Two characters From Round The Horne, a BBC rad program. Also the tle of their sketch. Julian and Sandy were two mp, out-of-work actors, who were always at work a anchise that featured the word bona, which means 'good' Polari. Polari was gay slang ed as a secret unrground language before the crimalisatn of homosexualy Bra back the 1960s. They uld be found workg at such ventur as Bona Promotns, the Ballet Bona, Bona TV Ltd, and Polari Vo Franis: the Bona School of Languag. As well as beg highly amg, Julian and Sandy were notable for beg two mp homosexual characters mass entertament at a time when homosexualy was still illegal the UK, and for the e of Polari the sketch. The wrers and st thought the characters worked very well as they were not beg held up to ridicule or simply there to be the target of a joke, fact most of the sketch revolved around Kenh Horne's prumed ignorance beg the target of their jok. Kenh Horne would fd the two characters ually by lookg a rather risque magaze (which he would sist he bought for nocent reasons). This would lead him, more often than not, to their bs Chelsea." name="Dcriptn" property="og:scriptn
Contents:
- A BRIEF HISTORY OF POLARI, GAY ENGLAND’S ONCE-SECRET LGO
- TALKG POLARI: HOW THE SECRET LANGUAGE OF POLARI WAS EMBRACED BY THE LGBT+ MUNY AND WHY 'S BEG KEPT ALIVE TODAY'IT WOULD BE AN ABSOLUTE SHAME FOR TO DIE OUT PLETELY AS ’S AN IMPORTANT PART OF HISTORY'MENBOOKMARKSHARENEWSBYADAM MAIDMENTREPORTER18:35, 22 AUG 2020UPDATED14:32, 23 AUG 2020BOOKMARK55 YEARS AGO, EVENTS LIKE MANCHTER PRI WOULD NOT HAVE BEEN ABLE TO TAKE PLACE BUT MEMBERS OF THE GAY MUNY WERE STILL FDG A WAY OF BEG 'PROUD' (IMAGE: CARL SONIK/MANCHTER EVENG NEWS)THE WEEKLY EMAIL BRGS YOU ALL THE LATT NEWS OM THE LGBTQ+ MUNY PL EXCLIVE TERVIEWS DIRECT TO YOUR BOXMORE NEWSLETTERS SUBSCRIBEINVALID EMAILSOMETHG WENT WRONG, PLEASE TRY AGA LATER.MORE NEWSLETTERSWE E YOUR SIGN-UP TO PROVI NTENT WAYS YOU’VE NSENTED TO AND IMPROVE OUR UNRSTANDG OF YOU. THIS MAY CLU ADVERTS OM AND THIRD PARTI BASED ON OUR KNOWLEDGE OF YOU. MORE THANK YOU FOR SUBSCRIBG!WE HAVE MORE NEWSLETTERSSHOW ME SEE OURPRIVACY NOTICE SEE OURPRIVACY NOTICE&TIM;GROUP 28 THE WEEKLY EMAIL BRGS YOU ALL THE LATT NEWS OM THE LGBTQ+ MUNY PL EXCLIVE TERVIEWS DIRECT TO YOUR BOXINVALID EMAILSOMETHG WENT WRONG, PLEASE TRY AGA LATER.SIGN UPNO THANKS, CLOSEWE E YOUR SIGN-UP TO PROVI NTENT WAYS YOU’VE NSENTED TO AND IMPROVE OUR UNRSTANDG OF YOU. THIS MAY CLU ADVERTS OM AND THIRD PARTI BASED ON OUR KNOWLEDGE OF YOU. MORE &TIM;GROUP 28THANK YOU FOR SUBSCRIBG!
- GAY BRANNIA: THE BONA HISTORY OF JULIAN AND SANDY
- THE FETS AND JABS OF POLARI, BRA’S GAY SLANG
- POLARI: A GAY SLANG THAT FLOURISHED OUT OF PREJUDICE
- GAY HISTORY: HOW BONA TO VADA YOUR EEK! POLARI – THE GAY LGO
A BRIEF HISTORY OF POLARI, GAY ENGLAND’S ONCE-SECRET LGO
Heavily ed by Brish gays the 1920s bee of anti-homosexual laws, efforts are beg ma to prerve an entirely queer-based slang. * round the horne gay slang *
But you’d only know this if you spoke Polari, the secret slang language ed by gay men to avoid persecutn.
Born om many different subculture dialects, Polari is a secret language that not only allowed gay men to talk about sex whout beg persecuted or prosecuted but was also a ccial buildg block of queer culture.
Although homosexualy was illegal the UK until 1967, unrground queer culture thrived the late 19th and 20th centuri — and much of that was thanks to Polari. While Polari started as a secret language for gay men, quickly beme an open secret, and fewer people were askg “what is Polari?
TALKG POLARI: HOW THE SECRET LANGUAGE OF POLARI WAS EMBRACED BY THE LGBT+ MUNY AND WHY 'S BEG KEPT ALIVE TODAY'IT WOULD BE AN ABSOLUTE SHAME FOR TO DIE OUT PLETELY AS ’S AN IMPORTANT PART OF HISTORY'MENBOOKMARKSHARENEWSBYADAM MAIDMENTREPORTER18:35, 22 AUG 2020UPDATED14:32, 23 AUG 2020BOOKMARK55 YEARS AGO, EVENTS LIKE MANCHTER PRI WOULD NOT HAVE BEEN ABLE TO TAKE PLACE BUT MEMBERS OF THE GAY MUNY WERE STILL FDG A WAY OF BEG 'PROUD' (IMAGE: CARL SONIK/MANCHTER EVENG NEWS)THE WEEKLY EMAIL BRGS YOU ALL THE LATT NEWS OM THE LGBTQ+ MUNY PL EXCLIVE TERVIEWS DIRECT TO YOUR BOXMORE NEWSLETTERS SUBSCRIBEINVALID EMAILSOMETHG WENT WRONG, PLEASE TRY AGA LATER.MORE NEWSLETTERSWE E YOUR SIGN-UP TO PROVI NTENT WAYS YOU’VE NSENTED TO AND IMPROVE OUR UNRSTANDG OF YOU. THIS MAY CLU ADVERTS OM AND THIRD PARTI BASED ON OUR KNOWLEDGE OF YOU. MORE THANK YOU FOR SUBSCRIBG!WE HAVE MORE NEWSLETTERSSHOW ME SEE OURPRIVACY NOTICE SEE OURPRIVACY NOTICE&TIM;GROUP 28 THE WEEKLY EMAIL BRGS YOU ALL THE LATT NEWS OM THE LGBTQ+ MUNY PL EXCLIVE TERVIEWS DIRECT TO YOUR BOXINVALID EMAILSOMETHG WENT WRONG, PLEASE TRY AGA LATER.SIGN UPNO THANKS, CLOSEWE E YOUR SIGN-UP TO PROVI NTENT WAYS YOU’VE NSENTED TO AND IMPROVE OUR UNRSTANDG OF YOU. THIS MAY CLU ADVERTS OM AND THIRD PARTI BASED ON OUR KNOWLEDGE OF YOU. MORE &TIM;GROUP 28THANK YOU FOR SUBSCRIBG!
On the 50th anniversary of the Sexual Offenc Act Bra, Fna Macdonald looks at a gay slang that beme a form of fiance. * round the horne gay slang *
It was que clear that the men were gay, although this was illegal at the time — and Round The Horne even ma fun of the crimaly:. This helped to not only stigmatize homosexualy to the average Brish cizen, but to make queerns enarg. This was important to not only to stigmatize homosexualy to the average Brish cizen, but to make queerns enarg.
Yet, for all the good that Round The Horne did for the acceptance of homosexualy, the more people learned about Polari, the ls queer people wanted to speak themselv. The ph for homosexualy to be crimalized (which me to un 1967), led to a movement away om Polari and mp culture wh the LGBT muny. Begng his study of the language the neti, Baker wrote his doctoral this on the subject, entled Polari: The Lost Language of Gay Men.
The Story Of Polari, Bra’s Secret Gay Language, this book is an -pth history wh plenty of fun anecdot om Baker’s terviewe.
GAY BRANNIA: THE BONA HISTORY OF JULIAN AND SANDY
An troductn to Polari, the old Brish gay slang, cludg a word list. * round the horne gay slang *
The Brish queer muny is slowly redisverg the dialect, thanks to workshops n by bookshops like London’s Gay’s The Word. Wh words like "sha, " "tea, " and "kiki" proment queer culture, sometim feels like 's impossible for straights to unrstand gays... The "secret language" was ed heavily by gays the circ, navy, and theater, and arose out of the need to discs gay matters unr a clever guise, due to homosexual acts beg illegal Bra until the passage of the Sexual Offens Act 1967.
Here's some of the amg slang: Basket - the bulge of male genals through clothFantabulos-wonrfulEf - face (backslang) DollyEf - pretty face Chicken - a young guySome Polari words still exist morn gay slang. As gays began to fight for acceptance and rights, they ma a ncentrated effort to remove the Brish society's one-dimensnal view of all gays as beg overly mpy and effemate. Check out Atlas Obscura pots out, Polari was a great self-performative outlet for Brish gays to not only exprs themselv but also easily intify and n wh fellow memebers of the queer muny.
THE FETS AND JABS OF POLARI, BRA’S GAY SLANG
The World's Alex Gallafent has the story of Polari, a slang wh roots theater that for s beme a secret for Bra's gay muny. * round the horne gay slang *
(Image cred: Alamy)Fifty years ago, the Sexual Offenc Act beme law, crimalisg homosexual acts that took place private between two men over the age of 21. The secret language beme a kd of verbal wk between gay men Bra durg the early 20th Century – allowg them to hi and to reveal at the same time.
Yet the years when homosexualy was illegal, was a way of munitg public whout riskg arrt – as well as a chance to challenge the stat was a secret language that beme a kd of verbal wk between gay men Bra durg the early 20th Century (Cred: Alamy)Layerg upon layerg of different fluenc ensur that there is no one sgle versn of Polari but many versns – Pl Baker“It was a secret, spoken form of language, ed maly by groups of people who were on the margs of society and associated wh crimaly, ” says Pl Baker, a lguistic history expert at the Universy of Lanster and thor of Fantabulosa: A Dictnary of Polari and Gay Slang.
POLARI: A GAY SLANG THAT FLOURISHED OUT OF PREJUDICE
* round the horne gay slang *
” Some of the words are what’s been lled ‘backslang' – hair is ‘riah’, and face is ‘eek’ (om ‘ef’) was taken up mic halls, Palarie beme associated wh gay men at the start of the 20th Century. To make thgs more plited, Baker has seen a few ‘backronyms’, or fns applied after a word’s meang has evolved – such as ‘mp’ as g om ‘Known As Male Prostute’ 1967, the Sexual Offenc Act beme law, crimalisg homosexual acts that took place private between two men over the age of 21 (Cred: Alamy)Polari has s own vobulary for elements that mastream society is not terted – Pl BakerBaker believ Polari is a form of ‘anti-language’ – a term ed by the lguist Michael Halliday 1978 that Baker f as “a language ed by people who are on the ‘outsi’ of mastream society”. “It was sometim tght by olr, more tablished people on the gay scene as a way of iatg newer people to a mp worldview, ” says Baker.
GAY HISTORY: HOW BONA TO VADA YOUR EEK! POLARI – THE GAY LGO
“Some gay men ed socially, to make one another lgh, sometim by nductg humoro arguments which volved clever sults Polari. Polari (or alternatively palari, parlare, parlary) was a secret language or gay slang, popular wh the Brish gay muny om about 1900 until the 1970s, and ma famo by the 1960s rad show Round the Horne wh Kenh Williams. But for Brish gay men (and sometim women) the first half of the 20th century, Polari wasn’t jt a cute jargon: It was a secret , one that was absolutely gay Bra before about 50 years ago was dangero bs, and even beg perceived as gay then uld st you a prison sentence (homosexualy was crimalized the UK 1967).
In fact, gay culture was discsed so rarely that newspapers would report on gay people who were arrted as beg guilty of "gross cency, " sce was nsired taboo to even wre (or speak) the words "gay" or "homosexual. " Gay people therefore need a way to munite about their relatnships (and gossip) whout beg unrstood by eavdroppers.
As language profsor Pl Baker of the UK’s Lanster Universy wr his 2002 book Polari—The Lost Language of Gay Men, was a lgo of "fast put-downs, ironic self-parody and theatril exaggeratn. " By other acunts, the roots of Polari are at least partially to be found the lgua an ed by Mederranean sailors and trars the Middle Ag and 's difficult to say when exactly Polari began, but at some pot performers—pecially actors, and pecially gay actors—began to e a distct argot to munite wh each other, often for the purpose of gossipg. An omi-palone, therefore, is an effemate man, or sometim jt a gay one, while a palone-omi is a lbian.