LL-L: "Fringe varieties" (was "Classification") [E] LOWLANDS-L, 30.JUN.1999 (01)

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From: john feather [johnfeather at sceptic1.freeserve.co.uk]
Subject: Classification

Jason Childers asked about Polari, used by theatrical and circus people.

There is a note about it in the Technical Terms section of the Penguin
edition (1972) of Eric Partridge's "Dictionary of Historical Slang". I find
Partridge's notes difficult to understand, here and elsewhere, but he says
in part:

"Parlary". The "Lingua Franca" - but actually as to 90% of its words,
Italianate - vocabulary of C18-mid-19 actors and mid-C-19-20 costermongers
[~street traders] and showmen. ....
A full account of this Cinderella among languages appears in my book of
essays ... "Here, There and Everywhere".
"Parlary" is more general than the less serviceable Parlyaree. In late
C19-early 20, "palarey"  or "palary" [by which I assume he means the use of
Parlary] was very common, esp, among music-hall artists.

Partridge doesn't mention that P later became a gay slang. In this form it
got an airing in a British radio comedy show "Round the Horne" 25 ? years
ago. Two characters called "Jules" and "Sand" peppered their sentences with
P phrases, occasionally but not always translated. Kenneth Horne, the
straight man, was greeted with "How bona to varda ya dolly old eek" [my
orthography and memory] which plausibly means "How nice to see your dear
face". I think most listeners probably didn't recognise the source and
thought the words were simply invented ad hoc.

John Feather
johnfeather at sceptic1.freeserve.co.uk

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