Cunning Linguists

[steepholm]

My only previous exposure to Polari was listening to Kenneth Williams on Round the Horne. I followed most of this, but suspect I mistook in a number of key areas. Anyway, if like me you've wondered how Polari worked, check it out:

Comments

[sheldrake.livejournal.com]

This has led to an enjoyable Sunday afternoon spent googling Polari dictionaries.

[steepholm.livejournal.com]

There is no nobler use of one's time!

[ethelmay.livejournal.com]

Goodness. I could just about understand some of the English bits, and got maybe one in fifty of the Polari ("plates" = "plates of meat" = "feet," right? I knew that one from Noel Streatfeild, but Alice of course did not go on to relate feet to, well, never mind). The script is at http://brianandkarl.tumblr.com/post/122421969778/heres-the-screenplay-for-putting-on-the-dish-for

I misheard "Battersea'd" as "batsied," and thought Pauline had been committed.

[steepholm.livejournal.com]

Thanks for the link!

Yes, some of the terms are familiar as rhyming slang (also originally designed to evade the understanding of the law, or so I was always told), but a lot of it was unfamiliar to me. Then again, you don't need too much imagination to guess what "That'd stretch your corybungus" means.

[ethelmay.livejournal.com]

Well, if you can hear that level of detail :-) I think I did hear that bit, but often when the proportion of unknown words is that high, and in a somewhat unfamiliar accent to boot, my brain stops parsing even things it could get quite well under other circs, and a sentence like the one above might sound like "Vat a dretcha cowabungas" or something. I did get quite good at understanding the East Enders on Call the Midwife, though, so I'm sure I could do it with practice.

[sovay]

Yes, some of the terms are familiar as rhyming slang (also originally designed to evade the understanding of the law, or so I was always told), but a lot of it was unfamiliar to me.

I found myself understanding the gist of all of the conversation, so that I could summarize the exchanges; I don't think I could identify every piece of vocabulary. I could probably tell you whether I recognized a given word from Yiddish or rhyming slang or backslang or just from knowing a handful of Polari itself. A lot went by that I'd need to see in print to analyze, though.

[sovay]

The script is at http://brianandkarl.tumblr.com/post/122421969778/heres-the-screenplay-for-putting-on-the-dish-for

Thank you!

[sovay]

Anyway, if like me you've wondered how Polari worked, check it out

That's fantastic; thank you. I got the line about the piano strictly because of Julian and Sandy.

Did you see Adam Lowe's "Vada That"?

[steepholm.livejournal.com]

I hadn't seen it - thanks for the link! It's strange how understanding flickers in and out - actually a bit like this other film about how English sounds to non-English speakers, which (I only just realised) was made by the same people as the Polari one:

[sovay]

actually a bit like this other film about how English sounds to non-English speakers, which (I only just realised) was made by the same people as the Polari one

I've seen that! I didn't recognize it was the same people, either. Is comedy of language their thing?

[steepholm.livejournal.com]

I guess so!

Meanwhile, courtesy of a friend on the Dreamwidth version of this post...

1. Then Pilate therefore lelled Josie, and scourged her. 2. And the butch homies platted a mudge of thorns, and put it on his eke, and they put on her a purple frock, 3. And cackled, Hail, dowriest homie of the kosher homies!

Behold, the Bible in Polari. And it was good.

[sovay]

Behold, the Bible in Polari. And it was good.

God bless the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence in every way conceivable and some that aren't.