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How did pirates REALLY talk?9/12/2022 Well, it’s almost that time of year again – when magazines, restaurants, local tv/radio stations, and of course social media remind us to break out the salty talk for International Talk Like a Pirate Day. From its humble origins as a running joke during a racquetball game between two friends, this holiday has spread across the seven seas, and the gab of thousands has waxed piratical on September 19th for 20 years, filling their speech with such phrases as “Avast!” “Shiver me timbers!” “Ahoy, matey!” and the indispensable “ARRRRRRR!” Amid the storm of nautical nattering, the curiosity of some may be aroused as to just how pirates really did talk. The truth is, as usual, a bit complicated. Pirates, even those of the swashbuckling Golden Age, came from all nationalities, including not just English, but French, Spanish, Dutch, African, German, Indian, Portuguese, Chinese, and Native American backgrounds. A single pirate ship might have a dozen accents and languages being spoken aboard. But suppose we make it simpler. Since the majority of those talking like pirates on September 19th will be doing so in some form of English, let's focus on what an English pirate of the 17th and 18th centuries might have talked like. So while you're donning your pirate garb for the festivities, shove a few of these handy pointers under your belt alongside your pistols. First, to make a few clarifications: The speech we consider to be “pirate talk” these days was largely invented in the 20th century - or rather, this was when this kind of speech became associated almost exclusively with pirates. Its conception is traditionally attributed to the English actor Robert Newton, whose performance as Long John Silver in Disney’s first-ever live-action film adaptation of Treasure Island (above) conspicuously features this accent. Newton squints and snarls his way throughout the film, growling out his lines and punctuating his sentences with “Arrrr!”, even closing a prayer in one scene with “Arrrmen.” Some have pointed to this fact to entirely dismiss the modern ‘pirate accent’ completely as a product of Hollywood invention, but it turns out Newton might have been on to something. Newton’s accent was actually based on the dialect of his native Dorsetshire, the southwest region of England which neighbored the port of Bristol, and which in the 18th century was home to thousands of sailors, possibly including Blackbeard and Henry Avery (so perhaps it’s appropriate that Newton re-used the accent when portraying Blackbeard himself in the very creatively-named film Blackbeard the Pirate). While this does mean that the regional accent was plausible for a pirate to have, it’s important to remember that the various English accents have changed drastically since 1720. That said, some features of the pronunciation, such as the hard ‘r’ sound, are thought to have been present in English speakers of 16th, 17th and 18th centuries, and most especially among lower class laborers after the “Great Vowel Shift” during these years had begun to separate the more ‘refined’ accents from the rest. Was “Arrr?” ever used as its own word? Surprisingly, some English from Dorsetshire and Cornwall used this word to mean yes - possibly as an alternate pronunciation of "Aye." So while not all English-speaking pirates said this, it is likely that a fairly large number of them did - along with farmers and craftspeople from this particular region. Of course, the actual accent at the time is a bit more complicated than the mere pronunciation of the letter 'r', but it may have somewhat resembled that of 17th century Puritans, whose accents have been brought to life by the interpreters at Plimoth-Pautuxet: Visiting Plimoth Plantation - YouTube Other English accents exist, of course, not least of which was the London accent: 17th century London Accent According to Robert Robinson. Obviously, other regions of Britain spawned pirates, most notably Scotland and Wales; the most successful European pirate, Bartholomew Roberts, and his mentor, Howell Davis, were both Welshmen. If you'd like to imitate a Welsh pirate... please do so and record how it goes! References to plank walking are a favorite among those trying to talk like pirates, but the only recorded instance of it was practiced by a gang of mutineers who used this method to execute their most hated officers. Pirates, as far as we know, never used it. But don't despair - new records of 18th-century piracy are still being found and/or translated, so maybe evidence will turn up someday! All the typical nautical talk, like “Ahoy,” “Avast,” “Shiver me timbers,” “Batten down the hatches,” "Bilge rats," etc., are all fairly well-supported phrases that pirates, being sailors, likely did use at some point. “Avast” seems to have come from the Dutch “houd vast,” which meant “hold fast.” This term was used as a command by sea captains and officers to make crewmembers pause an activity (e.g., “Avast hauling!”) This was distinct from “Belay!” which was meant to stop an activity completely; it typically referred to the practice of “belaying” a line (rope) on a ship's rigging by winding it around a wooden belaying pin, though the word could also be used to cancel an instruction or decision, as in “Belay that order!” The words "ahoy" and "yoho" seem to have similar meanings, along the same lines as "hey," or "ho," or "hi," though of course, "ahoy" was mainly used as a greeting when sighting land or calling to another ship from a long distance. "Shiver my timbers" referred to the vibration of the ship's planking in rough weather, and was a common exclamation in the 19th century world, long after the Golden Age was over, though the phrase may have been uttered in some form earlier. If you’d like to use “Port and Starboard” for “left and right,” and you’re trying to make your talk as close as possible to the period, it might be helpful to remember that “port” replaced “larboard” in the middle of the 18th century, around 30 years after most of the major English-speaking pirates had been stamped out. Pirates of Blackbeard’s day would have said “starboard and larboard.” One doesn’t have to search very long to find plenty of cursory guides to pirate talk, though most of these sadly just use general nautical language. However, thanks to eyewitness reports and newspaper records of the time, we do have plenty of great words and phrases straight from the pirates’ mouths, many of which go way beyond the stereotypes in terms of utter coolness. These include, but are by no means limited to: “Pistol-proof” – common term among pirates and privateers to refer to one who is experienced and is tested in battle; such an individual would be a likely candidate for captain. “Spotted dog” – one of the few not-profane insults hurled at a sea-captain by pirates off the coast of Africa in the 1720’s. “Ye are a pack of hen-hearted numbskulls!” – attributed to Captain “Black Sam” Bellamy, berating a merchant captain for not quitting his boring job to join the pirates. One of the best insults used by a real pirate. "Go on the account" -to take up piracy. Joining a pirate crew often meant one would be listed on "the account," making them eligible for a share in the plunder. "Hoist up the ancient," - the main flag, or ensign, of a ship, was called the "ancient" prior to the 18th century, when the term "ensign" began to be adopted. This flag would have been flown at the stern of the ship, and would have been a variation of the national flag, or in the case of a pirate ship, might have been one of the various black (or red, or white) flags we all know and love. "Neck the bottle" - the practice of opening a bottle by cutting the neck off with a cutlass. As piratey as it gets. “Set a-sun-drying” – Hanged. Pirates were typically left swinging in iron gibbet cages at prominent points along the coast where passing sailors could see them and take warning; this was the fate of several famous pirate captains, including Stede Bonnet and Captain Kidd. Many pirates were known to vow that they would rather shoot themselves to escape capture, rather than be taken and “set a-sun-drying, as Kidd.” “Captain’s Daughter” – a common sailor’s term for a cat-o-nine-tails, the infamous cord-whip used in flogging at sea. The line “Put ‘im in the bed with the captain’s daughter” from the popular sea shanty “Drunken Sailor” is actually referring to a punishment – being lashed across the back. This term is related to the term “Gunner’s Daughter,” commonly used in the Royal Navy to refer to the same punishment (though it came from the fact that the condemned sailor was made to lean across a cannon barrel while the flogging took place, sometimes so that their mouths pressed up against a small “lip” of steel on its rim, which led to the expression “kissing the gunner’s daughter.” Careen – this is one nautical term that could be said to be almost unique to pirates. Careening was the practice of sailing a ship into a deserted cove, running it onto the beach, emptying the hull, and propping it up on one side so the underside could be cleaned of barnacles and timber-eating Teredo worms using fire or scraping tools. Pirates would usually be unable to enter a law-abiding port city to have their ships cleaned, and so they were forced to undergo repairs away from civilization. Crimp- to trick someone into joining a ship’s crew. A favorite practice among both pirates and the British navy. The ‘trick’ usually involved getting a sailor drunk before making him sign up, or promising him impossible rewards should he join up. If that failed, a savage beating usually did the trick. Dance the hempen jig – get hanged. The last kicks of a choking pirate were said to resemble a frenzied jig, and the rope of the noose was typically made of hemp fiber, hence the expression. Interesting how many of these expressions have to do with getting flogged or hanged… Letter of Marque – not quite a pirate term, though pirates were familiar with these and often pretended to have them. A letter of marque was a government-issued privateering license. The English dispensed these quite generously, which led many pirate captains to draw up fake letters in case they were caught or questioned (“Sir, do you have a license for that booty?”). When the United States Constitution was drawn up, one of the first powers the new Congress gave itself was the right to issue Letters of Marque – probably with fond memories of how these state-sanctioned pirates had helped them already in beating the British navy. Overhaul – To overtake a ship in a chase. Best-case scenario for a pirate… unless they accidentally overhauled a heavily-armed warship. Langrage - a collection of broken glass, scrap metals, nails and shrapnel tied together or stuffed into a casing or bottle and fired from a cannon. Langrage was used like buckshot, sending a spray of unpleasantness into the ranks of the intended victims to take out as many as possible with the least waste of powder. Pirates who were short on ammo were known to use this. Salmagundi - This rather nondescript dish was a big favorite with pirates! Though today considered a salad of various vegetables and meats, this English concoction began as a stew. The ingredients? Anything the pirates could find, including rum, wine, pineapples, berries, biscuits, salt beef, fish, corn, beans, spices and pork. There is one instance of pirates throwing an entire pig into the stew for some added bristly flavor. Captain Bartholomew Roberts is said to have loved salmagundi, even eating it for breakfast the morning he was killed. These are just a few phrases and words to throw in with all the classic avasts and shiver me timbers! I wanted to find some that are a little more directly related to real-life pirates, rather than just general nautical terms (pirates obviously used those, but they're pretty easy to find elsewhere). Below are a few suggested resources for further reading.
So until next time, LOOSE THE HEADS'LS AND BEAR AWAY! TALK LIKE A PIRATE THE ENTIRE DAY! For further reading: A General History of the Robberies and Murders of the Most Notorious Pyrates: This book is considered the first big resource for all things pirate. The Pirate King.com: An ancient treasure trove of piratical info, founded by Rob Ossian, the Pirate King! Here's a list of nautical terminology: Terminology - Home (thepirateking.com) Time-life's The Seafarers: The Pirates. A lot of cool info and records of actual pirate conversations. The Republic of Pirates, by Colin Woodard. This book is flat-out awesome and I should definitely do a review of it. Under the Black Flag, by David Cordingly. This book is considered authoritative by many. And if you're interested in learning about early and pre- Golden Age pirates like Henry Morgan, as well as a few tidbits about Errol Flynn and the early days of the pirate film genre, this is the book for you.
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AuthorThe Mad Poet Himself: History Lover, Medieval Enthusiast, Amateur Poet and Filmmaker, Folk Musician, and Madman Extraordinaire Archives
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