pirates
Captain Hector Barbossa saying "Arrr!"

Captain Hector Barbossa saying "Arrr!"

"Arrr!"
―Hector Barbossa[src]

Arr (alternatively "Arrr", "Arrrrr", "Arrrgh", "Harr", "Rrrr", "Yarr", "Yarrrr" or "Yaarrrr") is a word that can essentially mean anything, usually a response in the affirmative (i.e. "yes"), or general exclamation among sailors and pirates. The word can also be used as a growl or snarl-like noise. It has been speculated that rhoticity (pronouncing the letter "r" essentially everywhere it appears), a distinctive element of the speech of the West Country of England, has been associated with pirates because of the West Country's strong maritime heritage, where for many centuries fishing was the main industry (and smuggling a major unofficial one), and where there were several major ports.

History

Members of the cursed crew yell "Yar!"

Members of the cursed crew yell "Yar!"

Contrary to popular belief, self-respecting pirates did not punctuate their speech with "Arrrr", unless they were cleverly impersonating someone impersonating a pirate, in which case such poor taste was in the service of a higher and profitable purpose. However, many pirates weren't self-respecting whatsoever, in which case "Arrrr" was only natural.[1]

When young Jack Sparrow met Captain Hector Barbossa in Shipwreck City the older pirate's speech was so affectedly 'salty' that Jack half expected him to say "Arrrrr".[2] A few years later, when the Greek demigod Palaimon revealed the trap he set for Barbossa and the crew of the Black Pearl, the moonlight revealed the cursed appearance of the pirates, and many of them yelled "Yar!"[3] Barbossa himself spoke the word "Arrr!" while chasing Elizabeth Swann around the captain's cabin of the Black Pearl.[4] Over a year later, when a resurrected Barbossa and Jack first blustered and argued as two captains aboard the Pearl, Barbossa asked Jack "What are you doing?" but with an emphasis on his "Arrr."[5] The thief Gan spoke "Yarr" while arguing with his fellow thief Jan about whose idea it was to steal Carina Smyth's occhiolino.[6]

Behind the scenes

"Barbossa had an accent that he couldn't quite place, and he was usually good at that kind of thing. West Country. Cornwall, perhaps? [...] His accented speech was so affectedly 'salty' Jack half expected him to say 'Arrrrr' at any moment. And yet, despite the accented, rough speech, here was a man of some intelligence, perhaps even a man with some education."
―An excerpt from The Price of Freedom referring to Jack Sparrow meeting Hector Barbossa[src]

There are various ways of spelling the pirate word. Traditional usage, such as Wiktionary, has the word as "arr" spelled with two Rs.[7] While in the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise, the spelling varies:

Sometimes the word "Arr" is mistaken for "Ah" as said in some of Barbossa's lines as well as the original Disneyland ride, depending on the line spoken.

With the release of The Curse of the Black Pearl in 2003, the official Pirates of the Caribbean website featured a mini video game called "WaRRRR". The player had to beat "Bootstrap Bill" in a game of cards called Warrrr in the Faithful Bride. The reward for winning the game was a wallpaper with four playing cards (Jacks, Aces, Kings, and Queens) chosen from the French suits of Clubs, Spades, Hearts and Diamonds, or one wallpaper with all sixteen cards, but smaller than the cards on the remaining wallpapers.[16][17][18][19][20][21]

Various versions of the phrase "yar" appeared in most media. For example, the comics from Disney Adventures magazine, including "yaarrrr!" being said by Scurvy Joe while attacking Jack Sparrow in "The Capture of Jack Sparrow!",[22] "yarr" spoken by cursed pirates in "Open Sesame!" and The Buccaneer's Heart!,[23][24] and "Yarrrr" being said by Lucky Tom in "The Treasure of Shipwreck Island!".[25] "Yar", as spoken by Fitzwilliam P. Dalton III, first appeared in Jack Sparrow: The Coming Storm.[26] All the pirates in Barbossa's cursed crew yelled "Yar!" in the "...Strangers Bearing Gifts" comic story, which was originally intended to be published in Six Sea Shanties.[3]

"Arrr" can be constantly heard in the mini game Cursed Cave Crusade.[27]

The archetypal pirate word first appeared in fiction as early as the 1934 film Treasure Island starring Lionel Barrymore, and was used by a character in the 1940 novel Adam Penfeather, Buccaneer by Jeffery Farnol.[28] However, it was Robert Newton's use of it in the classic 1950 Disney film Treasure Island that popularized the interjection and made it widely remembered. Ironically, the word was never uttered in the original novel by Robert Louis Stevenson.[29]

According to a post on the Disney Villains Facebook page, "Arrrrrrrg [ah-r-g]" is an expression of annoyance and Captain Hook's go-to outcry when Peter Pan escapes.[30]

On February 20, 2024, a coupon titled "Pets Arrr Purrfect" was released in the online game Pirates of the Caribbean: Tides of War.[31]

Appearances

Sources

External links

Notes and references

  1. ↑ The Captain Jack Sparrow Handbook, p. 19
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 The Price of Freedom, Chapter Two: Lady Esmeralda
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 Pirates of the Caribbean: Six Sea Shanties
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl
  5. ↑ Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End
  6. ↑ The Secret of Galileo's Diary
  7. ↑ arr - Wiktionary
  8. ↑ Attraction narration script, final draft 1967 featured in A Pirate's Life for Me: Disney’s Rascals, Scoundrels, Really Bad Eggs
  9. ↑ Pirates of the Caribbean: From the Magic Kingdom to the Movies
  10. ↑ Pirates of the Caribbean Disney Attraction Poster March 2011
  11. ↑ #DisneyMagicMoments: Arrrgh! Celebrate 'International Talk Like A Pirate Day' with Favorite Pirates of the Caribbean Photos from Around the World | Disney Parks Blog
  12. ↑ Wordplayer.com: PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: AT WORLD'S END by Ted Elliott & Terry Rossio
  13. ↑ POTC4 Presskit
  14. ↑ Pirates of the Caribbean - Avast ye bloomin' cockroaches! Celebrate Talk Like A Pirate Day by revealing the pirate word ye should be speakin' all day long! - Facebook
  15. ↑ Talk Like A Pirate Day | By Pirates of the Caribbean | Facebook
  16. ↑ Warrrr - Pirates of the Caribbean (Browser Game) Complete Walkthrough
  17. ↑ Warrrr 16 cards
  18. ↑ Warrrr Clubs
  19. ↑ Warrrr Diamonds
  20. ↑ Warrrr Hearts
  21. ↑ Warrrr Spades
  22. ↑ Disney Adventures: "The Capture of Jack Sparrow!"
  23. ↑ Disney Adventures: "The Buccaneer's Heart!"
  24. ↑ Disney Adventures: "Open Sesame!"
  25. ↑ Disney Adventures: "The Treasure of Shipwreck Island!"
  26. ↑ Jack Sparrow: The Coming Storm, p. 53
  27. ↑ DisneyPirates.com: Cursed Cave Crusade
  28. ↑ Did Pirates Really Say "Arrrr"? The origin of Hollywood's high-seas slang - Slate
  29. ↑ Treasure Island
  30. ↑ Disney Villains - Arrrrrrrg - An expression of annoyance. Captain Hook’s go-to outcry when Peter Pan escapes. | Facebook
  31. ↑ We have prepared for you a special surprise coupon for our dear captains on the occasion of Pet Dogs Day! Coupon Code: PETS ARRR PURRFECT - Facebook