Polari: The Secret Language of Gay Men

<p>It's a credit to the resilience of the gay community that when society tried to outlaw and silence them, they just created a language of their own to keep conversation (and gossip) alive.&nbsp;</p><br><p>The language, polari, was born out of prejudice, and while it's now classified as endangered, many of its words are still used by us today.</p><br><p>What were its many origins? When was it at its peak? And why did some of the gay community eventually start to turn its back on it?</p><br><p>Kate's joined by Paul Baker, author of <a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/Fabulosa-Polari-Britains-Secret-Language/dp/178914132X" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>Fabulosa!: The Story of Polari, Britain's Secret Gay Language</em></a>, to find out more.</p><br><p>This episode was edited by Tom Delargy, and produced by Stuart Beckwith. The senior producer was Charlotte Long.&nbsp;</p><br><p>Get 50% off your first 3 months with code BETWIXT. Download the app on your smart TV or in the app store or sign up at historyhit.com/subscribe.</p><br><p>You can take part in our listener survey <a href="https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/6FFT7MK" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">here</a>.</p> <hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>