Learn You Still Have: 7 Things You Might Not Know About Jawas|date = December 20, 2016}}</ref> When trading droids and dealing with non-Jawas, they speak without the smell because many consider the smell "foul". A famous exclamation in Jawaese is "Utinni!", as screamed by a Jawa to the others in ''[[Star Wars (film)|A New Hope]]'', shortly after blasting R2-D2.

===Kenari language===
The Kenari language spoken in the third episode of ''[[Andor (TV series)|Andor]]'' is a blend of Portuguese, Spanish, and [[Hungarian language|Hungarian (Magyar)]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.starwars.com/andor-s1-e3-trivia-gallery?image_id=5e91eff8217a9ebd6b4f2a72|title="Reckoning" Trivia Gallery <nowiki>|</nowiki> Andor|website=StarWars.com|publisher=[[Lucasfilm]]|accessdate=February 20, 2023}}</ref>

===Mando'a {{anchor|Mandalorian}}===
[[File:Mandalorian alphabet, updated.svg|thumb|The Mandalorian script was created for displays in ''[[Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones|Attack of the Clones]]''.|alt=The letters and numerals of the Mandalorian alphabet]]
A written form of the [[Mandalorian]] language was developed by Metschan for the display screens of [[Jango Fett]]'s ship ''[[Slave I]]'' in ''Attack of the Clones'',<ref name="Metschan">{{Cite web|title=Holographic Artist: Philip Metschan|url=https://www.starwars.com/episode-ii/feature/20020716/indexp2.html|date=July 16, 2002|publisher=[[Lucasfilm]]|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20041022093034/http://www.starwars.com/episode-ii/feature/20020716/indexp2.html|archive-date=October 22, 2004|access-date=April 23, 2016}}</ref> and it was later reused in ''[[Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008 TV series)|The Clone Wars]]'' and ''[[Star Wars Rebels|Rebels]]''.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.starwars.com/tv-shows/clone-wars/the-academy-trivia-gallery?dlid=5679951a3049898d25023c45|title=The Academy Trivia Gallery|website=StarWars.com|publisher=[[Lucasfilm]]|access-date=January 29, 2016}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.starwars.com/tv-shows/star-wars-rebels/visions-and-voices-trivia-gallery?dlid=584ef7f1f6895b163aec963fa|title=Visions and Voices Trivia Gallery|website=StarWars.com|publisher=[[Lucasfilm]]|access-date=November 18, 2017}}</ref> Composer Jesse Harlin, needing lyrics for the choral work he wanted for the 2005 ''[[Star Wars: Republic Commando|Republic Commando]]'' video game, invented a spoken form, intending it to be an ancient language. It was named ''Mando'a'' and extensively expanded by [[Karen Traviss]], author of the ''[[Star Wars Republic Commando (series)|Republic Commando]]'' [[Star Wars Republic Commando (series)|novel series]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.musiconfilm.net/get_feature.php?id=6|title=Commando Composer: An Interview with Jesse Harlin|last=Bielawa|first=Justin|date=March 8, 2006|website=musiconfilm.net|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100108152622/http://www.musiconfilm.net/get_feature.php?id=6|archive-date=January 8, 2010|access-date=July 13, 2016}}</ref>

Mando'a is identified as a primarily spoken, [[agglutinative language]] lacking [[grammatical gender]] in nouns and pronouns.<ref name="SWITraviss">{{cite magazine|last=Traviss|first=Karen|date=February 2006|title=No Word for Hero: The Mandalorian Language|magazine=[[Star Wars Insider]]|publisher=[[IDG Entertainment]]|issue=86|pages=25–26|author-link=Karen Traviss}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|title=Star Wars Republic Commando: True Colors|last=Traviss|first=Karen|date=October 30, 2007|publisher=[[Del Rey Books]]|isbn=978-0-345-49800-7|pages=356|quote=It was the same word for "mother" or "father". ''Mando'a'' didn't bother with gender.|author-link=Karen Traviss}}</ref> The language is also identified as lacking a [[passive voice]], primarily speaking in an [[active voice]]. It is often vague and described as having three [[grammatical tense]]s ([[present tense|present]], [[past tense|past]], and [[future tense|future]]). Its speakers typically do not use the tenses other than the present.<ref name="SWITraviss"/><ref>{{Cite book|title=Star Wars Republic Commando: Triple Zero|last=Traviss|first=Karen|date=February 28, 2006|publisher=[[Del Rey Books]]|isbn=978-0-345-49009-4|pages=341|quote=I thought you ''Mando'ade'' lived only for the day. You even have trouble using anything but the present tense.|author-link=Karen Traviss}}</ref> The language is described as having a [[Mutual intelligibility|mutually intelligible]] dialect called "Concordian" spoken on the planet [[Concord Dawn (Star Wars)|Concord Dawn]], as stated in Traviss's novels ''Order 66'' and ''501st'',<ref>{{cite book|title=Star Wars Republic Commando: Order 66|date=May 19, 2009|publisher=[[Del Rey Books]]|isbn=978-0-345-51385-4|edition=Reprint|page=327|quote=It wasn't ''Mando'a'', but it was close enough for any Mandalorian to understand.|author-link=Karen Traviss|last1=Traviss|first1=Karen}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|title=Star Wars Imperial Commando: 501st|date=October 27, 2009|publisher=[[Del Rey Books]]|isbn=978-0-345-51113-3|page=[https://archive.org/details/starwars501st00kare/page/105 105]|quote=In Concordian, the Concord Dawn dialect of ''Mando'a'', the phrase—brother, sister—sounded very similar.|author-link=Karen Traviss|last1=Traviss|first1=Karen|url-access=registration|url=https://archive.org/details/starwars501st00kare/page/105}}</ref> and a dialect spoken on Mandalore's moon Concordia is heard in "The Mandalore Plot", a season two episode of ''The Clone Wars''.<ref>{{Cite episode|title=The Mandalore Plot|series=Star Wars: The Clone Wars|series-link=Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008 TV series)|first=Melinda|last=Hsu|author-link=Melinda Hsu|date=January 29, 2010|season=2|number=12|time=7:57|quote=He was speaking in the dialect they use on Concordia, our moon.}}</ref>

===Sith===
The Sith language, intended to be spoken by [[Sith]] characters, was created by Ben Grossblatt for the ''Book of Sith'', published in February 2012. Language development and a writing system began in November 2010. Grossblatt sought to create a pronounceable language that was not "cartoonish" and "would conform to the patterns of principles of {{Sic|[human]}} language". He felt that it needed to "feel martial and mystical" and be a "suitable, aesthetically-pleasing vehicle for communication". He intended the language's sound as "tough—but not barbarous" and as "convey[ing] a kind of confident, elegant cruelty". To achieve "formal, quasi-military" and "imposing, undeniable" qualities, he preferred [[closed syllable]]s, creating brisk and choppy words. The language is constructed as [[Agglutinative language|agglutinative]].<ref name="SWITraviss2">{{cite magazine|last=Grossblatt|first=Ben|date=June 2012|title=Speak Like a Sith|magazine=[[Star Wars Insider]]|publisher=[[Titan Magazines]]|issue=134|pages=40–43}}</ref>

===Shyriiwook {{anchor|Wookieespeak}}===
Shyriiwook, also known as Wookieespeak,<ref name="MTV" /> is a language consisting largely of roars and growls spoken by the [[Wookiee]] species, notably [[Chewbacca]]. Non-Wookiee characters are capable of understanding Shyriiwook, such as Chewbacca's friend [[Han Solo]].<ref name="LinguistsInHollywood"/> Chewbacca's dialogue was created from [[walrus]], [[camel]], [[bear]], and [[badger]] recordings from Burtt's personal sound library. One of the most prominent elements was an [[American black bear]] living in [[Happy Hollow Park & Zoo]], [[San Jose, California]]. The sounds were [[audio mixing|mixed]] in different ratios to create different roars.<ref>{{cite web|title=Star Wars: Databank <nowiki>|</nowiki> Chewbacca|url=https://www.starwars.com/databank/character/chewbacca/?id=bts|access-date=July 26, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061201002846/http://www.starwars.com/databank/character/chewbacca/?id=bts|archive-date=December 1, 2006}}</ref>

===Tusken Raiders===

[[Tatooine]]'s [[Tusken Raiders]] use a language difficult for non-Tuskens to understand, although [[The Mandalorian (character)|the Mandalorian]] in ''[[The Mandalorian]]'' was able to understand and respond in their sign language. According to the ''[[Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic|Knights of the Old Republic]]'' video game, they speak a language of their own. In the game, a droid named [[HK-47]] assists the player in communicating with the Tusken Raiders. They commonly utter roars and battle cries when seen in public.

The script for ''The Mandalorian'' episode "[[Chapter 5: The Gunslinger]]" stated that the Mandalorian and a Tusken Raider communicate using a sign language, and a hearing member of the crew who knew sign language encouraged the production to look for a deaf person to consult on the sign language and play the Tusken Raider. [[Troy Kotsur]] was cast in the role, and he developed the Tusken Sign Language based on the environment and culture of the Tusken Raiders rather than using [[American Sign Language]].<ref name="KosturMoth">{{cite web |last1=Dunn |first1=Renca |title=Deaf actor Troy Kotsur in Star Wars: The Mandalorian |url=https://www.dailymoth.com/blog/deaf-actor-troy-kostur-in-star-wars-the-mandalorian |website=The Daily Moth |access-date=January 10, 2022 |date=January 2, 2020}}</ref> The hand shapes used for the language were kept simple. For example, the [[sign name]] for the Mandalorian is a flat handshape based on the letter M to outline the gaps in a Mandalorian helmet and the sign name for [[Grogu]] is one's hands on either side of the head to indicate big ears.<ref name="KosturMoth"/><ref>{{cite web |last1=Del Barco |first1=Mandalit |title=How Troy Kotsur of 'CODA' broke barriers as a deaf actor, on stage and on screen |url=https://www.npr.org/2021/08/08/1025124051/troy-kotsur-coda-deaf-actor-mandalorian-criminal-minds |publisher=[[NPR]] |access-date=January 10, 2022 |language=en |date=August 8, 2021}}</ref> The Tusken Raiders also converse in Tusken Sign Language in ''[[The Book of Boba Fett]]''.<ref>{{Cite episode |title= Chapter 2: The Tribes of Tatooine|series=[[The Book of Boba Fett]]|network=[[Disney+]]|season= 1|number= 2|time= }}</ref>

===Ubese===
Ubese is a language heard in a ''Return of the Jedi'' scene where a disguised [[Princess Leia]] bargains with Jabba the Hutt through C-3PO as a translator. Leia repeats the same Ubese phrase three times, translated differently in subtitles and by C-3PO each time. [[David J. Peterson]], a constructed language creator, cited his attempt as a young fan to reconcile this apparent impossibility as an example of how even casual fans may notice errors in fictional constructed languages.{{Sfn|Peterson|2015|p=3-6}} He identified Ubese as a "sketch" of a language rather than a fully developed language and categorized it as a "fake language" intended to "give the impression of a real language in some context without actually being a real language".{{Sfn|Peterson|2015|p=19}} Ultimately, he was critical of Ubese as "poorly constructed and not worthy of serious consideration".{{Sfn|Peterson|2015|pp=6}}

== Critical commentary ==
[[Ben Zimmer]] labeled the method of language construction in ''Star Wars'' "a far cry" from that of constructed languages like [[Klingon language|Klingon]], [[Na'vi language|Na'vi]], and [[Dothraki language|Dothraki]],<ref name="WSJ" /> and he described the use of language as "never amount[ing] to more than a sonic [[pastiche]]".<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/06/magazine/06FOB-onlanguage-t.html|title=Skxawng!|last=Zimmer|first=Ben|author-link=Ben Zimmer|date=December 4, 2009|work=[[The New York Times]] |department=On Language |access-date=July 26, 2016 |url-access=subscription}}</ref>

[[Linguistic anthropology|Linguistic anthropologist]] Jim Wilce summarized analyses of language in ''Star Wars'' conducted through the Society for Linguistic Anthropology's [[electronic mailing list]]. David Samuels described the approach to language as instrumental and compared the films to a [[SIL International|Summer Institute of Linguistics]] convention, in which "there are no untranslatable phrases, and everyone can understand everyone else", and pointed out that the "idea that the Force is something that would be understood differently in the context of different grammars is never broached". Hal Schiffmann made five observations about language in ''Star Wars'': all humans speak English and no other real-world language, there is "mutual [[passive bilingual]]ism" in which characters speaking different languages understand one another, non-human creatures may have their own languages but are translated by C-3PO, certain non-English vocalizations serve to confuse or amuse the audience rather than serve as language, even non-English speaking characters are expected to understand English. Zimmer supported Schiffmann's claim that untranslated alien languages are not representations of real languages by pointing to the film's script, which describes the language of the Jawas as "a queer, unintelligible language" and that of the Tusken Raiders as "a coarse, barbaric language". Wilce also pointed out discussion on the usage of real non-English to create the "[[Other (philosophy)|Otherness]]" of characters such as Jabba the Hutt, Greedo, and the Ewoks.<ref name="LinguistsInHollywood">{{cite journal |last=Wilce |first=Jim |date= October 1999|title= Linguists in Hollywood |journal= Anthropology News |publisher= Society for Linguistic Anthropology |volume=40
 |issue=7 |pages=9–10 |doi=10.1111/an.1999.40.7.9}}</ref>

== See also ==
*[[Alien language in science fiction]]

== References ==
=== Citations ===
{{reflist}}

=== Bibliography ===
{{Refbegin}}
*{{Cite book|title=The Art of Language Invention|last=Peterson|first=David J.|author-link=David J. Peterson|publisher=[[Penguin Books]]|year=2015|isbn=978-0-14-312646-1}}
{{Refend}}

==Further reading==
* Ben Burtt, ''Star Wars: Galactic Phrase Book & Travel Guide'', {{ISBN|0-345-44074-9}}.
* [[Stephen Cain (poet)|Stephen Cain]], Tim Conley, and Ursula K. Le Guin, ''Star Wars'', ''Encyclopedia of Fictional and Fantastic Languages'' (Greenwood Publishing Group, 2006), 173-[https://books.google.com/books?id=cQhke8K9G60C&pg=PA176 176].

== External links ==
* {{Wookieepedia|Language}}

{{Star Wars universe|state=collapsed}}

[[Category:Star Wars concepts|Languages]]
[[Category:Fictional alien languages]]