Wie sagt man „schwul“ in…?
TERMS FOR GAY / LESBIAN / STRAIGHT
Here are the final results for the inquiry on terms for gay/lesbian/straight in various languages. The first part is a compilation of just these terms and is fairly reliable. At the end I’ve appended a collection of terms compiled by Messrs Manz and Beezer.
English:
- gay
- lesbian
- straight
Bulgarian:
- homoseksualen
- lezbijka
- heteroseksualen
Croatian:
- gay / homoseksualac
- lezba / lezbijka
- hetero / heteroseksualac
Danish:
- b?sse [ bosse / o with slash]
- lesbisk
- heterosexuel
Dutch:
- homo-man / homo
- lesbische vrouw / lesbienne
- hetero
Finnish:
- homo
- lesbo
- hetero
- bi (or biseksuaali)
French:
- homosexuel / homo / inverti
- lesbienne / homosexuelle
German:
- schwul
- lesbisch
- hetero
Hungarian:
- meleg
- leszbikus
- heteroszexua’lis
Icelandic:
- hommi
- lesbi’a
- streitur
Italian:
- gay
- lesbica
Japanese:
- gei / homo
- rezubian
- nonke
- (bai)
Norwegian:
Official written language: 1. homofil 2. homofil / lesbisk 3.
heterofil (bifil)
Half-official, written and spoken (preferably among hets):
1. homo 2. lesbisk 3. hetero (bifil)
Intimate speech, gay community’s own usage:
1. homse 2. lesbe 3. hetero (bi)
Russian:
- goluboj
- lesbijanka
- natural
- biseksual
Slovenian:
- gay
- lezbijka
- heteroseksualec
Spanish:
Non-judgemental:
Entendido/a = a gay/lesbian person (a person who „understands“)
Un lugar de ambiente= a gay/lesbian place
judgemental:
Marica/marico’n/mariquita= faggot
Tortillera= a lesbian
Dialectical terms other than the standard above which are known
throughout the Hispanic world:
Pa’jaro=queer in Cuba (means bird literally); also pato as in
Spain
Joto=queer in Me’xico
Pato=queer in certain parts of Spain (Catalunya for example)
(means duck literally)
Cachapera=lesbian in Puerto Rico.
Swedish:
- bg [ bog / o with two dots]
- lesbisk kvinna / flata
- hetero / heterosexuell
Turkish:
escinsel
lezbiyen
hetero
LIST OF WORDS FOR GAY AND LESBIAN IN DIFFERENT LANGUAGES
Key
a‘ a cute accent (n) noun
a` grave accent (adj) adjective
a^ circumflex accent (adv) adverb
a: umlaut (sl) slang
a|o dipthong (dr) derogatory
Language Term Analog
==========================================================
ASL The hand, Gay (n) *
forming the
letter „G“ with
both finger tips
touching chin.
ASL The hand, Gay man (dr-n) *
forming the
letter „F“ and
tapping the cheek.
ASL The hand, Lesbian (n)
forming the
letter „L“ with
the thumb along
the chin, and the
index finger up
along the cheek.
Chinese Tong-xing-ren Gay (adj)
Danish B0sse Gay man (n)
Danish Lesbisk Lesbian (n)
Dutch Aambeienschoffelaar Gay man (sl-n)
Dutch Achterlaaier Gay man (sl-n)
Dutch Flikker Gay man (sl-n)
Dutch Homo Gay (adj)
Dutch Homofiel Gay (adj)
Dutch Homosexueel Gay (adj)
Dutch Lesba Lesbian (n)
Dutch Lesbienne Lesbian (n)
Dutch Lesbisch Lesbian (adj)
Dutch Nicht Gay man (sl-n)
Dutch Poot Gay man (sl-n)
Dutch Pot Lesbian (sl-n)
Esperanto Samseksemula Homosexual (adj) *
Esperanto Samseksemule Homosexual (adv) *
Esperanto Samseksemulo Homosexual (n) *
French Gay Gay man (n, adj)
French Gouine Lesbian (n)
French Homo Gay man (n)
French Lesbienne Lesbian (n)
French Pe’de‘ Gay man (dr-n)
French Tante Gay man (sl-n)
German Lesbe Lesbian (n)
German Lesbierin Lesbian (adj)
German Lesbisch Lesbian (n)
German Schwul Gay man (n)
German Schwuler Gay (adj)
German Warmer Bruder Gay man (dr,sl-n)
Japanese Homo Gay (n)
Polish Lesbijka Lesbian (n official and formal)
Polish Lesba Lesbian (n derogatory)
Polish Homoseksualista Gay men (n official and formal)
Polish Pedal/ Gay men (n popular and slightly dr)
Polish Ciota Gay men (n)
Polish Cwel Gay men (prison slang highly derogatory)
Polish Gej Gay men (n)
Polish Homo-niepewny Gay men (n but grammatically improper)
Polish Homo-niewiadomo Gay men (n but grammatically improper)
Russian Goluboi Gay man (n)
Spanish De Ambiente Gay man (n)
Spanish Del Otro Equipo Gay (sl-n) *
Spanish Joto Gay man (n)
Spanish Loca Gay man (n)
Spanish Machona Lesbian (n)
Spanish Marica Gay man (dr-n)
Spanish Marico’n Gay man (dr-n)
Spanish Mariposo Gay man (n) *
Spanish Platano Gay man (sl-n)
Spanish Playo Gay man (n)
Spanish Rabano Gay man (n)
Spanish Tortillera Lesbian (n)
Spanish Tractor Lesbian (n)
Tagalog Bakla Gay man (n)
Portuguiesische (Brasilien) (Danke an Ariel!)
Official terms:
- homossexual/gay (rather formal, official)
- le=B4sbica
- heterossexual
- bissexual
Informal terms:
a) among hetero
for gays:
- viado (extremely derog. noun)
- bicha („worm“ literally; sl.; slightly dr. n)
- maricas (informal, old fashioned n.)
- boiola (sl. dr. noun)
- pero^ba (sl. dr. noun)
- baitola (sl. dr. n.)
- fruta (informal, old fashioned n.)
for lesbians
- sapatao (extr. dr. n.)
- fanchona (extr. dr. n.)
- machuda (in northerneast regions, informal, slightly dr. n.)
- caminhoneira („roaddriver“ literally; sl.; dr. n.)
for bisexuals
- gilete („double-edge blade“, literally; sl. n.)
b) among gays/lesbians
for gays:
- entendido (polite, half-official, most preferably)
- gay
- bicha (jocously, though!)
- viado (jocously, though!)
- mona (mainly among transvestites)
- maricona (noun used for old gay men, only)
- miche^ (noun used for hustlers, only)
for lesbians:
- entendida (most preferably; noun)
- sapata (jocously, though!)
- fancha (jocously, thogh!)
for hetero:
- careta (sl. n. and adj.)
Original by: manz @ ee.ualberta.ca (Brett Manz)
Modified by: beezer @ cc.utah.edu (Mr. Beezer)