1 00:00:01,920 --> 00:00:06,480 Speaker 1: Welcome to brain Stuff production of I Heart Radio. Hey 2 00:00:06,559 --> 00:00:09,760 Speaker 1: brain Stuff, Lauren Vogel bomb here. In two thousand two, 3 00:00:09,800 --> 00:00:13,800 Speaker 1: syndicated columnist Dave Barry wrote an article that changed our world. 4 00:00:14,200 --> 00:00:17,040 Speaker 1: He revealed that John Bauer and Mark Summers, two guys 5 00:00:17,040 --> 00:00:20,400 Speaker 1: who enjoyed playing racquetball, discovered that the game was much 6 00:00:20,440 --> 00:00:24,800 Speaker 1: more fun if everyone spoke in stereotypical pirates slang. And 7 00:00:24,840 --> 00:00:27,080 Speaker 1: then they extrapolated that the world would be much more 8 00:00:27,080 --> 00:00:30,520 Speaker 1: fun if everyone's spoke in stereotypical pirate slang. So they 9 00:00:30,600 --> 00:00:33,879 Speaker 1: designated a day for it September nineteen, and appealed to 10 00:00:33,960 --> 00:00:36,479 Speaker 1: Barry to spread the good word about Talk Like a 11 00:00:36,520 --> 00:00:40,800 Speaker 1: Pirate Day, and Barry did. He wrote, you have the buckles, 12 00:00:40,880 --> 00:00:44,199 Speaker 1: darn it, don't be afraid to swash them. And with 13 00:00:44,280 --> 00:00:48,160 Speaker 1: those wise words, a tradition was born. Chances are you've 14 00:00:48,159 --> 00:00:51,040 Speaker 1: seen evidence of talk like a Pirate Day. Social media 15 00:00:51,080 --> 00:00:54,520 Speaker 1: hosts a plethora of pirate puns. National chains like Long 16 00:00:54,600 --> 00:00:58,320 Speaker 1: John Silver's and less thematically Crispy Cream offer free items 17 00:00:58,360 --> 00:01:00,920 Speaker 1: to folks and costume it's the one day a year 18 00:01:00,960 --> 00:01:05,960 Speaker 1: that the word are is considered an acceptable alternative to yeah. 19 00:01:06,000 --> 00:01:10,039 Speaker 1: But did pirates really talk like that the answer is 20 00:01:10,280 --> 00:01:14,280 Speaker 1: not really. Our concept of piratical speech stems mainly from 21 00:01:14,280 --> 00:01:17,840 Speaker 1: a series of memorable performances by the actor Robert Newton. 22 00:01:18,319 --> 00:01:21,440 Speaker 1: He appeared in several films and TV shows as a pirate, 23 00:01:21,560 --> 00:01:24,480 Speaker 1: playing such characters as Long John Silver in the nineteen 24 00:01:24,520 --> 00:01:28,319 Speaker 1: fifty Disney adaptation of Treasure Island. Now we did a 25 00:01:28,440 --> 00:01:33,399 Speaker 1: shame to see you in such ill condition perch Kim 26 00:01:33,400 --> 00:01:36,960 Speaker 1: a drop round to worm as Billy as he passes over, 27 00:01:38,120 --> 00:01:41,080 Speaker 1: and the dreaded Edward Teach better known as black Beard 28 00:01:41,280 --> 00:01:44,640 Speaker 1: in two is black Beard the Pirate? Now? What kind 29 00:01:44,720 --> 00:01:51,120 Speaker 1: of a fool you think I be? Newton was born 30 00:01:51,120 --> 00:01:54,040 Speaker 1: in Dorset, England. Dorset is in the West Country, the 31 00:01:54,120 --> 00:01:57,440 Speaker 1: southwest corner of Britain. The dialect in that region contains 32 00:01:57,480 --> 00:02:00,160 Speaker 1: many of the elements we associate with pirate speech. Each 33 00:02:00,560 --> 00:02:03,200 Speaker 1: For example, it's common to hear a hard are in 34 00:02:03,240 --> 00:02:07,160 Speaker 1: words spoken by people from the West Country. Newton's performances 35 00:02:07,200 --> 00:02:10,400 Speaker 1: became iconic. It didn't take long before his West Country 36 00:02:10,400 --> 00:02:14,040 Speaker 1: accent became the de facto pirates speech. You can hear's 37 00:02:14,040 --> 00:02:16,919 Speaker 1: influence in performances like Tim Curry's Long John Silver in 38 00:02:17,000 --> 00:02:24,480 Speaker 1: Muppet Treasure Island him. That's what you're thinking. You're dead wrong. 39 00:02:25,080 --> 00:02:28,079 Speaker 1: Jeffrey Rush's Captain Barbosa in Pirates of the Caribbean, I 40 00:02:28,240 --> 00:02:35,760 Speaker 1: care not for your Tavanians, give hope, limb that give 41 00:02:35,840 --> 00:02:39,800 Speaker 1: me left for chance of black Beard, and even the 42 00:02:39,840 --> 00:02:43,919 Speaker 1: Simpsons Captain McAllister portrayed by Hankers Area six spells, time 43 00:02:44,000 --> 00:02:49,600 Speaker 1: for closing and talk eating fairly warned Beaty says I. Scholars, however, 44 00:02:49,760 --> 00:02:53,400 Speaker 1: don't think his portrayal was particularly accurate. It's hard to 45 00:02:53,400 --> 00:02:56,520 Speaker 1: be certain. We don't have many historical accounts of actual 46 00:02:56,560 --> 00:03:00,240 Speaker 1: pirate speech. The Golden Age of piracy predates recording by 47 00:03:00,240 --> 00:03:03,320 Speaker 1: more than a century. Pirates also didn't have a habit 48 00:03:03,360 --> 00:03:06,840 Speaker 1: of writing much down Many were likely illiterate. Most of 49 00:03:06,840 --> 00:03:09,639 Speaker 1: those who did write were educated before turning to their 50 00:03:09,720 --> 00:03:13,120 Speaker 1: roguish lifestyle, so they're written accounts aren't much different from 51 00:03:13,160 --> 00:03:16,520 Speaker 1: those of other educated people at the time. It might 52 00:03:16,560 --> 00:03:19,560 Speaker 1: be more appropriate to call September ninete talk like Robert 53 00:03:19,560 --> 00:03:23,280 Speaker 1: Newton day. But while it may not be historically accurate 54 00:03:23,360 --> 00:03:26,519 Speaker 1: to yell, shiver me timbers or walk the plank, don't 55 00:03:26,600 --> 00:03:33,760 Speaker 1: let that stop you from having a good time. Today's 56 00:03:33,760 --> 00:03:36,600 Speaker 1: episode was written by Jonathan Strickland and produced by Tyler Klang. 57 00:03:36,920 --> 00:03:39,360 Speaker 1: You can find brain Stuff merchandise at t public dot 58 00:03:39,400 --> 00:03:41,520 Speaker 1: com slash brain stuff, and you can find more on 59 00:03:41,560 --> 00:03:44,480 Speaker 1: this and lots of other swashbuckling topics at our home planet, 60 00:03:44,640 --> 00:03:47,840 Speaker 1: how stuff works dot com. Brain Stuff is production of 61 00:03:47,880 --> 00:03:50,440 Speaker 1: iHeart Radio. For more podcasts for my heart Radio, visit 62 00:03:50,440 --> 00:03:53,120 Speaker 1: the iHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen 63 00:03:53,160 --> 00:03:54,040 Speaker 1: to your favorite shows.