History Main / IntelligibleUnintelligible

* ''WesternAnimation/{{Brave}}'' has Wee [=MacGuffin=], who speaks in an unintelligible manner, but his father appears to have no problem understanding him. (As can anyone in the audience familiar with the thicker of the Scottish accents.)[[note]]Creator/KevinMcKidd was actually directed to speak in gibberish as Young [=MacGuffin=], but he convinced the directors to let him speak in his native Doric dialect, which is sufficiently unintelligible to most Anglophone viewers.[[/note]] The most intelligible he gets for most audiences is "I just don't think it's fair that..."

* Leatherface from ''Film/TexasChainSawMassacre'' communicates with his family through high-pitched gibberish, barnyard animal noises, and hand gestures. At one point the subtitles read [Leatherface explaining].

* Subverted on ''Series/TheMuppetShow'', when Beaker says something to Miss Piggy and she snaps, "Beaker, I told you never to talk to me like that!" After he leaves, she turns to the camera and adds, "Because I can't understand it." Similarly, there's a scene where the Swedish Chef is complaining to Kermit, and Kermit keeps going, "I understand." Once the Chef leaves, Kermit gives an AsideGlance and comments, "I don't understand." However, [[RuleOfFunny when it's funnier]] for them to be understandable, Beaker and the Chef sometimes play this straight.
** Also played with in the case of the Swedish Chef who is himself TheUnintelligible, but has been shown to have a perfect understanding of Beaker and in instance, some other FunnyForeigner Muppets.
* ''Series/SesameStreet'' has the Honkers and the Dingers, who communicate by pressing their noses and their head appendages, respectively. Their fellow Muppets can understand them ([[FridgeLogic somehow]]), so the humans (who can't) ask them for translations.
* In episode 9x05 of ''Series/MysteryScienceTheater3000'', ''The Deadly Bees'', Mike Nelson temporarily dresses as a bee and proceeds to communicate with Tom Servo and Crow in bee language (which involves lots of wiggling around but no actual spoken dialogue). Crow is confused, but Servo understands perfectly.

* This is the primary schtick of the Swedish Chef on ''Series/TheMuppetShow'', where almost nobody in the Muppet Theater's cast can understand him, but he still holds conversations at various points with a reporter, special guest star ''Creator/JeanStapleton'', and at one point an entire international cast of Mupppets who respond approvingly to his joke about what sounds like "linoleum".

* ''WesternAnimation/{{Brave}}'' has Wee [=MacGuffin=], who speaks in an unintelligible manner, but his father appears to have no problem understanding him. (As can anyone in the audience familiar with the thicker of the Scottish accents.)[[note]]Creator/KevinMcKidd was actually directed to speak in gibberish as Young [=MacGuffin=], but he convinced the directors to let him speak in his native Doric dialect, which is sufficiently unintelligible to most Anglophone viewers.[[/note]]

* The Twins from ''WesternAnimation/MenInBlack: The Series''. Everybody besides J seems to have no trouble understanding them.

[[quoteright:323:[[Webcomic/ItsWalky https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/grunt_5.png]] ]]

* H.E.L.P.eR. from ''WesternAnimation/TheVentureBrothers'' The characters who understand him have spent a large amount of time with him.

* Kenny from ''WesternAnimation/SouthPark'' drifts in and out of this trope; it's a rare character on the show that can't understand him, but that's partly because most of his lines are perfectly normal English just spoken quickly and muffled. Even the audience can pick up what he's saying sometimes... and that explains ''why'' he's usually muffled, because [[SirSwearsALot his lines would have to be bleeped out otherwise]].

--> '''Pyro:''' Mhhf hm mhhpfhh mhhh !
--> '''Engineer:''' Alrighty then ! Erectin' a dispenser.
* King/Armor King in ''VideoGame/{{Tekken}}'' only speaks in jaguar growls, but everyone can understand what they're saying just fine. This also extends to Kuma (Bear)/Panda, Roger (Kangaroo), Alex ([[RaptorAttack Velociraptor]]), Mokujin (A wooden object brought to life), and Ogre (a 'fighting god' who growls and spews a really, really ancient language).

* Ash Ketchum has a knack for deciphering his Pikachu's dialog in the ''Anime/{{Pokemon}}'' anime, even though Pikachu can only say his own name.

* Varrick from ''WesternAnimation/TheLegendOfKorra ''’s {{Catchphrase}} is to tell Zhu Li, his GirlFriday, “Zhu Li, do the thing!” and Zhu Li always knows exactly what “the thing” is.

* In ''Manga/SoulEater'', Enrique can only communicate by saying 'gau'. However, his accomplice has no trouble understanding him... In fact, the first thing he does in his big reveal is [[http://xreader.net/Soul-Eater/60/22 say a dirty joke that neither the reader nor the other characters understand.]]

* In the ''WesternAnimation/{{Shrek}}'' movies, Dragon can only speak in facial expressions and roars. Donkey seems to understand what each roar means, however.

** Judd (as well as his clone Li'l Judd, introduced in ''VideoGame/Splatoon2'') only communicate via meows whenever talking to the player, but everyone seemingly has no problem understanding what they're saying regardless. WordOfGod says that the cats are telepathic.

* In the ''VideoGame/FalloutNewVegas'' expansion Old World Blues, Dr. 8 talks in a string of computer code. With a high enough Science skill, the player character can understand him. The player still can't, though, you can only guess by looking at the different responses provided to you.
** This applies to many other robot characters in the ''VideoGame/{{Fallout}}'' series, such as ED-E, and also the few animals that can be talked to during the series, such as companions Dogmeat and Rex.

* Honda Tadakatsu in ''VideoGame/SengokuBasara'', despite only making mechanical noises, seems to have no problems when it comes to communication since other characters are able to hold conversations with him.
** Most of the time, these "conversations" consist completely of other characters monologuing. Ieyasu, however, clearly understands what Tadakatsu wants to say to him on some occasions.

** Darth Nihilus from ''VideoGame/KnightsOfTheOldRepublicIITheSithLords'' speaks in bizarre language that is possibly generated telepathically. None of the major characters have any trouble understanding it (including the PlayerCharacter), but the player is left clueless, as his dialog is not subtitled, in contrast to all the other characters' lines, which are (even when they're speaking perfectly clear English).
*** It's possible that he's speaking the ancient Sith language, which, since it's not subtitled, may be the Star Wars universe's version of BlackSpeech.

* ''VideoGame/FateGrandOrder'':
** Fou generally only [[PokemonSpeak says his own name]], or exclamations like "Kyuu!" Despite this, Mash Kyrielight seems able to understand what he's saying most of the time. [[spoiler:It later turns out that Fou is ObfuscatingStupidity and is capable of human speech.]]
** Frankenstein's Monster (Fran) only speaks in grunts, but Mash again seems to usually be able to get what Fran's trying to say. Fran actually can speak, but it takes a lot of effort for her, so she usually doesn't bother.
** Several Berserkers will only communicate in roars and growls, their Madness Enhancement having robbed them of their speech faculties. The game implies that the player character is able to understand them most of the time, which is part of what makes the player character such an excellent Master, to be able to connect with such insane Heroic Spirits.
* ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaMajorasMask''. The mountain smithy in Snowhead is a team consisisting of a small man named Zubora and a hulking creature named Gabora. While Gabora only speaks in strange growls, Zubora understands him just fine.
* Subverted in ''VideoGame/BladeStrangers''. In his story mode, when the motes summon [[VideoGame/TheBindingOfIsaac Isaac]], all he ever says is "Wahhhh!!" The motes assume he must be talking, but they are unable to understand him. Then they try to link to his thoughts and all they get is... "Wahhhh!!". Turns out he's just crying.
* The {{Pyro|Maniac}} class from ''VideoGame/TeamFortress2'' wears a gas mask and speaks in an unintelligible muffled voice. But with enough hours invested in the game, most players can recognize individual muffles and what the pyro is trying to say, even without looking at the chat for voice commands prompts.
--> '''Pyro:''' Mhhf hm mhhpfhh mhhh !
--> '''Engineer:''' Alrighty then ! Erectin' a dispenser.
* ''Franchise/{{Splatoon}}'':
** Judd (as well as his clone Li'l Judd, introduced in ''VideoGame/Splatoon2'') only communicate via meows whenever talking to the player, but everyone seemingly has no problem understanding what they're saying regardless. WordOfGod says that the cats are telepathic.
** Big Man in ''VideoGame/Splatoon3'', a manta ray, gets no such explanation. Everyone is simply able to parse his constant exclamations of "Ay!" as full, coherent sentences with no issue.
* Papa Hodunk's speech in ''VideoGame/Borderlands2'', despite vaguely sounding like something that resembles Deep South English, is unintelligible; [[EvenTheSubtitlerIsStumped even the in-game subtitles render his lines as "(Unintelligible)"]]. His son Tector, however, is always there to translate for you.
* ''VisualNovel/MarcoAndTheGalaxyDragon'': Emergency Rations communicates exclusively through oinks. Marco and Arco have no trouble understanding it despite this.
-->'''Marco:''' How long before we arrive?
-->'''Emergency Rations:''' ''(piloting the ship)'' Oink, oink.
-->'''Marco:''' I see. Sooner than I thought.
* In ''VideoGame/{{Overcooked}},'' Kevin the dog can only say "BARK." (And occasionally "BARK BARK" for emphasis.) However, the Onion King understands him perfectly, and while he never exactly "translates" for Kevin, he does make what Kevin says clear to the chefs.
* Exaggerated in ''VideoGame/RuneFactory5'' with Fuuka. She only speaks wereanimal language that sounds like barks, growls, and howls, and at first, the protagonist is shocked when they see others holding a conversation with her. However, the protagonist is then told to "just listen to her," at which point they suddenly understand everything Fuuka says. It turns out that everyone is capable of understanding Fuuka just fine without speaking a word of her language, and vice versa. This is represented in game by Fuuka's textboxes first having her speech in wereanimal, then by having its parenthetical translation beneath it.

* ''WesternAnimation/DespicableMe'': Gru happens to understand(and even speak) minionese, but it is unknown if anyone else can.

* Discussed on ''Series/RuPaulsDragRace'' Season 15 when contestant Marcia Marcia Marcia had to interview Latin music legend Creator/{{Charo}}, whose speech patterns can be...a lot for a native English speaker. It became clear during the segment that the extremely-WASP[==]y Marcia couldn't understand a word Charo was saying. Meanwhile, fellow contestant Anetra was watching from backstage and she said that Charo spoke exactly like her older Filipina relatives, so she had no problem keeping up with her.