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Shiver Me Timbers! Today is "International Talk Like a Pirate Day"

by Catherine Bodry (RSS feed) on Sep 19th 2007 at 10:51AM

Wednesday, September 19, is "the only day of the year you can talk like a pirate and not be entirely insane," touts the website for "Talk Like a Pirate Day." The folks behind TLAPD have some great resources for non-pirates wanting to join the club; you can take a quiz to determine your pirate name (mine is Iron Charity Bonney, which to me sounds like it might be related to an Iron Chastity Belt, something I certainly want no party of), learn some pirate phrases, and even type in sentences which will be translated into pirate dialect for you.

For example, instead of saying something like this: "The committee has decided to reallocate your time to the filing group. We look forward to the exciting new synergies between these departments," you would say this: "Aye matey, those scalawags in their fine breeches want ye' to move o'er with the scurvy dogs yonder. If ye' don't come back with some fine booty, we be keelhaulin' you next morn!"

And if you really want to be a pirate, check out our list of real-life pirate hangouts. Put on that eye patch, strap on the peg leg, and let your inner pirate loose. But maybe hold off on the pillaging and plundering. Arrgh!

[via Reuters]

Filed under: Arts and Culture, Festivals and Events

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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

John Sep 19th 2007 12:12PM

Darn! To think that it wasn't until Disney released "Treasure Island" in 1950 that people started believing that pirates talked like some drunken uncouth fisherman from Dorset. Up to then, movies showed pirates talking like Errol Flynn or Gene Kelly. Then, along came Robert Newton hamming it up as "Long John Silver" rolling his rs as well as his eyes. He later did the same as "Blackbeard" and the rest was history.

Marilyn Terrell Sep 19th 2007 12:13PM

Arrrgggh! For more on real-life pirate hangouts, here's a chilling story from National Geographic about the devilish doings in the Strait of Malacca lately:

http://magma.nationalgeographic.com/ngm/2007-10/malacca-strait-pirates/pirates-text.html

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