Stereotypical sociolect of English spoken by seafaring pirates
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When did we start naming our dogs Rover, and why?
One stereotypical name for a dog is Fido, from the Latin for faithful.
Another stereotypical dog-name is Rover. How long has Rover been a common name for a dog in English?
Does it have anything to ...
2
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2answers
288 views
English for “À l’abordage!”?
Basically, pirates would use the term À l’abordage! as a cry when boarding enemy ships like described in the phrase’s Wiktionary entry.
Is there a English translation for this, or is it an ...
5
votes
2answers
231 views
Why “me” instead of “my” in pirate speech?
I don’t understand the usage in constructions like “Spare meself, me ship, me crew” in Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End.
Is it a dialect or “bloody pirate’s speech” or what?
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votes
2answers
358 views
How did “tot” come to mean a measure or ration?
How did tot,
A measure of spirits, especially rum.
get that meaning?
It seems to have come to mean a specific ration, as in the daily tot of rum given to a sailor in the Royal Navy (well, no ...
7
votes
2answers
1k views
How did pirates really talk?
In this question we learned that pirates did not really talk like they are commonly portrayed. Given that they were professional sailors, they probably had a wide store of nautical jargon; but what ...
21
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8answers
4k views
What does “up she rises” mean in the sea shanty “Drunken Sailor”?
It's early in the morning, so perhaps the sailor in question is rousing from his drunken stupor. But sailors were traditionally all men, so why "up she rises"? Is the sailor being mocked, or does it ...
8
votes
2answers
514 views
How did “hearties” come to mean “shipmates”?
Typically I find hearty to be used as an adjective, for example:
Thank you for this hearty meal
He gave a hearty laugh
The definition for which can be found in any dictionary and can mean things ...
12
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3answers
2k views
What does “yo-ho-ho” mean?
The pirate song “Fifteen Men on a Dead Man’s Chest” from Treasure Island contains the expression yo-ho-ho.
Fifteen men on the dead man’s chest—
Yo-ho-ho, and a bottle of rum!
Drink and the ...
21
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8answers
2k views
Does “yar” (or “yarr” or “yargh”) in Pirate English imply an affirmative?
In honor of International Talk Like A Pirate Day, I’d like to ask a question about the pirate dialect of English. Most pirate sentences begin with a standard pirate-sounding hedge to lend ...
13
votes
6answers
4k views
Distinction between “pillage” and “plunder”
Both pillage and plunder refer to the taking of goods by force. What is the distinction in usage between the two words?
Specifically, (due to a recent argument) do pirates only plunder, or can they ...
11
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6answers
597 views
Etymology of the phrase “Shiver my timbers”
I've been trying to search for the origin and meaning of the phrase "Shiver my timbers," but can't seem to find anything.
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8answers
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What is the factual basis for “pirate speech”? (Did pirates really say things like “shiver me timbers”?)
The "pirate speech" we hear/see/read at, for example, the website Talk Like A Pirate Day consists of a rhotic dialect characterized by phrases like "shiver me timbers," "ooh arh me hearties," and so ...
