World Language Connections: Island Teacher Tidbits The “piratespeak” people try to reproduce today certainly comes from literature and stereotypes; the real thing was probably a mixture of at least English, French, Italian, Spanish and Arabic. There are very few written documents.

From what is known and documented about pirate life and culture, one can deduce there would never really have been one language that pirates spoke. This is because has been practiced for hundreds and hundreds of years by seafaring peoples from all over the world, and they didn't exactly band together into one group. Pirates would have spoken languages from the Mediterranean, Scandinavia, the Middle East, Eastern Europe, India, East Asia, the rest of Europe, North Africa and North America.

During what we think of is the ‘Golden Age’ of piracy from the 1600's to the 1800's, pirates from different parts of the world would have developed ways to communicate - just not as one consistent pidgin or creole. There is some discussion in which it was suggested that modern "piratespeak" could be attributed to Robert Newton in the 1950 movie of . Incidentally, he was from the southwest of England, as are the pirates in The Pirates of , also a possible modern day popular source. So it's fairly plausible that modern "piratespeak" is based on the alleged "Maritime Pidgin English" spoken by pirates who hailed from that part of the United Kingdom. Meanwhile, pirates from everywhere else in the world would have been busy developing their own pidgins based on where they were from, who they traded with, who they raided, and who they took as slaves or hostages.

Source: linguistics.stackexchange.com

Activity: Code of Conduct While it’s not likely that “workplace rules” were posted around the break room, it is known that the rules of each pirate captain were clearly stated to each member of the crew. There was little ambiguity about acceptable behavior among pirates on a typical pirate ship. When a rule was breached, the crew was often without pity or remorse in punishing a guilty crew member. Although in cases of particularly useful pirates such as skillful fighters, exceptions to breeches in rules were inevitably made. Below, a sample code of conduct is provided as well as come vocabulary words that might help define the rules. Sample Code of Conduct: 1. Every man shall obey civil command; the Captain shall have one full share and a half in all prizes; the Master, Carpenter, Boatswain and Gunner shall have one share and quarter. 2. If any man shall offer to run away, or keep any secret from the company, he shall be marooned with one bottle of powder, one bottle of water, one small arm and shot (ammunition). 3. If any man shall steel any thing in the company, or game, to the value of a piece of eight, he shall be marooned or shot. 4. Any man that shall strike another whilst these articles are in force shall receive Mose's Law (that is 39 stripes) on the bare back.

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5. Any man that shall snap his arms (guns/weapons), or smoke tobacco in the hold, be found without a cap to his pipe, or carry a candle lighted without a lanthorn, shall suffer the same punishment as in the former article. 6. Any man that shall not keep his arms clean, fit for an engagement, or neglect his business, shall be cut off from his share, and suffer such other punishment as the Captain and the company shall think fit. 7. If at any time you meet with a prudent woman, any man that offers to with her, without her consent, shall suffer present death. Source: www.piratesinfo.com Vocabulary: • Arms - guns and/or weapons • Boatswain - an unlicensed member of the deck department of a ship. The boatswain supervises the other unlicensed members of the ship's deck department, and typically is not a someone trusted to stand watch. • Marooned - the intentional leaving of someone in a remote area, such as an uninhabited island. • A piece of eight - The Spanish dollar - a coin that was minted in the Spanish Empire in 1497. • Hold - the ship’s cargo area. • Lanthorn - a lantern

Have your class create their own Code of Conduct; then translate it into "piratespeak." There are a few websites that can help with the translations, but do be aware that they are commercial sites and may need to be previewed by an adult. One site that works well is http://postlikeapirate.com. Activity: Your Pirate Name Have your class create their own name in “piratespeak.” There are website sources, but navigating sites for child friendly names can be tricky. Here’s a simpler child-friendly translation that is fun and safe! Resource: magicalchildhood.wordpress.com

1. Pick three numbers, each one ranging from 1-10 (you can use the same number than ). If you’d like a boy pirate name, pick a number between 1-5 for the last number. If you’d like a girl pirate name, choose a number between 6 and 10 for the last number.

2. Then find the word that corresponds from each list:

First word: Second Word Third Word

1. Big 1. Eye 1. Bob 2. Long 2. Boot 2. Willy 3. Blue 3. Belly 3. Bart 4. Jolly 4. Finger 4. Bill 5. Red 5. Leg 5. Kid 6. Cold 6. Ear 6. Ann 7. Green 7. Mouth 7. Bonny 8. One 8. Tooth 8. Gert 9. Black 9. Lip 9. Sue 10. Stump 10. Foot 10. Bess

For instance, 147 would be Big Finger Bonny; 752 would be Green Leg Willy; and so on. Feel free to make up your own lists! World Language Connections: Treasure Island

Activity: Vocabulary Have students learn the meanings and origins of the words below. Then find them in the word search.

BERTH BOATSWAIN BOWSPRIT CANTING CHEESE COIN CORACLE DILLYDALLY GALLEY HOLD ISLAND JIM LANTHORN MAROONED OCEAN PIRATE SHIP SILVER TREASURE

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