He's the wisest, most respected Jedi in the galaxy, but after the initial meeting, it sure does take a while for you to get to grips with how Master Yoda talks. The legendary Jedi who met Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill) in 1980 has, like many other characters in the franchise, become an icon, with one notable highlight being his distinctive dialogue. Cryptically jumbling up sentences like he threw them in a swamp and dragged them back out again, now Star Wars creator George Lucas has given a clear explanation as to why Yoda speaks the way that he does. Pay attention, you must. Clear everything will be, hmm?
While attending the 16th TCM Class Film Festival and a showing of The Empire Strikes Back (yes, still the best Star Wars film ever), Lucas broke down his reasoning for Yoda's unique dialogue, which sets him apart from other characters (via Deadline). “If you speak regular English, people won’t listen that much,” he explained. “But if he had an accent, or it’s really hard to understand what he’s saying, they focus on what he’s saying.”
