Pirate Speak

[STHayden]

what is the best way to become an expert in pirate speak and grammar?

[Mission]

I think there are several posts to guide you in Rabble Rousing. Use the search function in that forum. Here's some I found...

https://pyracy.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=4493

https://pyracy.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=71

You might also check in the Captain Twill (doubtful) and Way to a Pyrates Heart forums (difficult to say what you'll find there). Good luck.

[sirhenrymorgan]

The far better question is how would you speak as a sailor from the country your character comes from. There is no single pirate way to talk. For instance, I would speak with a heavy Welsh accent and interject Welsh words into English as Sir Henry. I would speak from a higher station than an average sea rat. And I would hardly be running around saying Argh.

Finally, I would be using the words of the period I represent, not those of a later era. In other words, my understanding of geography in 1680 is drastically different than what people in 1720 understood. Even a simple act as counting would be different, since in maritime navigation books of the period authors referred to the zero as cypher.

-- Sir Henry

[STHayden]

Thanks for the help. I'm working on this pirate translator and need all the help I can get!

http://postlikeapirate.com/

[Caraccioli]

I suppose it depends on you goal. If it's "speak like a current day perception of a pirate", you'll want to go watch a bunch of old 40's and 50's pirate movies. That's where much of this "Yarrrr! Avast me hearty maties!" junk came from.

If it's like a genuine person who would have become a pirate during the Golden Age of Piracy, Sir Henry is right. You might then want to read two period books on or related to the topic: The Buccaneers of America by Alexander Esquemeling (~1678 just before the GAoP) and A General History of the Robberies and Murders of the Most Notorious Pirates by Captain Charles Johnson (1724). I believe I've seen some where the language has been "modernized," so you'll want to steer clear of them. I suggest your local library. If you find copies where some of the f's look like S's, you're on the right track.

Be aware that writing was much more formal during that era than the spoken language. Today we are pretty happy to write in dialect - which reads pretty much like it sounds. Back then this was not generally accepted. So the spoken language was probably a bit different than the written. Still, it's a genuine window into that era. You can also find court documents and the like from the period if you look around. Those would also be helpful for a scholarly dictionary.

[Captain Jim]

And don't just read them and "think" about it: read them out loud. By the time you finish Johnson, you'll sound very period, indeed. In fact you may find yourself having trouble communicating on a daily basis. You'll end up posting back here complaining that no one understands you anymore...

[BluePuppy]

very useful info, i'll also look for those books.

[John Rackham]

come visit Cornwall UK where it all started

We speak like it normally, every day

[Misson]

Hey, they're talking about a book on pirate language called A Pirate Primer in the Pirate Pop forum for those of you who are interested. Check out this thread.