Gail language
Gail, or Gayle, is an English-based argot used by non-black male homosexuals in urban communities of South Africa, analogous in some respects to Polari in England, from which it has borrowed. The black equivalent is called Isigqumo. The Ethnologue estimates that it has some 20,000 speakers.
Besides a core of words borrowed from Polari (such as varda meaning to see), many of its words are alliterative formations using women's names, such as Beulah for beauty and Priscilla for police. Men, especially other gay men, are often referred to with female pronouns (to match the female names).
Sample
"Varda that beulah! Vast mitzi. She's a chicken and probably Priscilla and I don't need Jennifer Justice in my life right now." Translation: "Look at that beauty! Very me. He's young and probably a policeman and I don't need trouble with the law in my life at the moment." (from the Exclusive Books' review of Gayle: the language of Kinks and Queens)
External links
Bibliography
- Ken Cage. Gayle - the Language of Kinks & Queens. A History and Dictionary of Gay Language in South Africa. Jacana Media 2003. ISBN 1-919931-49-X. (link)