Skip to main content

Up Next

Back to Show
Otherwords

How Queer Communities Created Secret Languages

Season 3 Episode 6

Across the globe, queer communities have relied on secret lexicons known as "argots" to communicate safely, which have developed over the years into what some call "verbal jazz."

Support Provided By
Season
How Language Nerds Solve Crimes
8:59
Linguists use language everyday to solve crimes. Let’s take a look the most famous ones!
The Most Extreme Place Names
7:11
Join us as we find out how certain places got their names.
How the Colors Got Their Names
6:29
So how did we get those names of colors?
Why Does Texting Feel Different from Talking?
6:48
Why does switching from texting to talking feel like you’re trying to speak a different language?
What Brain Damage Reveals About Language
8:43
How do our brains process language?
The Weird History of Invented Languages
10:07
Can you really invent a language? So how does one...do it?
How English Took Over the World
6:35
How did English become the most widely spoken language in the world?
Where Alcoholic Drinks Got Their Names
7:17
Let’s take a deep dive into the etymology of alcohol.
Is "R" a Vowel?
6:41
R is an incredibly weird letter; it's a wonder that we use one symbol to represent them.
How Brands Ruin Slang
8:01
What makes a word slang, and why does it sound so weird when companies use it?
Why Sign Language Was Banned in America
12:13
We take a deeper look as to why sign language was banned for decades.
Literally No One Likes a Grammar Cop
8:57
Besides being annoying, what if the grammar police are actually... wrong?
Active loading indicator