History Main / TheSpeechless

* Melody from ''GirlsWithSlingshots'' is deaf and communicates by sign language. It's recently been revealed that she can be EXTREMELY vocal when, ahem, "suitably aroused" and has also been known to make inarticulate sounds for emphasis in conversation,

** Sully (portrayed by Richard Hunt) is Biff's silent friend. But he does hard construction work with his partner, Sully. Sully also does well on playing the piano.

* Pip, the Chipmunk from ''{{Enchanted}}'', can't talk in New York because... well, in the real world, animals can't talk. He actually knows what's going on from the beginning of the movie, but despite his very creative charades, is never able to convey it to the air-headed Prince Edward.
** Ironically in [[MagicalLand Andelasia]] he has a Noo Yawk accent.

* ''Literature/{{Discworld}}'': The Librarian, who's been turned into an ape, can only speak in Orangutan, and to us that sounds like only one word, "Ook", over and over again (with an occasional "Eek!"). Sometimes he has to do charades to get people to understand him. The author has danced around the question of why a librarian, of all people, never thinks of writing down what he wants to say. In ''The Last Continent'', a magical illness briefly turns him into a book. The book has no title, but every single page is filled with the word "Ook".
** [[EpilepticTrees Maybe he's dyslexic.]] Maybe he can't be bothered carrying around pencils. Maybe he just doesn't feel like using words. Although RuleOfFunny is the most likely explanation.
*** Given his habit of taste-testing things for edibility (because you never know), any loose paper he carries for purposes other than bookbinding probably gets too soggy to write on. He also has a bit of a philosophical objection to reading, because books rightfully belong on their proper shelves as Nature intended.
** I seem to recall that at least a few of the wizar
ds could understand him.
*** In ''The Last Continent'', he retained a one-word vocabulary when he is transformed into a penguin ("Awk!), and later a dolphin ("Eek!).

*** Also, Literature/{{Discworld}} golems can't speak because they have no tongues, this being a blasphemy. They have slates and a piece of chalk which they write words on. [[spoiler:In later novels, they are "re-made" with clay tongues and hence can speak, though they tend to be very literal-minded.]]

* Maurice the purple gorilla from ''Franchise/Marsupilami'' does not speak, He only grunts.

* Maurice the purple gorilla from ''Franchise/Marsupilami]] does not speak, He only grunts.

* Katrin Hapt in Creator/BertoltBrecht 's ''Mother Courage and her Children''. Her mother is inconsistent on whether she was born mute or whether she was traumatised into silence (or, from the way it's hinted at, possibly had an injury to her mouth) as a small child. Goes beyond CuteMute into an outright [[Woobie]].

* The mysterious and aptly named Lady Silence in DanSimmons ''The Terror''.

* The Poopsmith from ''WebAnimation/HomestarRunner'', who has taken a vow of silence according to one source. He uses TalkingWithSigns on rare occasion.
** However, [[spoiler: he sings the intro song for Strong Bad's 200th email. He's voiced by one of the members of TheyMightBeGiants]].

* Although he [[TheVoiceless rarely spoke before]] anyway, Maine of Machinima/RedVsBlue truly becomes TheVoiceless after being shot repeatedly in the throat. He can still make grunts and growls that others occasionally are able to interpret, but by and large he can only communicate by way of [[VoiceForTheVoiceless his AI, Sigma]].

** I seem to recall that at least a few of the wizards could understand him.

* Melody from ''GirlsWithSlingshots'' is deaf and communicates by sign language. It's recently been revealed that she can be EXTREMELY vocal when, ahem, "suitably aroused" and has also been known to make inarticulate sounds for emphasis

* Because she's a baby and ''can't'' talk, Maggie from ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'' fits this trope. Especially in "future" episodes, where she is shown as a sullen teenager who still never says anything.

* Lupus in ''Series/RomanMysteries''. Unlike his his counterpart in the novels, he has not had his tongue torn out (presumably so they do not have to worry about accidentally getting shots of the actor's tongue) but is mute from some kind of trauma.

* In ''TheBigSilence'', the main character never speak due to having his throat cut.

* "Piff" a minor character from ''WesternAnimation/TheGrimAdventuresOfBillyAndMandy'' he first shows up almost completely emotionless and never utters a single word, Mandy develops a crush on him and is embarrassed about it, after several tactics trying to get over him fail Grim gives her a makeover to which Piff falls in love with her and speaks his only line of dialogue "Could you go to the dance with me? Please?", upon hearing his high pitched voice Mandy gets over him and beats him up.

* John Mathew of J.R. Ward's ''BlackDaggerBrotherhood'' series is mute (presumably born that way), and relies on [[HandSignals American sign language]], whistling, writing on a notepad, and a variety of body language in order to communicate with others.