ENGLISH

Polari - The Lost Language of Gay Men

By Paul Baker

Book information

Publisher
Routledge
Year
2002
ISBN
020316704X, 0203261836, 0415261805, 9780415261807, 9780203167045
Language
english
Format
PDF
Filesize
949 kB (972217 bytes)
Series
Routledge Studies in Linguistics
Edition
1
Pages
224\224
Time added
2023-11-25 12:12:20

Description

Polari is a secret form of language mainly used by homosexual men in London and other cities during the twentieth century. Derived in part from the slang lexicons of numerous stigmatised and itinerant groups, Polari was also a means of socialising, acting out camp performances and reconstructing a shared gay identity and worldview among its speakers. This book examines the ways in which Polari was used in order to construct 'gay identities', linking its evolution to the changing status of gay men and lesbians in the UK over the past fifty years.

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