Basic Trope: A character who uses nonverbal communications to talk.
- Straight: Bob doesn't speak but his facial expressions and use of hands to communicate are enough for everyone else to understand what he is saying.
- Exaggerated:
- Bob uses every part of his body to communicate except for his mouth.
- Bob is a glowing orb of light who communicates solely through the color and brightness of his glow.
- Downplayed:
- Bob may occasionally laugh, sneeze, or make any other involuntary sounds but he still doesn't talk a lot.
- Among his close friends, Bob does not need to speak, as they understand his gestures and expressions well enough. When he is with people he does not know, he will occasionally speak to clarify things, but still tries to do so as little as possible (or if he's actually mute, then he'll write his feelings down on a piece of paper to show to them).
- Justified:
- Bob is mute.
- Bob took a vow of silence but he's using every single loophole to communicate with people.
- Bob doesn't speak English (or any other language that's being dubbed) but he knows that other forms of communications are pretty universal.
- Bob actually can speak, but regularly enters situations where it'd be bad for him to be verbal, so he instead uses nonverbal language to say what he wants without drawing negative attention.
- Bob's vocal chords have been disabled in some way, so he couldn't speak even if he wanted to.
- Inverted: Bob is has a Motor Mouth yet remains perfectly still whenever he talks.
- Subverted: "Hey guys, I can use my mouth if I'm not clear enough."
- Double Subverted: "No Bob, you're perfectly clear. Continue explaining in your own way please."
- Parodied:
- Bob has no mouth.
- People in Bob's world never speak and use nonverbal communication.
- Literally every time Bob gets ready to speak, he's cut off by random noises, and looks very frustrated.
- Zig Zagged: Bob does speak at times but preferring to use action over words, he often expresses himself using his hands and facial expressions but will say a word or two at times.
- Averted: Bob speaks perfectly clear.
- Enforced: The actor lost his voice between productions and rather than recast him, the writer decides to have his character not talk.
- Lampshaded: "Bob, are you a mime?"
- Invoked: The character is paranoid that there are people tracking his every move so practices his nonverbal communication so no one can hear him.
- Defied: Someone chop off Bob's limbs and/or disfigured his face, making him forced to speak.
- Discussed: "Bob is really going for the action speaks louder angle, huh?"
- Conversed: "Have you ever noticed how Bob is very clear about what he wants even though we never hear his voice before?"
- Deconstructed: As a result of not speaking, Bob comes off as stubborn and uncooperative whenever someone needs answers from him.
- Reconstructed: Bob refuses to respond to questions that he deems unnecessary or overly personal, and, being the Only Sane Man, that means he doesn't say much. When someone asks him about something serious for once, like an unsolved crime that occurred near his house, he shares all of the information he can.
- Played For Laughs: Whenever someone asks Bob why he doesn't speak, he begins to answer out loud but is immediately interrupted by another character.
- Played For Drama: Bob's traumatic experiences as a child have led him to believe speaking is a bad thing.
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