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In Star Wars, how do they understand R2?

Han had spent a good bit of time with Chewie and had learned his language over the years.

By Empire, Luke and R2 had been around each other for a few years. He had probably learned to pick up on the tones of the beeps and whistles to kinda understand what he was saying. Maybe more given that he had that translator thing in his X-Wing and might have been able to remember some of the patterns.
 
Forget R2, I want to know how Han understood what the heck Chewie was saying! That didn't even sound like an actual language he was using. It was just a bunch of grunts and growling. lol
I've always assumed Han could understand the Wookie language but just not speak it like how Chewie could obviously understand English but just not speak it.

For example when I've seen unedited video interviews with Shigeru Miyamoto and he can understand English, the translator wouldn't tell him what the question was in Japanese, but he obviously has some problems or was unconformable speaking it, since he would mostly answer in Japanese.

That comes from years of rote drilling and utter lack of application practice in the classroom. Listening is so so, speaking is utterly crap, reading and writing are good to excellent, and conjugation might as well be random.

Oh, and "face", or the tendency to mock & denigrate error, clamps mouths shut into a facade of "knowing silence". If you can't speak perfectly, say nothing and people will not see your weakness. Let all weaknesses pass unchecked and under the rug.

Wonderful learning environment.
 
According to EU material, R2 and similar droids are "speaking" a language called Binary (I'm assuming it isn't actually binary since it would take a long time to enunciate even the simplest words), which can be learnt by other sentient beings.

Chewie is actually fluent in the common galactic language but can't speak it due to Wookiee vocal chords not being up to the task... there's a similar issue with Gamorreans IIRC.
 
Very slightly OT: At the end of ESB, when Lando and Chewie are on the Falcon, preparing to go off and rescue Han, they're saying their goodbyes to Luke and Leia over the intercom. You can actually make out a garbled version of the phrase "goodbye Princess" in Chewie's growls.
 
Actually, only C-3PO can understand R2. The only exception to this is when R2 is riding in Luke's X-Wing, whatever R2 is saying is translated on a screen in the cockpit.

When Luke and R2 are alone on Dagobah, they have a conversation back and forth.

Its when Luke describes Dagobah as "familiar."

CBW

That really wasn't a conversation. That was more of Luke monologuing.

And it's pretty heavily implied that Luke is guessing at Artoo's responses.

"If you're saying coming here was a bad idea..."
 
There's also a moment in the flight to Dagobah IIRC where Luke looks down at a panel after R2 speaks and before replying.. I always assumed there was a translator built in to the X-Wing but on the ground he was monologuing and guessing from context.
flamingjester4fj.gif
 
There's also a moment in the flight to Dagobah IIRC where Luke looks down at a panel after R2 speaks and before replying.. I always assumed there was a translator built in to the X-Wing but on the ground he was monologuing and guessing from context.
flamingjester4fj.gif

That's what I understood too. Even if you don't understand the words, the tone at least gets across how R2 is feeling about something.
 
Actually, only C-3PO can understand R2. The only exception to this is when R2 is riding in Luke's X-Wing, whatever R2 is saying is translated on a screen in the cockpit.

When Luke and R2 are alone on Dagobah, they have a conversation back and forth.

Its when Luke describes Dagobah as "familiar."

CBW

That really wasn't a conversation. That was more of Luke monologuing.

I think Luke hears Artoo the same way we do. Scared-type beep, inquisitive-type beep, angry-type beep, and so on.
 
On the A&E special about the making of the 3 movies, they shows some uncut footage of Star Wars, specifically the scene in the Death Star with Han and Chewie. Peter Mayhew was talking english when they shot it. He had lines which were then dubbed over with growls and so on.

I'm sure that was more to give Ford something to act off of, rather than something Lucas originally intended for Chewie.
 
Also, in the bar scene in Ep.4:ANH it's established in the novel that Obi-Wan is talking to Chewie in his (Chewie's) own language, so I guess some humans can speak the language, with an accent no doubt.
 
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I think Jedi and force-sensitive people might be able to understand Artoo to varying degrees.
Anakin was very good with droid language. Not surprising, since he built them and was excellent with tech all around.
 
Also, in the bar scene in Ep.4:ANH it's established in the novel that Obi-Wan is talking to Chewie in his (Chewie's) own languedge, so I guess some humans can speak the language, with an accent no doubt.

Yeah, but the novel has since been contradicted in other ways, such as the Emperor's backstory, so I wouldn't put too much faith in it.
 
I felt like Lando also understood Wookie. Am I wrong?

I'm sure that regular humans don't have the vocal capacity to talk Wookie for any length of time, though.
 
I felt like Lando also understood Wookie. Am I wrong?

I'm sure that regular humans don't have the vocal capacity to talk Wookie for any length of time, though.
IIRC, there was a Star Wars novel (A Zahn written work) where Wookies actually can speak, it's just that Chewbacca has a speech impediment. Hence, his growling and hooting.
 
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