Seadog Talk
by Vera HC ChanSep 18, 2006
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Welcome to the Buzz Linguistics Institute of Dialects, Accents and Archaic Slang. Popular demand has been growing steadily for the past two years in pirate speech—aka the salty utterances of nefarious seadogs.
The vernacular's popularity among coastal city types and landlocked lubbers across the nation has been attributed to Talk Like a Pirate Day. While the phenomenon has taken root in classrooms and even some restaurant chains, data reveal adults to be the main driver of this dialectical diversion. It isn't just men seeking to broaden their verbal repertoire: Wenches make up half the searches.
A Web following has developed for piracy beyond this annual celebration. Continued searches for the "Pirates of the Caribbean" reveal a fascination with peg-legged, scum-ridden buccaneers. Early Halloween revelers have made "pirate costumes" and "sexy pirate costumes" the leading outfit-related query, with a smaller contingent looking to dress up as the slightly swaying Captain Jack Sparrow. Indeed, Jack rules the Buzz High seas, vanquishing the combined searches for pirates real and imagined, such as Long John Silver, Blackbeard, Sir Francis Drake, and Captain Hook.
To help you prepare for your encounters today, here are some phrases and translations. We hope you are able to use the power of language to find a kindred soul on Talk Like a Pirate Day.