If the fact has somehow escaped you, today is International Talk Like a Pirate Day! We couldn’t miss this opportunity to dig a little deeper into this holiday and try and find out how it came about, who invented it, why we even have a Talk Like a Pirate Day in the first place and, more importantly, how you can join in with the fun.
Why do we have a Talk Like a Pirate Day?
Talk Like a Pirate Day was created in 1995 by two friends, John Baur and Mark Summers of Albany, Oregon in the USA, for no other real reason than that they thought it would be fun to spend an entire day, you guessed it, talking like pirates.
Why is September 19th Talk Like a Pirate Day?
Talk Like a Pirate Day is celebrated on September 19th each year. The reason it's this day out of the 364 other days that Baur and Summers could have chosen is down to a couple of things: one being that it didn't coincide with any other big holidays or observances. The other being that September 19th was Mark Summers' ex-wife's birthday - meaning it would (hopefully!) be easy for him to remember.
What do people do on Talk Like a Pirate Day?
Spoiler alert: on Talk Like a Pirate Day, most people, well…they talk like pirates. But whether or not you can go for the entire day speaking in pirate-themed phrases and vocabulary is another thing entirely!
However, if you’re so inclined there are a few other ways you can celebrate Talk Like a Pirate Day. You could even turn what is undeniably a silly - albeit a fun - occasion into something that does some good.
For example, you could organize a swashbuckling themed day at work and have everyone pay a small amount of money in order to come in dressed up as a pirate and then donate the funds raised to a local charity.
You may even find some events taking place in your area, especially if you live near the sea or a port - for example, keep an eye out for pirate-themed pub crawls or parties.
Or if it’s too late for that, or you’re looking for something that’s a little less effort, simply try and incorporate some pirate lingo into your conversations today.
How to talk like a pirate
If you're looking for a fun and festive way to celebrate some general silliness, Talk Like a Pirate Day is the holiday for you. But how do you actually talk like a pirate? Here are some buccaneer-friendly phrases that you can throw into your conversation, whether that’s in your real-life chats or on social media.
- Shiver me timbers!
- Ahoy there!
- Ahoy there shipmates!
- Yo ho ho!
- And of course….arrrr!
Basically throwing around lots of "arrr"s and "mateys” will do the trick, as will peppering your sentences with threats about making someone walk the plank. Adding "me" to the start of words will also make you sound like a true swashbuckler.
And if you’re on social media and planning to celebrate Talk Like a Pirate Day don’t forget to use the hashtag #talklikeapirateday. And follow Martide too as we’ll be posting some pirate-theme content as well!
We’ll be shivering our timbers over on Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter so come and give us a like or a follow.
Finally, at the end of Talk Like a Pirate Day, you might even want to see if you can convince your crewmates - AKA your coworkers - to go for a pint of happy hour grog (the name sailors and pirates used to give to the ship’s supply of rum) after work too!
Happy Talk Like a Pirate Day, me hearties!
Eve Church
Eve is Martide's content writer, publishing regular posts on everything from our maritime recruitment and crew planning software to life at sea. Eve has been writing professionally for more than two decades, crafting everything from SEO-focused blog posts and website landing pages to magazine articles and corporate whitepapers.
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