Arrrrr!

Day 341: "If there be ary a thing wot compels me t' slit a gullet, it be th' skite wot swaggers onter me deck an' says t' bo'sun, 'Arrrrrrrrrrrrrrr! Bring me to yer captain fer I wants t' j'in yer crew.' I'll keelhaul th' bleedin' fool afore 'e growls 'is second R. It be International Talk Like A Pirate Day ag'in, an' I be up to me flamin' arse in 'Arrrrr!'" So says Capt. Morgan Corbye, mistress of the seas, and I "be" (am) her biographer. At her bidding, I will set the record straight.

While the generic piratical growl is usually transcribed as "Arrrr!" with any number of Rs following the A, it should be noted that they are British Rs, whatever their number. Generally, unless followed by a vowel, they do not rumble, roar or resonate in the vocal cords. In fact, the very name of the letter is pronounced "Ah," and therefore "Arrrrr!" is an elongation of that sound. "Arrrrr!" with a growling rumble is a rhotic Americanization. When uttered by a true pirate, it more closely resembles "Aaaaahhhhh!" or "Aaaaggghhh!" or even "Aaaaaw!" Think of an anguished groan: "Aaaaarrrrr! Me leg's gone at th' knee!" It should also be mentioned here that Capt. Corbye's thoroughly piratical "arse" is an "aaahhhs," not an "ass." The latter is a donkey like Eeyore, which, I might add, is transcribed into American English as "Hee-haw," i.e., "eey-yoaahhh."