Argh! Shiver me timbers!
Everyone has probably heard that phrase before in some form of media, whether it’s a movie or TV series. But how accurate is it in terms of how pirates actually used to talk back in the day?
No one really knows for sure as none of us were alive back when pirates sailed the seven seas. But, there are some clues left behind through history that can tell us where the famous pirate accent originated from. It starts with Treasure Island.
As Tom Blank from Weird History has shared, the iconic pirate accent can be traced back to the 1950 Disney film Treasure Island, which is an adaptation of the novel by Robert Louis Stevenson.
It turns out that the actor who played Long John Silver, Robert Newton, is from the West Country of England. He used an exaggerated version of his native West Country English accent in order to play the pirate, and it’s that exaggeration that gave rise to the famous accent.
So, it’s safe to say that the accent isn’t actually historically accurate as to how real pirates sounded.
As Tom shares in the video, “The seafaring criminals known as pirates have existed for thousands of years. But because of the portrayals found in literature – or seen in films, TV shows, or on stage – much of what the general public thinks about pirates is likely historically inaccurate.”
Watch the whole video down below:
What do you think of this video? Have you ever wondered where the pirate accent comes from? Let us know!