To be basic, when something happens that leaves a character babbling like an idiot. This can be the result of something shocking being said, which would lead to having so many emotions and thoughts at once that it becomes hard to form a complete sentence, to times when something afflicting a person leaves them unable to communicate with others. This can be especially frequent for an embarrassed Tsundere, which can be a form of fan service.
For some odd reason, when something like this happens, people don't always know why. This can be especially strange if their babbling is caused by embarrassment about a crush on someone.
Subtropes:
- Angrish: Being overwhelmed with anger causes you to yell gibberish and/or incomplete sentences.
- Curse of Babel
- Cuteness Overload
- Deteriorates Into Gibberish
- Dramatic Stutter
- Emotionally Tongue-Tied
- Foreign-Language Tirade
- Gagging on Your Words
- I Need to Go Iron My Dog
- Starstruck Speechless
See also Buffy Speak, Cannot Spit It Out.
Only place examples here that do not belong on a more specific subtrope.
Examples:
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Anime & Manga
- Higurashi: When They Cry: During the third arc, after Keiichi gets sick, Mion makes him a lunch. Rena then lets it slip that Mion was really worried about him at this time. Cue Mion shouting in utter gibberish.
Fan Works
- Harriett Potter in The Rigel Black Chronicles is hit with a "jelly-brains" jinx that causes her to spout nonsense until it wears off (and then have a massive headache).
Pansy: Jelly-brains! You turned his brains to jelly?
Rigel: Pan, it's okay. The sky is going to rain honey for me tomorrow, and if we have jelly too then everyone can have toast.
Films - Animation
- In Aladdin: The Return of Jafar, Abis Mal's reaction to seeing Jafar's genie form is this. He's finally able to start talking properly again after Jafar reverts to his human form.
Live-Action TV
- In The West Wing, Ainsley Hayes has a tendency to babble on whenever she's in a situation that makes her nervous. For example, when she's first invited to the White House to meet Leo McGarry and she thinks she's there for a dressing-down (she's actually there for a job interview):
Leo: (making polite small-talk) I have to tell you, I've never seen Sam Seaborn get beat the way you beat him on Monday.
Ainsley: Yes, well, Mr. McGarry—
Leo: Leo.
Ainsley: Yes, sir, I've been thinking about that ever since your office called me on Tuesday and I have something to say on my own behalf if you'll permit me a moment to say it and I understand if you won't but I really would appreciate it if you did.
Leo: I... didn't really follow that, but whatever.
Religion
- In the book of First Corinthians, Paul the apostle says this is what "speaking in an unknown tongue" (whether this is talking about "tongues of angels" or another human language) sounds like to an uninformed person coming into a church assembly, and why he says he would rather speak five clear words of instruction to teach others than ten thousand words in an "unknown tongue". He goes on to say that if a whole church does this in front of people who are uninformed about this, they will say that "you are crazy." Critics of the modern-day Pentecostal movement will often claim that the "gift of tongues" used nowadays is actually just this and not any real known language that was used when the actual supernatural gift was first used in the early church period.
Video Games
- Star Ocean: Till the End of Time: The main character Fayt, to avoid a pushy admirer, claims that his friend Sophia is his girlfriend. Immediately, she proceeds to attempt putting together complete sentences before Fayt pleads with her to play along.
Web Animation
- If the Emperor Had a Text-to-Speech Device:
- When the Centurion reveals himself to be Dorn, the Emperor is reduced to long "Aaaaaaaaaa?".
- And on a similar reveal, when Corvus Corax comes out of the Engine of Woes, both Magnus and Kitten start a round of [panicked babbling] that the subtitles don't even bother covering. In an audio version of a Funny Background Event, this includes screams of "GAME OVER, MAN!" and pieces of the Dawn of War tutorial.
Web Original
- In this specific point in Dream's Minecraft Manhunt 3 Hunters Grand Finale
, when Dream's at one heart, he starts screaming gibberish as he runs for his life.
Dream: (insane and panicked gibberish as he's running away from the hunters)
BadBoyHalo: What does that even mean?!
Sapnap: That means, "Oh my god, I'm about to die!"
Western Animation
- Code Lyoko: Subverted in one episode when Sissi faints and, immediately upon waking up, begins speaking to Jeremy in words that SOUND like utter gibberish. This is, as you later learn, simply Franz Hopper attempting to speak with him, with all the words coming out backwards.
- Bubi Bear of The Hair Bear Bunch uses this simply as his verbal tic.
Botch: I didn't understand a word he said!
- Tom of the Harry McCool and the Komedy Kops segment of Cool McCool also has this as a verbal tic. Harry usually translates it.
