Author and academic Paul Baker of Lancaster University discusses a form of gay slang known as Polari that was spoken in Britain. It was a secret type of language used mainly by gay men and some lesbians and members of the trans, drag and other communities in the United Kingdom in the 20th century until it largely died out by the early 1970s.

At a time when homosexual acts between two men had not yet been decriminalised, it allowed people to chat freely in public places, as well as letting them identify each other. Words like lallies (legs), omipalone (gay man) and bona (good) were commonly used in private drinking clubs in the 1950s and 1960s as well as in the theatre. This interview outlines Polari's historical roots, its rise to popularity in the 1960s radio program Round the Horne and its eventual fall into obscurity.

Professor Paul Baker of Lancaster University did his PhD on Polari and has written books on it including Polari The Lost Language of Gay Men and Fantabulosa: A Dictionary of Polari and Gay Slang.

Professor Paul Baker explores whether Polari was actually a language in its own right or more a form of gay slang, cant or dialect. He will explain how it came about and how and why it has died out. And yes he will also remind us of some of the words that feature in Polari that many of us still use today.

Paul Baker assesses the chances that Polari might make a comeback, arguing whatever its future holds, this lost language represents an important part of gay social history and should not be forgotten. #polari #pridehistorygroup #sydney