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Fantabulosa - by Paul Baker (Paperback)

Fantabulosa - by  Paul Baker (Paperback) - 1 of 1
$37.14 sale price when purchased online
$51.95 list price
Target Online store #3991

About this item

Highlights

  • Polari has been the secret language of gay men and women through the twentieth century.
  • About the Author: Paul Baker is Senior Lecturer in Linguistics and Modern English language at Lancaster University, UK.
  • 254 Pages
  • Social Science, LGBT Studies

Description



About the Book



Polari has been the secret language of gay men and women through the twentieth century. But more than a language, Polari is an attitude. From the prisons and music halls of Edwardian England to Kenneth Williams, American Gls in London and the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence, Polari has been used to laugh, bitch, gossip and cruise. Like all slang, Polari users coined an ever-changing vocabulary. Derived from words used by criminals, circus artists, beggars and prostitutes, it also employed Italian, Yiddish, French, rhyming slang and backslang. Polari speakers camped up a storm, from West End chorus boys and office workers to East End sea-queens. Since gay liberation, lesbian and gay slang has become less a language of concealment than a language of specialization, though the tradition of camp remains. A carefully researched and entertaining read, Fantabulosa presents a lexicon of Polari and a more general dictionary of lesbian and gay slang. If you don't yet know what vada the bona cartes on the ommee ajax, parkering ninty, a Mexican nightmare or a nellyectomy mean, then this is the book for you.



Book Synopsis



Polari has been the secret language of gay men and women through the twentieth century. But more than a language, Polari is an attitude. From the prisons and music halls of Edwardian England to Kenneth Williams, American Gls in London and the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence, Polari has been used to laugh, bitch, gossip and cruise. Like all slang, Polari users coined an ever-changing vocabulary. Derived from words used by criminals, circus artists, beggars and prostitutes, it also employed Italian, Yiddish, French, rhyming slang and backslang. Polari speakers camped up a storm, from West End chorus boys and office workers to East End sea-queens. Since gay liberation, lesbian and gay slang has become less a language of concealment than a language of specialization, though the tradition of camp remains. A carefully researched and entertaining read, Fantabulosa presents a lexicon of Polari and a more general dictionary of lesbian and gay slang. If you don't yet know what vada the bona cartes on the ommee ajax, parkering ninty, a Mexican nightmare or a nellyectomy mean, then this is the book for you.



Review Quotes




"This great little book [is]... an indispensible guide... a must-have for every discerning gay man's library" --Boyz

"'Simply Fantabulosa! ... Definitely worth a vada ... an ideal pressy for your omee Palone!! So get out your handbag and get trollin to the shops!' SCOTSGAY MAGAZINE" --Blurb from reviewer




About the Author



Paul Baker is Senior Lecturer in Linguistics and Modern English language at Lancaster University, UK.
Dimensions (Overall): 7.48 Inches (H) x 5.42 Inches (W) x .77 Inches (D)
Weight: .64 Pounds
Suggested Age: 22 Years and Up
Number of Pages: 254
Genre: Social Science
Sub-Genre: LGBT Studies
Publisher: Continnuum-3PL
Theme: Gay Studies
Format: Paperback
Author: Paul Baker
Language: English
Street Date: May 25, 2004
TCIN: 90813046
UPC: 9780826473431
Item Number (DPCI): 247-46-1007
Origin: Made in the USA or Imported
If the item details above aren’t accurate or complete, we want to know about it.

Shipping details

Estimated ship dimensions: 0.77 inches length x 5.42 inches width x 7.48 inches height
Estimated ship weight: 0.64 pounds
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