Pokémon language: Difference between revisions

For a vast majority of {{OBP|Pokémon|species}} in the games, the only sound they are capable of making, is their [[cry]].

Every [[species]] of Pokémon has its own cry, while there are some who seems to have identical cries, for example {{p|Charizard}}'s and {{p|Rhyhorn}}'s.

Despite apparently speaking only their own species' name, Pokémon seems to be able to communicate with each other without issue. In ''[[EP017|Island of the Giant Pokémon]]'', there are subtitles for what the Pokémon are saying, and evidently they could understand each other perfectly. Communication between Pokémon has become especially crucial in [[Double Battle]]s, [[Triple Battle]]s, and [[Tag Battle]]s. An example of this can be seen from the conversation between Ash's {{AP|Pikachu}} and [[Dawn's Piplup]] in ''[[M12|Arceus and the Jewel of Life]]'', when communication between those two Pokémon was vital in saving their Trainers.  

There are a few Pokémon that are able to speak the human language, such as {{OBP|Copycat|character}}'s {{p|Doduo}} in {{v|FireRed and LeafGreen|s}}, and a {{p|Murkrow}} who appeared in the [[Team Rocket HQ]], in the [[Generation II]] games and their [[Generation IV]] remakes. However, there has not been a Pokémon to this point which has had a fluent conversation with a human, if it does, the speech has been limited to only one or two sentences.

It is unknown to what extent Pokémon understand the human language. {{p|Lapras}}'s Pokédex entry cites its ability to comprehend the human language, possibly implying that not all Pokémon can fully understand the human language. While it is commonly assumed that the player tells the Pokémon which move to use, there is no actual point to confirm this, as each time the player's Pokémon attacks, the game simply states, "<Pokémon> used <move>," thus never directly stating that the player has given the command and the Pokémon followed suit. However, there have been a few specific examples of other Trainers commanding their Pokémon, such as [[Lance]] telling his {{p|Dragonite}} to use {{m|Hyper Beam}} on a {{tc|Team Rocket Grunt}} in the Generation II games and their remakes.

Unlike the games, there are only a few Pokémon that can have fluent conversations with humans. The most well-known [[talking Pokémon]] is {{MTR|Team Rocket's Meowth}}, who relentlessly learned English to impress his love interest, [[Meowzie]]. This has made him a common interpreter between the humans and Pokémon in the anime.

[[File:Ash and his Pikachu.png|thumb|200px|Ash and Pikachu communicate through their partnership]]

[[File:Latias as Bianca.png|thumb|200px|Latias communicates as Bianca]]

Most [[talking Pokémon]] speak telepathically, such as the {{OBP|Zorua|M13}} in ''[[M13|Zoroark: Master of Illusions]]''. Many [[legendary Pokémon]] are able to do this as well (for example, {{OBP|Lugia|M02}} in ''[[M02|The Power of One]]'').