Professor
Paradox - Talk like a Pirate
Want
to talk like a pirate, or more correctly, be speakin’ like a pirate?
Welcome to the Professor Paradox Talk like a Pirate Page, where you can
find out why pirates talk the way they do and how to develop your unique
style of piratical speech.
The origins of pirate speak are not
quite as old as most prople think, and to trace the roots of talking like a
pirate you have to go back, not to the days of the Spanish Maine, nor the
Pirates of the Caribbean, but to the days of Long John Silver and
Treasure Island, and the Hollywood film of 1950! For ‘twas
an actor called Robert Newton who played that role, and bein’ as e was
from Shaftesbury in Dorset in England, he played the part with a West
Country accent where people say ooooh aaaaaarh a lot, and everyone
‘appen to talk like a pirate as that’s the way they talk around
these parts. And if ye ever feel like visitin the West Country ye’ll
feel at ‘ome cause every day be Talk like a Pirate Day!
Before that time there was no pirate accent and pirates, wherever they
came from, did what everyone does and spoke with their own local
dialect.
Mind ye, I do believe Robert Newton did
us all a great favour. Just imagine if Johnny Depp had got there first
with his Captain Jack Sparrow character? On Talk Like a Pirate Day
we’d all be mincing around doing an impression of Johnny Depp doing a
camp impression of Keith Richards!
Robert Newton –
Proper Pirate Aaaaaaaaaaaaar!
Johnny Depp -
Mincey Pirate Ooooooooooh
Er!
But
that's no reason to be spoilin the fun so me hearties, lets all talk
like pirates...............
General
Mannerisms
Say ‘Aaaaar a lot.
Curse
a lot but don’t use conventional swear words as this betrays a lack of
imagination.
Use
the present tense and say ‘I be’ rather than ‘I am’ and use me
instead of I whenever possible eg. Got me a terrible snivvle and I be
feelin’ loike a rat in a sack.
When
addressing others use ‘yer’ and yar instead of you and your, and add
some insult while yer at it. Eg ‘Ya filthy robbin’ scumbag’, or
Yer be like a boil on a bilge rat’s bum’.
Leave
out any unnecessary consonants.
And
here are some pirate words........
| Aaaaaaar |
Pirates
say this a lot to indicate general approval but it doesn't mean
anything, just keep saying it and you'll be speakin like a
pirate - aaaaaaaar |
| Avast |
Derived
from hold fast - stop and pay attention |
| Ahoy |
Sailors
greeting used by pirates- hello |
| Aye |
Yes - pirates and
seamen usually say it twice - aye aye |
| Begad |
Derived from By God |
| Bilge |
Nonsense
- the bilges are the lowest part of a sailing ship where everything
foul and unpleasant accumulates! |
| Bilge Rat |
An insult (obviously)
but usually friendly |
| Booty |
Anything worth
purloining - treasure or stolen goods |
| Buccaneer |
Caribbean
pirates or pirates in general. |
| Cat o nine tails |
A vicious whip with
nine tails, used more by the kings men |
| Davey Jones Locker |
Bottom of the sea
where drowned pirates and mariners go |
| Dog |
Insult or term of
endearment - it's all the same to pirates! |
| Fiddlers Green |
Pirate Heaven -
Assumin that pirates ever get to heaven |
| Fore |
Front end of a
pirate's ship - or any other ship |
| Grog |
Alcoholic drink -
usually rum and water (or coke!) |
| Grub |
Food - ship's
provisions were often infested with maggots! |
| Handsomely |
Quickly or a job well
done |
| Hearties |
Shipmates or friends |
| Jolly roger |
The famous pirate
flag |
| Keelhaul |
A punishment where a
sailor is dragged under the ship by a rope - usually fatal due
to skin being torn off by barnacles |
| Lass |
Young woman - usually a
complimentary term |
| Lily livered |
Fainthearted -
pirates have to be bold as they are hung if caught |
| Loaded |
Drunk |
| Marooned |
Left on a deserted
island as a punishment |
| No quarter |
Surrender will not be
accepted |
| Pieces of eight |
Money |
| purloin |
Steal or pilfer |
| Poop deck |
Not the toilets! It
was the highest deck on larger ships |
| Poxy |
Carrying an
infectious disease |
| Rum |
That drink and also
an adjective meaning odd or strange |
| Salt or sea dog |
Experienced sailor or
pirate |
| Scurvy |
A disease caused by
vitamin deficiency, and a general insult as in you scurvy dog |
| Shark bait |
A threat to enemies -
to turn them into shark bait |
| Shiver me
timbers |
An expression of
surprise you can use when you get bored with saying aaaaar |
| Swag |
Stolen booty or
treasure - used by all thieves not just pirates |
| Swashbucklin' |
Fighting at sea,
either other pirates or the kings men |
| Walk the plank |
Walk off the end of a
plank into the sea to drown |
| Wench |
Unflattering word for
girl or woman |
| Yo ho ho |
Pirate laughter |
|
|
We pirates
would really
appreciate a link to this pirate's ship - you can do this easily by copying and
pasting the image and text below, and if you would like a link in return
just email and let us know (Note we can only link back to sites that are
suitable for children) - Taaaaaaaaaaaar
Pirate Show for Children's Birthday Parties - The funniest Pirate Show you will ever see
Pirate
Speak for the idle scumbag
Well now you don’t even ‘ave to
bother learnin’ to talk like a pirate ‘cos now there is a new
fangled on line translation services where you can get yer text
translated for ye!
Talk
Like a Pirate Translator
If
ye be lookin fer any Booty or piratical accessories, the followin link
takes yer to a handsome site
And
after all this, if you want to know how pirates really spoke, this is Captain 'Black Sam' Bellamy's verbatim speech to Captain Beer when he wanted to return Beer's sloop to him and the pirate crews sunk it instead:
"Damn my blood, I am sorry they won't let you have your sloop again, for I scorn to do anyone a mischief, when it is not for my advantage; damn the sloop we must sink her, and she might be of use to you. Though, damn ye, you are a sneaking puppy, and so are all those who submit to be governed by Laws which rich men have made for their own security, for the cowardly whelps have not the courage otherwise to defend what they get by their knavery. But damn ye altogether. Damn them for a pack of crazy rascals, and you, who serve them, for a parcel of hen-hearted numskulls. They villify us, the scoundrels do, when there is only this difference, they rob the poor under cover of Law, forsooth, and we plunder the rich under the protection of our own courage. Had you not better make one of us, than sneak after the arses of those villains for Employment?"
Captain Beer told him that his conscience would not allow him to break through the Laws of God and man.
"You are a devillish conscientious rascal, damn ye," replied Bellamy. "I am a free prince, and I have as much authority to make war on the whole world as he who has a hundred sail of ships at sea, and an army of 100,000 men in the field, and this my conscience tells me. But there is no arguing with such snivelling puppies, who allow superiors to kick them about deck at pleasure and pin their faith upon a pimp of a parson, a squab, who neither practises nor believes what he puts upon the chuckle-headed fools he preaches to."
And this is Captain Bartholomew 'Black Bart' Roberts, speaking to some freshmen (new recruits):
"I shed as many crocodile tears then as you do now, but time and good company have wore it off. I cannot plead want of employment, nor incapacity of getting my bread in an honest way, to favour so vile a change, nor am I so much a coward as to pretend it; but frankly own, it was to get rid of the disagreeable superiority of some masters I was acquainted with, and the love of novelty and change maritime peregrinations have accustomed me to.
In an honest service there is thin commons, low wages, and hard labour. In this, plenty and satiety, pleasure and ease, liberty and power; and who would not balance creditor on this side, when all the hazard that is run for it, at worst, is only a sour look or two at choking. No, a merry life and a short one shall be my motto."
And finally, last but certainly not least, an extract from Blackbeard's log:
"Such a day, rum all out: - Our company somewhat sober: - A damn'd confusion amongst us! - Rogues a-plotting: - Great talk of separation - so I looked sharp for a prize: - Such a day took one, with a great deal of liquor on board, so kept the company hot, damned hot; then all things went well again."
And don't forget September 19th
is international talk like a pirate day!
Click
here for the Official Talk Like a Pirate Day Site - Arrrrgh
We pirates
would really
appreciate a link to this pirate's ship - you can do this easily by copying and
pasting the image and text below, and if you would like a link in return
just email and let us know (Note we can only link back to sites that are
suitable for children) - Taaaaaaaaaaaar
Pirate Show for Children's Birthday Parties - The funniest Pirate Show you will ever see
