Polari

Polari Language

Polari (previously known as Palari, Palare, or Parlaree) is an endangered language variety that can be defined as a sociolect and as an anti-language.

So, which social groups spoke Polari, and why was the creation of this anti-language needed?

Polari is a predominantly lexical language that derived from English out of necessity in the 1930s. Polari is considered a 'secret' language that took vocabulary from multiple different places (e.g., Italian) and strategies (e.g., backslang) so that gay men could talk about their lives without fear of prosecution.

Gay men weren't the only ones using Polari, and between the 1930s and the 1970s, the secret language was used in London and throughout the UK by gay women, sex workers, people in the Navy, people who worked in theatre, and more.

Today, the language has fallen out of use and has been labeled an 'endangered' language by Cambridge University.

Polari History

The exact origins of Polari are not 100% clear, but it came into dominance in London in the 1930s. Many believe it evolved from an old slang language named Parlyaree, which was used by travelers, circus members, market stall vendors, beggars, and other relatively 'powerless' members of society. Parlyaree contained vocabulary from a wide variety of sources, such as Italian, Romani, Meditarianian lingua franca, and slang.

Fig 1. Parlyaree could often be heard at the carnival

Parlyaree was then picked up and added to by other members of society and used as a way of excluding those from the main speech community, i.e., the wider society. The language grew in terms of vocabulary and popularity until it became what we now call Polari. The main users of Polari were theatre workers, circus workers, gay men, gay women, and gay men in the Navy.

The vocabulary of Polari was originally very small (around 20 words); however, over time, it grew to about 500 words. New words arose from various different sources and techniques, such as Cockney rhyming slang, Yiddish, thieves cant (slang used by criminals), drug culture slang, and backslang.

Throughout the 1930s-60s, Polari could be heard throughout London in places where gay men, theatre and circus folk, and potential criminals hung out, such as in bars, cafes, and the theatre. Polari wasn't only common in London but could also be found across cities with a sizeable gay community.

The secretness of Polari allowed people who, at the time, were deemed lawbreakers to talk amongst themselves confidently without fear of being reported or caught by undercover police.

By the end of the 1960s, Polari started to die out, mainly because the need to 'hide' from the law was no longer as necessary and because the language itself wasn't much of a secret anymore. In the mid-1960s, two famous British comedians began using Polari on a popular radio show, meaning the secrecy of the secret language was lost.

Today, some Polari words are still in use and have made their way into mainstream slang.

Polari Words

Due to the nature of the language, Polari contains a lot of words surrounding sexuality, clothing, appearances, and the gay lifestyle at the time. Polari has a core vocabulary of around 20/25 words, as well as around 450+ words that are known by some but not others.

Here are some example core words with a brief description of their etymology (linguistic history):

• Ajax (next to) - Short for "adjacent to"
• Bagaga (penis) - Taken from the Italian word for baggage "baggagio"
• Fantabulosa (amazing) - A blended word of "fantastic" and "fabulous" with the suffix "-osa" added
• Bevvy (drink) - Short for "beverage"
• Ecaf (face) - Victorian backslang word (ecaf was often shortened to eek)
• Dhobie (to wash) - From the Hindi word for washerman "dhobi"
• Lally (leg) - Cockney rhyming slang
• Dolly (pretty) - British slang
• Bona (good) - Potentially from the Italian word for good "buona"
• Naff (tasteless) - Origin unknown
• Omi (man) - Potentially from the Italian for man "uomo"
• Palone (woman) - Origin unknown
• Omi-palone (gay man) - A combination of man + woman
• Riah (hair) - Backslang
• Vada/Varda (to look) -Potentially from the Italian word for see "vedere"
• Vera Lynn (gin) - Cockney Rhyming Slang

Fig 2. In Polari, a glass of gin could be a "bevvy" or a "Vera Lynn"

Polari Grammar

As Polari is predominantly a lexical language variety that derived from English, its grammar remained much the same as that of English. Although most people used Polari by simply exchanging out some English words, a few Polari speakers attempted to standardize and record Polari grammar.

These rules were similar to English grammar, except slightly more standardized. For example,

• Add the suffix "-s" to the end of a noun to make a plural

• Add the suffix "-er" to the end of a verb to create a noun

• Add the suffix "-ing" to the end of a verb to show a continuous aspect

• Add the suffix "-ed" to the end of a verb to show a completed aspect

Polari Numbers

Polari also had its own number system, suggesting the language was once used on a daily basis for everyday activities.

The numbers are:

Polari Slang

By the end of the 1960s, many polari words had made it into mainstream slang, and some Polari words can still be heard in Britain, and around the world, today.

The first time Polari really made an impact in the mainstream media was when it appeared on the BBC radio show Round the Horne in the mid-60s. The show began using Polari in some of its sketches and Polari vocabulary began making its way into the mainstream from there. Famous Polari lines that appeared in the show included:

Translation: Nice to see your pretty old face

Translation: Men and women of the jury, look well at the face of the poor man who stands before you, his legs trembling.

Polari has also cropped up in other mainstream media outlets, such as in a song by the British artist Morrisey (So bona to vada...oh you! Your lovely eek and your lovely riah - from 'Piccadilly Palare'), and even in an episode of Ru Paul's Drag Race.

Some Polari words that exist in slang today include:

• Naff - tasteless

• Camp - a feminine man

• Butch - a masculine woman

• Slap - makeup

• Drag - women's clothes

Polari Dictionary

There is no official Polari dictionary, and it's unlikely one is going to appear any time soon. However, a handful of Polari words have made their way into the Oxford English Dictionary, including naff and butch.