I surf the internet. A lot.

Came across this today, and on September 19th, I expect to be seeing "Ahoy, mateys!" from all of ye land lubbers and wenches!

Talk Like a Pirate Day

Talk Like a Pirate Day (for the Brits)

On an at least slightly more serious note:

Both sites have some very entertaining bits on pirate vernacular, but neither answer the question, "Why do we think of pirates as constantly going, 'Arrrrrr, matey!' ?"

Why arrrrrr? Is it a Robert Louis Stevenson/Treasure Island thing? Some stereotype from an old movie?

Why do we think of pirates as constantly going, 'Arrrrrr, matey?
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Perhaps you'd prefer "Eeewwwwww?"

At least I know why cowboys back in the old days used to yodel: They used to starch their Levis, and they didn't varnish the seats on the covered wagons.

This also comes from pantomines who persist in performing Treasure Island (or what they believe resembles it) and using what they, quite wrongly but fondly, believe to be a West Country or Cornish accent.

The same is also true of characters in TV series such as Casualty, apparently set here, (though not performed by natives of it) and other period and costume dramas who all have an identikit accent which is supposed to be the West Country yokel type of accent.

It isn't.

I have only ever heard anyone say 'Arrr, me hearties' (or other versions) when somewhat in their cups and taking the mickey out of people who really do believe 'people down yere do tork thaat way'.

They don't.

In certain areas there are some very strange accents, some even understandable with a bit of patience, but not as in Treasure Island, pantomine, costume dramas, or Casualty.

This city has a claim to fame in that Treasure Island was begun and partly written here. The building where this is reputed to have happened still stands and is still a public house.

I've forgotton what the question was now.....

Tadpole

I can't find my copy of Treasure Island, but as far as I recall, Long John Silver doesn't actually say 'Arrrr Jim Lad'. I think he does say 'Jim Lad' but without the throat clearing.

If I'm right then this is an example of the mis remembered quote. Another famous one is 'Elementary, my dear Watson'. Anyone got any more?

Oh..hang on, I have. Who said 'History is bunk?' Well, Henry Ford didn't. I believe the actual remark is 'History as taught in schools is bunk', a very different bunch of bananas!


In answer to the question..what was the question again? No, I'm getting sidetracked. I just remembered Spike Milligan starting a short story with 'Pirates, etc., on the port bow!' I love the idea of a lookout man shouting that out.

What I was going to say was that Treasure Island has one of the scariest characters I ever read..not Silver, but Blind Pew. There is something very creepy about a blind bad guy who is always able to catch you. No wonder everyone freaks out when he appears early in the novel. he scared me so bad I dared not read the rest of it for years in case he came back. (I was quite young at the time).

I think the yodelling cowboy may originate with the great Jimmy Rodgers, the Singing Brakeman. he stuck yodels in everywhere and they became associated with country and western.

Wasn't Gene Autry was the first singing cowboy?

I found this about Jimmy Rodgers: Known as the Singing Brakeman and "the father of country music," Jimmie Rodgers was a folk hero in his own lifetime and the first performer elected to the Country Music Hall of Fame.

I found another site about the origins of the yodel.

Tinman

Chielawhatzahootis said:

quote:

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If I'm right then this is an example of the mis remembered quote. Another famous one is 'Elementary, my dear Watson'. Anyone got any more?

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There's the classic from Casablanca.
Rick never says "Play it again, Sam."

Ahoy matey, and shiver me timbers!

Sorry WinterBranch, that's the extent of my pirate speak!

There are further serious questions about pirates. Why do they all wear spotted handkerchiefs? Admittedly, some wear them like a tie and others like a hat, but I think I'm right in saying that no pirate worth his rum did not have his trusty kerchief with him.Maybe someone stole a whole shipload of them and they've had to wear them ever since, along with the eyepatches.

Or how is it that every pirate ship had at least one extremely obviously disguised woman on board? Well, perhaps the answer is also obvious, but wouldn't they all guess that there was something odd about the rather sensitive pirate who never showered with them all?

I've been trying to think of fictional pirates who aren't like the above, and I find it's actually quite hard to think of any at all. The fantasy writer Tim Powers wrote a rather good novel called 'On Stranger Tides' about Blackbeard.

It's not pirates, but I always liked a bit in 'Moby Dick' where Melville described how nice it was to be a lookout man on a whaler. They didn't have a crows nest so he had to stand on a rope at the top of the mast hanging on to another rope. He said it was so quiet and peaceful he would sometimes fall asleep up there! Good news for the whales, I suppose. Not my idea of a spot for forty winks.

Last night my girlfriend showed me her pirate camera. It's a Vivit-Arrr.

When I saw the "Pirated Words" thing, I thought I'd see ale, scurvy, casks, and peglegs.

I had the flu on Talk Like a Pirate Day!

(at least that's what I told those scurvy dogs at work!)

I got that email, as well...

quote:

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but wouldn't they all guess that there was something odd about the rather sensitive pirate who never showered with them all?

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Pirates showered????

I heard somewhere that Captain Kirk never said "Beam me up Scotty."

I'd heard that the expression was "Beam us up Mr Scott".

Now here's a thought. As they had perfected teleportation in Star Trek - why did they need spaceships?

Richard English

Yes, I do believe he did say "Beam us up Mr. Scott." But "Beam me up Scotty"is something of a pop culture catch phrase, at least in America. Steve Buscemi says it in the movie Armagedon.
As far as the teleportation goes, I believe that teleportation became more dangerous over large distances. Morgan and her husband would know more about ths than I do, they are "trekies." Or "trekers," whatever....

Yes, but does anyone know why teleportation was used at all?

In the original, extremely (comparatively speaking) low-budget Star Trek, it was decided that to film any sort of spacecraft "landing" would be too pricey. Then some clever writer came up with the idea of using a special effect that, basically, had been in use for 60 or 80 years. Throw in some glitter for the "disappearance" and "appearance" segments and there you go.

Or, as we used to say in our crude high school years, "Beam this up, Scotty!"