Gay slang

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Gay slang (sometimes gayspeak) in linguistics refers to a form of English slang used predominantly among LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender) people.

1 Historical development
2 Differences and similarities to Polari
3 Cultural impact
4 See also
5 References
6 Further Reading
7 External links

[edit] Historical development

Slang frequently arises from the need or desire of a particular subculture to create or maintain secrecy, from want of recognition and acceptance, or fear of prejudice, persecution, or exposure; or to describe situations, acts and things not common in the dominant culture (see also argot).

Assimilation and use of slang also gives individuals a feeling of belonging - necessary in the creation, maintenance or reinforcement of a subculture, its values, politics and sociology.

[edit] Differences and similarities to Polari

Modern gay slang has origins in the English language, unlike its linguistic sibling, Polari, which derives from Italian languages, Lingua Franca, Yiddish and French. <ref name="fantabulosa">Baker, Paul (2002) Fantabulosa: A Dictionary of Polari and Gay Slang. London: Continuum ISBN 0-8264-5961-7</ref>

Another difference between gay slang and Polari is that gay slang has become descriptive of the overall experience of life in the gay community, whereas Polari includes names for common words that have no exclusive relation to the LGBT culture (e.g., "glossies" for "magazines").<ref name="fantabulosa" />. Gay slang also coexists along side regional slang and many gay men will use that along with that of the gay community.

Although there are differences, modern gay slang has adopted many polari words, as detailed in the table below:

Source: **Fantabulosa: A Dictionary of Polari and Gay Slang<ref name="fantabulosa" />**
Glossary of gay slang taken from Polari
Word	Approximate meaning
basket	the bulge of male genitals through clothes
butch	masculine; masculine lesbian
chicken	young boy
cottaging	having or looking for sex in a public toilet
drag	clothes, esp. women's clothes
mince	walk (affectedly)
trade	sex
troll	to walk about (esp. looking for trade)
troll	(alternate) Someone, usually male, who is ugly or otherwise not desirable.
zhoosh	style

[edit] Cultural impact

Many terms that originated as gay slang have become part of the popular lexicon. For example, the word drag, was popularized by Hubert Selby, Jr. in his book Last Exit to Brooklyn. "Drag" has been traced back by the Oxford English Dictionary (OED) to the late 19th Century.