The Origins of Pirates

West country native robert newton was tapped by disney to play long john silver in the screen adaptation of treasure island. His interpretation, rather than any real knowledge of what pirates actually sounded like, appears to most influenced our notions of pirate talk. But if it makes you feel better, most of the terms we associate with pirates are indeed eighteenth century nautical terms. Though back in that time, they were used by anyone who happened to make a life or a living on a coast, not just pirates.