Tuesday, August 30, 2005
Shiver Me Timbers! It's Pirate Grammar 101!
OK, over a week has gone by now, and not one of the girls players in my foursome has responded in any way to the throwing of my gauntlet.
I guess they just don't make omnipotent deities like they used to.
By the way, we had a brisk debate at my party Saturday night regarding the proper use of pirate verbage. Maybe some of you can help sort it out:
The correct spelling of the traditional pirate growl is:
1) Yar
2) Argh
3) Arrrr
Number two seems to be the most commonly accepted spelling at this point, but both one and three have their adherents. I've been unable to locate my 1720 copy of The Canon of Pirate Ethics, which I'm sure would clear the whole thing up, so we have to do it the old-fashioned way: Everybody votes, I count them all, then pick whichever one I like best. Hey, it's my blog.
There seems to be no conflict regarding adding emphasis to the growl: The dutiful swashbuckling writer has only to increase the number of "r's." In the case of #2, however, one must also include additional "g's," usually at the ratio of three "r's" for every "g." The silent "h" at the end can stay solo, since it don't mean shit anyway.
Perhaps my three Blog mates of piratical nerve and vaudevillian style, El Capitan, Zippo The Pirate, and Wastnawa can chime in here and help us all out?
Yar.
|
I guess they just don't make omnipotent deities like they used to.
By the way, we had a brisk debate at my party Saturday night regarding the proper use of pirate verbage. Maybe some of you can help sort it out:
The correct spelling of the traditional pirate growl is:
1) Yar
2) Argh
3) Arrrr
Number two seems to be the most commonly accepted spelling at this point, but both one and three have their adherents. I've been unable to locate my 1720 copy of The Canon of Pirate Ethics, which I'm sure would clear the whole thing up, so we have to do it the old-fashioned way: Everybody votes, I count them all, then pick whichever one I like best. Hey, it's my blog.
There seems to be no conflict regarding adding emphasis to the growl: The dutiful swashbuckling writer has only to increase the number of "r's." In the case of #2, however, one must also include additional "g's," usually at the ratio of three "r's" for every "g." The silent "h" at the end can stay solo, since it don't mean shit anyway.
Perhaps my three Blog mates of piratical nerve and vaudevillian style, El Capitan, Zippo The Pirate, and Wastnawa can chime in here and help us all out?
Yar.
