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This chapter investigates the presence and evolution of sexual vocabularies within the UK’s LGBTQIA+ communities by drawing a parallel between Polari—predominantly used by homosexual men in the twentieth century—and contemporary queer slang. Polari, thoroughly examined by Baker (2002a, b), developed as a covert linguistic code enabling queer individuals to express their sexuality and identify in-group members during a time of legal and social repression. While overlexicalisation of sexual words characterised last century’s conversations, contemporary persistence in Modern English Queer Slang might reflect the continued sociocultural relevance of expressing sexuality through language. Grounded in audiovisual and queer translation theories (Díaz-Cintas 2007, 2010; Harvey 1998) and applying Vinay and Darbelnet’s translation approach (1958/1995), the study scrutinises the English and Italian subtitles of RuPaul’s Drag Race UK (Bruce McCoy, Sally Sanders, RuPaul Charles, Fenton Bailey, Randy Barbato, Tom Campbell; 2019-present) Season 3. The main aim is to examine the adaptation of sexual words in audiovisual products, with particular attention to linguistic fidelity and cultural sensitivity. Special attention is devoted to overlexicalisation patterns from a lexicological perspective. In addition, the chapter highlights the critical role of subtitles in shaping visibility and identity for marginalised communities in mainstream media.

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Polari and Modern English Queer Slang in Audiovisual Translation: The Persistence of a Sexual Lexicon in Drag Race UK

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  • 发表日期：

    2026年

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  • Raffaele Pizzo

摘要

This chapter investigates the presence and evolution of sexual vocabularies within the UK’s LGBTQIA+ communities by drawing a parallel between Polari—predominantly used by homosexual men in the twentieth century—and contemporary queer slang. Polari, thoroughly examined by Baker (2002a, b), developed as a covert linguistic code enabling queer individuals to express their sexuality and identify in-group members during a time of legal and social repression. While overlexicalisation of sexual words characterised last century’s conversations, contemporary persistence in Modern English Queer Slang might reflect the continued sociocultural relevance of expressing sexuality through language. Grounded in audiovisual and queer translation theories (Díaz-Cintas 2007, 2010; Harvey 1998) and applying Vinay and Darbelnet’s translation approach (1958/1995), the study scrutinises the English and Italian subtitles of RuPaul’s Drag Race UK (Bruce McCoy, Sally Sanders, RuPaul Charles, Fenton Bailey, Randy Barbato, Tom Campbell; 2019-present) Season 3. The main aim is to examine the adaptation of sexual words in audiovisual products, with particular attention to linguistic fidelity and cultural sensitivity. Special attention is devoted to overlexicalisation patterns from a lexicological perspective. In addition, the chapter highlights the critical role of subtitles in shaping visibility and identity for marginalised communities in mainstream media.