At the beginning, Polari was employed by market traders and sailors.
Then it became a secret language employed by gay people to communicate. During the 70's, homosexuality was illegal.
We all know the word “butch” to describe a male lesbian, it is a word of polari.
3,524 languages are enumerated in the world and 150 are in a critical condition because there are not many people who speak them.
Polari is in this list.
If you want to read more about it or to discover it, some researchers of the university of Cambridge created a consultable database online.
