On Sep 19, 9:22?am, HK wrote:
Chuck Gould wrote:
On Sep 19, 9:03?am, HK wrote:
Chuck Gould wrote:
On Sep 19, 6:28?am, HK wrote:
...Annual Talk Like A Pirate Day!
Arrrrgh!
According to the TLAPD website, a commonly used pickup line in "pirate
bars" is "prepare to be boarded!" It's been a long, long time since I
was single, but it's hard to imagine such an approach resulting in a
lot of "booty".
The whole concept is silly as heck, and historically inaccurate to
boot.
Oh well, some folks will have a lot of fun with it so......happy "Talk
like Hollywood script writers think pirates talked day" :-)
Find that bottle of "Mellow Yellow," Chuck, and take all of them. I know
you are a really serious guy and disdainful of anyone whose idea of fun
is different from yours. You're probably the only guy in the world
trying to analyze TLAPD for hidden meaning and accuracy.- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

Harry, do try to read for content.

I remarked:

"The whole concept is silly as heck, and historically inaccurate to
boot.
Oh well, some folks will have a lot of fun with it so......happy
"Talk
like Hollywood script writers think pirates talked day" :-)

Note:

1. Described the concept as "silly". (You're not serious, I hope).
2. Noted that while the "pirate speak" is historically inaccurate, it
would be a lot of fun for some folks and wished them a happy "Talk
like Hollywood script writers think pirates talked day".

That includes you, Harry. Have a happy cartoon pirate day. Really, I
mean it.

I had no idea you were a graduate expert in language and dialogue, and
therefore qualified to comment professionally on how all pirates spoke.- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

*All* pirates didn't speak in any particular manner, Harry.

Most of the cartoon "pirate speak" emulates somebody giving orders,
("Swab the deck, ye bloody *******s!") and usually in a derogatory or
threatening tone. It's probable that a lot of people have little or no
appreciation for the overall lack of formal command aboard most
traditional pirate ships. The pirates of the 17th and 18th centuries
were organized very democratically. (Some rec.boaters will hurry to
agree that there are a lot of Democratic pirates still afoot, but
that's a different issue.....).

Aboard most pirate vessels, the Captain had little or no authority
except when planning strategy and conducting boardings. The primary
authority for most issues was the Quartermaster. Both Captain and
Quartermaster were elected positions, and if either officer got too
high-hatted or abusive the crew could easily unelect (or otherwise
dispose of) them and frequently did. Nearly everybody aboard got an
equal share.

Among English speakers, the practice of piracy was exacerbated by
certain policies of the British Navy. As most people know, "landsmen"
were pressed into involuntary service aboard British warships, with an
indiscriminate dragnet sweeping through most coastal towns and
villages whenever a ship needed to replace crew. When the current bout
of perpetual war with France concluded and less manpower was needed,
the draftees would be mustered out wherever in the world their warship
happened to be......there was no effort made to return the poor sods
back to their place of origin where families could be reunited, trades
or farming could be resumed, etc. With the pittance paid to many of
these pressed men, they had no means to book an expensive passage back
home- and in fact had no real reason to anticpate that they would
still have a home, a family, a farm, a shop, or whatever. Piracy
seemed like a decent alternative- a chance to put the newly acquired
skills of seizing ships on the high seas to good use.

Discipline on the British warships was often indeed as harsh as still
portrayed. The British were very class conscious, and the officers
were from privilieged backgrounds while the common seamen were not.
Nobody gave much though to administering severe punishment for minor
offenses. When mustered out British tars took to piracy, they were
generally unwilling to endure the same sort of treatment from officers
that they experienced in the Navy. Discipline was very lax aboard most
pirate vessels, so the barking of orders coupled with insults would be
an uncommon event.

How did 17th and 18th century pirates talk? Pretty much like common
folks in any coastal town or village of the era would talk. The
nautical terms in their vocabulary would be little or no different
than the nautical terms in the vocabulary of any seaman- merchant,
Navy, pirate, or "privateer".