Queer linguistics is a rather recent segment of sociolinguistics that focuses on LGBT language, in a way that, using language as an object of study, allows one to analyze the relation between gender and sexuality, power and oppression.

These studies take into account one aspect of a speech community, which shares certain common social traits, being in this case their identity of sexuality and gender. This will affect the variety of speech they produce, on different levels, phonological, lexical and so on.

As variety (a different form for the standard language), the queer slang is often used within the community as a form of identification. This secretiveness associated to the belonging to the group and excluding outsiders make this variety an argot - a type of "secret" language used by a speech community with the intention of alienating those who do not correspond to it - which can be found in other subcultures.


Make sure you see all our posts:
✫ Around The World
✫ A Brazilian Example
✫ Queer Linguistics and Pop Culture



Sources:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Argot - A more detailed overview of the concept of "argot". 

Theorizing identity in language and sexuality research. BUCHOLTZ, Mary.  - Article about different approaches to the increasing topic of sexuality in studies, focusing on how this is perceived as part of identity and, therefore, how this affects sociocultural studies in different fields. It opposes studies narrowed to gay and lesbian varieties, as manifestations of desire from a psychoanalytical point of view, to studies that treat sexuality as a social construction that composes identity, focusing on how power and oppression build this (and, this way, incorporating feminist perspectives in sexuality studies).

Language and gender research from a queer linguistic perspective: A critical evaluation -Michaela Koch (2008). Review by Shannon Weber. - Review of a work that presents the historical changes in the treatment of sexuality and gender in sociolinguistics studies, and recent queer studies. It highlights how the relationship of power and hegemony delimited early studies, and how they have been questioned and opposed in recent ones.

★ Around the world

Among the field of Queer Linguistics, there are a few notable examples worth mentioning. The following argots, emerging from specific social and political situations in which their respective gay communities lived, served their purpose of isolating speakers which did not belong to said group, as an attempt of preserving the community's safety.

★ Polari

Also known as “Palari”, “Palare”, or similar forms derived from the Italian parlae (“to talk”), Polari’s origins are hard to trace with precision, due to the lack of written documentation. It seems to be a mixture of Mediterranean Lingua Franca – a pidgin used in the Mediterranean region  - and several vernacular and slang varieties of English, tracing back to the 19^th century.

Initially, it was spoken mainly in England by fairground and circus performers, aside from fish traders and sailors. Due to the large number of homosexual men in the theatrical business, as well as working in the merchant navy, the variety was wildly used among the gay community as an argot, hiding their intentions from outsiders – since homosexuality was considered to be a crime at the period.

The language became more popular with the sketch “Julian and Sandy” from the “Round the Horne” BBC radio show in the mid-60’s, featuring two homosexual male characters who used a lot of Polari expressions during the program. However, by popularizing such words, they also made the argot less and less secret. This and the Sexual Offences Act of 1967, decriminalizing consensual homosexual acts between men of at least 21 years of age in England and Wales, contributed to Polari’s downfall, which was already in progress at the beginning of the decade. Nowadays, it is no longer relevant within the community as it used to be.

The short movie “Putting on the dish” explores a bit of the Polari code:

For better understanding, script and annotations can be found in here:

http://genius.com/8493701

★ Gayle

Also known as “Gail”, Gayle is the gay slang argot used in South African communities. Its origins are linked to Cape Town’s drag queen community in the 1950s. At the time, homosexuals were criminalized and stereotypically perceived as predators and pedophiles, and gay men used humor in order to try to soften and retort to this image.

The region is known for its carnival, which gives men an opportunity to cross-dress and question sexuality roles. The “Moffie Queen competition at the Kismet Theatre in Athlone” (“moffie” being a slur meaning “queer” which was reclaimed by the colored gay community) was another event where drag queens could express themselves and be appreciated for it.

The language was developed mainly among black gay communities, being slowly adopted by white gay circles along the 60s and 70s. At the time, black homosexuality was usually confined to specific areas - mostly due to the mining working compounds where the colored men tended to work at - and was more likely to be accepted, while white homosexuality was seen as more of a threat by the authorities due to the lack of a geographically contained area, thus making its potential spread unpredictable. This only heightened the need for an argot, in order for the white gay community to preserve its safety.

While Polari uses many words with Italian origins, Gayle has many terms that come from typically female names, such as “priscilla” (“police”), “olive” (“attractive male”), “dora” (“drink” or “to drink”) and “monica” (“money”). Unlike Polari, Gayle is still used by its speech community.

At around 10 minutes on this video, a man from Cape Town teaches a few Gayle terms to the interviewer:

Sources:

http://www.worldwidewords.org/articles/polari.htm - An article about the “Julian and Sandy” sketch, as well as its Polari influences.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Julian_and_Sandy - More information on the “Julian and Sandy” sketch.

http://chris-d.net/polari/ - Brief introduction to Polari, as well as a lengthy collection of its terms and their definitions.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polari - General introduction to Polari, its history, usage, and influences.

https://open.uct.ac.za/bitstream/item/6868/thesis_hum_2014_luyt_k.pdf?sequence=1 - Thesis concerning Gayle and the matter of queer linguistics, going into much more detail regarding the language’s history and influence, as well as the changes its importance to the gay community suffered along the years.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gayle_language - Brief introduction to Gayle, containing a sample of its terms.

★ A Brazilian Example

In 2006, a dictionary of Portuguese gay slang (mostly Brazilian, from different regions) was published. With examples of Bajubá (or Pajubá), an argot that was created in the transgender community and later became known in the rest of the LGBT community, Aurélia is an interesting (and funny) compilation of expressions, and one can see many of them are already being used by a broader community, which shows the influence of these groups on society.

Some examples:

- Babado: 1 any event, either good or bad; 2 basfond; 3 romantic and/or sexual affair

- Coió: (from bajubá) to hit someone, to curse someone
- Comer mosca: to fail or to overlook flaws 
- coronel: older and independent lesbian that provides for lover

- Ivone: (RJ) diminutive of "passivone", passive homossexual
- Neide: (PE) dumb gay
- Ré no kibe: to be penetrated in the anus
- Sofá da hebe: (DF) place where gays meet to gossip

Source: http://gepss.files.wordpress.com/2011/04/aurelia.pdf