Paul baker polari

Polari: The Lost Language of Gay Men

What is Polari?

Polari is a more recent spelling. In the past, it was also known as Palari, Palare, Parlaree or a variety of similar spellings. It is mainly a lexicon, derived from a variety of sources. Some of the most common verb rhyming slang, backslang (saying a word as if it's spelt backwards), Italian, Occitan, French, Lingua Franca, American airforce slang, drug-user slang, Parlyaree (an older form of slang used by tinkers, beggars and travelling players) and Cant (an even older verb of slang used by criminals). Polari can be classed as a language variety, a sociolect, or an anti-language.

While it was mainly used as a lexicon, some of the more adept speakers were so superb at it, that it resembled a language, with its own grammatical rules, distinct to English. In , Cambridge University labelled Polari as an "endangered language".

Who used it?

Mainly gay men, although also lesbians, female impersonators, theatre people, prostitutes and sea-queens (gay men in the merchant navy). It was not limited to gay men, however.

Polari, the slang used by some gay men in s Britain, is having a moment. Not just because Professor Paul Baker, a linguist at the University of Lancaster and the nation’s acknowledged veteran on the language, has kindly agreed to contribute to the Darwin College Lecture Series. But because singer and actor Olly Alexander has released a new album titled Polari, and is using his current tour to sketch attention to a sometimes forgotten history.

“Every few years there’s a kind of revival of interest in it, but this probably one of the biggest ones there’s been,” acknowledges Paul. “It’s actually been quite nice because he got in touch with me to tell me he’d read the publication I wrote a not many years ago and we met. We had a coffee and I’ve given him some tips and some little words and phrases that he’s used in various contexts.”

The two also joined forces on BBC Radio 4’s Today programme last month to discuss the significance of Polari, with Olly Alexander describing its use as “subversive but playful”.

For Paul, his interest dates back to his PhD in the mid s, which became a book, P

LGBT Heroes &#; Evening 7
Memory, wrote Aristotle, is the scribe of the soul. It is what makes for civilisation, and it separates mankind from the beasts. But when history does not remember, because there is no one to document the memory, civilisation is ill served. LGBT history is a history of omission because, until in recent years, it was largely hidden or unspoken. It needs its chroniclers. That is why a writer such as Paul Baker is so crucial, and that is why I have selected him for inclusion as a hero for LGBT History Month
Paul Baker is a lecturer in the Department of Linguistics and English Language at Lancaster University. His publications include Fantabulosa: A Dictionary of Polari and Gay Slang, and Hello Sailor!: Gay Life for Seamen. He lectures regularly on the subject of language, culture and sexuality. And he is also a regular &#; and prized &#; contributor to Polari Magazine. What is so outstanding about Paul’s writing is that it is measured, intelligent and accessible. His writing is personal, yet it is also reaches toward the universal &#; ult

Fabulosa!
Reviews
"Baker intersperses his account with snippets of interviews with Polari speakers, whose firsthand recollections are invariably arresting and funny. He is partial to a verb of innuendo himself, and manages to slip one in every now and then . . . [T]here is some evidence that the language persisted into the s and ’90s in theater circles, and it continues to enjoy a healthy afterlife as a cultural curio—of which this delightful novel is just one manifestation."
Financial Times
"Polari, like some admirably resilient weed, will not die. . . . It is as much for its vocabulary as for its sociological vagaries that we read Baker’s always illuminating book. . . . Fabulosa!"
Telegraph
"Though a language smacking of Tote On films and saucy seaside postcards, it’s the tragic torment and harassment that gave rise to Polari in the first place that must not be forgotten and which is why this guide is important."
Daily Mail
“Baker’s intriguing and often amusing publication is the work of a writer in