In Buffy the Vampire Slayers Hush, language becomes a barrier of communication when

the characters attempt to express their complex feelings to one another. This can be seen in
scenes involving Xander and Anyas relationship as well as Buffy and Rileys relationship. The
following are four tropes that illustrate language as a barrier: Almost Kiss, Cannot Spit It Out,
Irony, and Shut Up Kiss. The main trope is Cannot Spit It Out, where characters only truly start
to communicate after they lose their voices.
For the Almost Kiss trope in the beginning of the episode, as Riley and Buffys first kiss
scene is interrupted as Buffy asks about the work Riley has to grade. She later explains to
Willow that she cant help but babble when they are together. This shows that Riley and Buffys
relationship has not progressed in the previous episodes due to lack of proper communication.
The phrase actions speak louder than words becomes apparent once they lose their voices
and have their first kiss -- which is also the Shut Up kiss trope -- amidst panic in the town,
since language isnt there to interrupt.
Cannot Spit It Out becomes more evident when Xander and Anya rekindle their love
after the misunderstanding with Spike sucking Anyas blood. Initially, Xander and Anya argued
about their feelings and how Xander isnt openly expressing his love for Anya in ways other than
sex. Xanders true feelings are reciprocated once he beats up Spike when he assumes that
Anya was bitten. Through his actions alone, it can be seen that Xander cared about Anya,
otherwise he would have left her there as she was supposedly passed out. While Xander and
Anya were emotionally separated during the time they had their voices, they easily made up in
the short span of communicating with actions. It can be argued that this is also the case with
Riley and Buffy ever since they lost their voices.
The Irony trope comes into play at the end when Buffy and Riley finally have the means
to communicate (their voices) but are sitting still unable to speak a word due to the complexities
in the situation. The purpose of this trope is to elicit the idea that language or words in general
cannot always be used to adequately express an intangible, complex idea such as feelings.
Communication is not just empty words, it needs to be accompanied with strong actions that
visually express feelings.