Many people in england, are equipped with a certain slang called polari, that many don't question its existence or creation, so where did it originate? -- Domino h.c, 7th grade
Have you ever heard the words “naff,” “camp,” or even two more famous words for queer individuals, “butch” and “fruit?” Do you ever wonder how these words came to be? Or where they came from?
Diving into popular British culture, you may or may not be aware of the popular 1960s radio show, Round the Horne, by Barry Took and Marty Feldman. Both Julian and Sandy (two characters on the radio show) used a language called Polari, which was a language used to conceal queer identities due to the fact being gay was still illegal. Polari came from the queer southern England community, and many other influences.
Owen Kelly, VP of Design at LL Bean, and a homosexual man says that Polari originates from “Gay subculture - originating from gay people working in the entertainment industry, gypsy culture, a secret language to protect those on the DL ‘in the life’—I think there might be a bit of Cockney rhyming slang in there too.”
In England this show introduced the language to a heterosexual audience. After this introduction, the secrecy of Polari was forever lost.
“In a way, the popularity of the Julian and Sandy sketches meant that the secret was spoiled. Also, the (partial) decriminalisation of homosexuality in 1967 meant that there was less need for a secret form of language. Then in the early 1970s, gay liberationists wanted to move away from camp stereotypes of gay men, and Polari was increasingly viewed as unattractive and old fashioned,” a Lancaster University student remarked at the Julian and Sandy sketches.
After the recognition of Polari being known throughout England, Morrissey (the front-man of The Smiths, a popular Indie rock band) had released a track, titled “Piccadilly Palare,” in 1990, three years after the breakup of The Smiths. Piccadilly, referring to Piccadilly Circus, in England, which was a famous meeting place for queer folk, and is also known for being a very lively junction in London, riddled with theatres, and restaurants. Palare, is also an alternate term to Polari.
In this song, the lyrics shine a light on the queer identity of Morrissey, as well as providing simple examples of how to speak the language. “So bona to vada. oh you, your lovely eek and your lovely riah,” which translates to “So good to see your lovely face, and your lovely hair.”
Some other Polari slang terms include: Bungery – Pub (this comes from the English word for the closure on a barrel), Butch – Masculine; Masculine Lesbian, Buvare – A drink (from Italian – bere or old-fashioned Italian – bevere or Lingua Francabevire), Cackle – Talk / gossip, Camp – Effeminate (possibly from Italian campare, “exaggerate, make stand out”, or KAMP, Known As Male Prostitute), and many more cited in the Polari Dictionary, on wordpress.
Now in the present day, most English people use Polari, without even having a clue or thought where the slang came from. But how does this affect the rights of England's queer community?
“ I don’t think Polari effects queer rights in any way and yes it’s elements are stolen and borrowed from many different eras and influences—in a time of queer rights being minimized and taken away—it’s a good thing that Polari and other elements of the culture are not exploited and taken mainstream, that could never be done authentically because of its camp and queen history,” Kelly comments on the subject.
And despite the fact that polari is an often spoken slang among the British, whilst few know its origin, as long as the non queer community do not claim the slang as their own, it doesn’t massively disrupt the gay polari users.
Diving into popular British culture, you may or may not be aware of the popular 1960s radio show, Round the Horne, by Barry Took and Marty Feldman. Both Julian and Sandy (two characters on the radio show) used a language called Polari, which was a language used to conceal queer identities due to the fact being gay was still illegal. Polari came from the queer southern England community, and many other influences.
Owen Kelly, VP of Design at LL Bean, and a homosexual man says that Polari originates from “Gay subculture - originating from gay people working in the entertainment industry, gypsy culture, a secret language to protect those on the DL ‘in the life’—I think there might be a bit of Cockney rhyming slang in there too.”
In England this show introduced the language to a heterosexual audience. After this introduction, the secrecy of Polari was forever lost.
“In a way, the popularity of the Julian and Sandy sketches meant that the secret was spoiled. Also, the (partial) decriminalisation of homosexuality in 1967 meant that there was less need for a secret form of language. Then in the early 1970s, gay liberationists wanted to move away from camp stereotypes of gay men, and Polari was increasingly viewed as unattractive and old fashioned,” a Lancaster University student remarked at the Julian and Sandy sketches.
After the recognition of Polari being known throughout England, Morrissey (the front-man of The Smiths, a popular Indie rock band) had released a track, titled “Piccadilly Palare,” in 1990, three years after the breakup of The Smiths. Piccadilly, referring to Piccadilly Circus, in England, which was a famous meeting place for queer folk, and is also known for being a very lively junction in London, riddled with theatres, and restaurants. Palare, is also an alternate term to Polari.
In this song, the lyrics shine a light on the queer identity of Morrissey, as well as providing simple examples of how to speak the language. “So bona to vada. oh you, your lovely eek and your lovely riah,” which translates to “So good to see your lovely face, and your lovely hair.”
Some other Polari slang terms include: Bungery – Pub (this comes from the English word for the closure on a barrel), Butch – Masculine; Masculine Lesbian, Buvare – A drink (from Italian – bere or old-fashioned Italian – bevere or Lingua Francabevire), Cackle – Talk / gossip, Camp – Effeminate (possibly from Italian campare, “exaggerate, make stand out”, or KAMP, Known As Male Prostitute), and many more cited in the Polari Dictionary, on wordpress.
Now in the present day, most English people use Polari, without even having a clue or thought where the slang came from. But how does this affect the rights of England's queer community?
“ I don’t think Polari effects queer rights in any way and yes it’s elements are stolen and borrowed from many different eras and influences—in a time of queer rights being minimized and taken away—it’s a good thing that Polari and other elements of the culture are not exploited and taken mainstream, that could never be done authentically because of its camp and queen history,” Kelly comments on the subject.
And despite the fact that polari is an often spoken slang among the British, whilst few know its origin, as long as the non queer community do not claim the slang as their own, it doesn’t massively disrupt the gay polari users.
