Polari Revival

Talliesin

I've always found Polari interesting (as well as being queer I find cants interesting). I've slightly mixed feelings about this article though. Polari is an important part of our history, but I'm not sure it has a place in our culture any more.

Boston

While this is the first I've heard of Polari, it sound elitist and merely for the purpose of segregating people into cliques, which I don't like because that leads to stereotypes and accepted norms.

Talliesin

Boston wrote:

While this is the first I've heard of Polari, it sound elitist and merely for the purpose of segregating people into cliques, which I don't like because that leads to stereotypes and accepted norms.

Yes, I worry about that. Originally it was a cant, and like thieve's cant (from which it borrowed some of its vocabulary) its intention was to protect those using it to communicate. It would no longer suit that purpose and it does seem like a revival could lead to élitism.

damien

I had heard of Polari but did not know it had a name or had academic experts. In a world where being gay or bisexual was a crime, where kissing someone of the same sex would get this crap kicked out of you by a polceman and when "dressing in a queer manner" would have you arrested using Polari was a way of protecting yourself.

Bringing it back as a fahionable thing to make money is in some ways disrespecting those that created it out of necessity. Bit of job security for the academic too.

Talliesin

damien.m wrote:

I had heard of Polari but did not know it had a name

Polari is Polari for "speech" or "talk".
It is a variant of "Palare", which was another name for the same cant, which derives from the Italian "parlare" - "to talk".
One of its sources was an earlier cant called Parlyaree.

damien.m wrote:

or had academic experts.

Well it has relevance to linguistics, history and Queer theory.
Some English slang words derive from Polari (generally via Cockney); "karsey", "mankey", "ponce", "savvy" and "scarper". Also some slang words may have derived from Polari, or have come into both Polari and another slang from the same source; "bimbo" and "naff" ("naff" definitely became widespread from the TV show Porridge, whether it was from Polari or not is unclear, though it seems to be the most likely case) and some terms still used in Gay slang but well-known generally also come from Polari; "drag" and "trannie" certainly, quite likely "camp" and "closet".

So it's certainly worth academic study and I would no more see it die from memory altogether than I would see Christopher Street developed beyond recognition.

At the same time, perhaps it's time for active use has passed.

Hmm_Messiah

I enjoyed the article, never having heard of polari (though now have vaguest memory of an eccentric older friend using the term sometime). I also like the tone of respect/reverence people show for the past, or for the past's contribution to ..now.

Its usage today would seem a bit silly, though I could see people using maybe some of the more coluorful terms, for their "fun" value.

Having a secret language though lessens somethign I've often enjoyed (and sometimes been totally frustrated by), that is the conversation with a guy where you hae to work out is he saying what you think (hope) and is he understanding what you really mean.

I remember being at a family event with some gay friends. I was talking and my sisters etc were just enjoying the story, mygay friends/partner werefalling around literallly laughing, finding totally different meanings in what I said. I don't mean crass double entendres like "he'd bend over back wards to help you"...............though I rem one day my siblings were singing the joys of parenthood and suggested I should get a kid .....the other half went with this as if he would carry the child etc etc. Not being tv watchers they didn't get it when he grossed me out decding the childs name would be mr. hanky.

Hoving worked a little in literacy (serious note) i am aware of how people perceive language they don't understand, as elitist and snobbish etc, so i agree with that point too.