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Gay slang
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Gay slang in linguistics refers to a form of English slang used predominantly among LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender) people.
Contents
- 1 Historical development
- 2 Differences and similarities to Polari
- 3 Cultural impact
- 4 Footnotes
- 5 References
- 6 See also
- 7 External links
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Historical development
Slang frequently arises from the need or desire of a particular subculture to create or maintain secrecy, from want of recognition and acceptance, or fear of prejudice, persecution, or exposure; or to describe situations, acts and things not common in the dominant culture (see also argot).
Assimilation and use of slang also gives individuals a feeling of belonging - necessary in the creation,
maintenance or reinforcement of a subculture, its values, politics and sociology.
Differences and similarities to Polari
Modern gay slang has origins in the English language, unlike its linguistic sibling, Polari, which derives from Italian languages, Lingua franca, Yiddish and French. [1]
Another difference between gay slang and Polari is that gay slang has become descriptive of the overall experience of life in the gay community, whereas Polari includes names for common words that have no exclusive relation to the LGBT culture (e.g., "glossies" for "magazines").[1]. Gay slang also coexists along side regional slang and many gay men will use that along with that of the gay community.
Although there are differences, modern gay slang has adopted many polari words, as detailed in the table below:
Source: Fantabulosa: A Dictionary of Polari and Gay Slang[1]
| Glossary of gay slang taken from Polari
|
| Word | Approximate meaning
|
| basket | the bulge of male genitals through clothes
|
| chicken | young boy
|
| cottaging | having or looking for sex in a public toilet
|
| mince | walk (affectedly)
|
| zhoosh | style
|
Cultural impact
Many terms that originated as gay slang have become part of the popular
lexicon. For example, the word
drag, was popularized by
Hubert Selby, Jr. in his book
Last Exit to Brooklyn. "Drag" has been traced back by the
Oxford English Dictionary (OED) to the late 19th Century. Conversely, words such as
banjee, while well-established in a subset of gay society, have never made the transition to popular use.
Footnotes
- ^ a b c (Baker, 2002)
References
- Baker, Paul (2002). Fantabulosa, a dictionary of Polari and gay slang. Continuum, 242 pages. ISBN 0826459617.
- Rodgers, Bruce (1972). The Queens' Vernacular : a gay lexicon. Straight Arrow Books, 265 pages. ISBN 0879320265.
See also
