The question is: how many of these might have been used by actual pirates? Like with many things Hollywood does, there are some inaccuracies in their portrayal of pirates. Not many pirates were coming from Dorchester, however, so it might not be the most authentic accent.īeyond the accent, talking like a pirate means using a number of stock words and phrases. ![]() The West Country was the center of the fishing industry in England and thus was tied to nautical terminology. He used the West Country accent of his childhood - played up to some extent - as the voice for Blackbeard and Long John Silver. Newton was a Brit who came from Dorchester, a town in the southwest of England. The Hollywood pirate can be traced back almost entirely to a single man: Robert Newton, who played Long John Silver in both Treasure Island and Long John Silver, as well as Blackbeard in Blackbeard the Pirate. ![]() And by “pirate,” we mean Hollywood actors playing pirates. If you were raised in the United States or the United Kingdom, there’s a pretty good chance you’ll know what a “pirate” sounds like. But in general, the furor for pirate content isn’t what it was in the mid-2000s. The Sims 4 also celebrated the day in 2018 by translating its text prompts into pirate (the traditional “woohoo” becoming “heave ho”). For example, it would change “Lives in” to “Anchored in” and “Studied at” to “Did book-larnin’ at.” Sadly, the feature was removed in one of Facebook’s updates. Most notably, in 2008, Facebook added “English (Pirate)” to their list of languages, so you could translate the website into a semblance of pirate-speak. The holiday has largely been kept alive because of various companies celebrating it. If you’re “pirating” something today, it more often refers to downloading something illegally than attacking someone else’s ship. Pirates also became a massive symbol of early internet culture. Just one year later, the first Pirates of the Caribbean film was released, which launched pirates back into the cultural conversation. The timing of the holiday’s announcement may have contributed to its popularity. Barry wrote about the holiday and became the official spokesperson, and it launched the entirely unknown celebration into the larger world. Then, in 2002, Baur and Summers decided to expand the holiday by reaching out to humorist Dave Barry, whose column was syndicated around the country. In any case, for the first few years, nothing much came of it. Summers chose September 19 because it was his ex-wife’s birthday (yeah, it’s weird). Friends John Baur and Mark Summers were playing racquetball on an auspicious summer day and decided to start yelling things at each other using “pirate slang.” This was your usual “avast” and “ahoy” and, of course, “arrrr!”īaur and Summers had so much fun, they decided to make it an informal holiday among themselves and the people they knew. This one doesn’t go back to the Golden Age of Piracy in the 17th century, but instead to that long ago year of 1995. Like any great holiday, International Talk Like A Pirate Day has a strange origin story. Started by a group of people just wanting to have a laugh, it’s a holiday that exists for the sole purpose of having fun by going around yelling “drink up me hearties” and “curse ye, ye landlubber.” But what’s the real deal behind talking like a pirate? The History Of International Talk Like A Pirate Day ![]() But this proliferation of Days might just have been started by one of the most silly, internet-centric holidays of all: International Talk Like A Pirate Day.Ĭelebrated each September 19, International Talk Like A Pirate Day may sound a bit like a joke. You’ll most often see them spread across Facebook or being talked about by some company that makes a relevant product (think Dunkin’ on National Doughnut Day). ![]() Not all of these are widely celebrated and many of them are openly silly. On a single day in October, you can celebrate No Bra Day, Own Business Day, Train Your Brain Day, Ada Lovelace Day and Face Your Fears Day. While there used to be pretty much just Mother’s Day, Father’s Day and a few others, today there’s a National Day for pretty much any day of the year. The calendar has become inundated with Days.
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