Something that you’ve seen before…

…like you’ve never seen before.

RuPaul’s Drag Race, in this 2nd episode of season 5, didn’t repeat a formula – like...

Snatch Game - s2e4;

Jocks in Frocks - s3e12,
n' RuPocalypse Now - s4e1.

This episode proposed a rather new challenge: the queens had to re-enact scenes from the spin-off Untucked!…

…lip-synching to the    spoken word.

This episode seemed to be tailor-made to this very blog so that it would correspond to the concept of Linguistic Strangeness.

The essence of linguistic strangeness, as I understand, is the utterance of a word, phrase, or sentence that's been used and repeated time after time b'for but...

...in an altered (deviated) way that makes it somewhat all new and personal.

All t all shade is a perfect example. Uttered by Roxxxy in the Untucked! last week, it takes from the no t no shade that we’ve been familiarised with, and grown used to, during previous seasons of RPDRace. Now it’s all new, but reminding us of the meaning of the no t no shade that we’ve listened to before.

Besides standing for the concept of linguistic strangeness, this episode brought plenty evidence of strangeness in English. Let’s get to business.

Workroom

Ro-Laska-Tox is in the house! -  “Ro-Laska-Tox is Roxxxy, Alaska, and Detox. Ro-Laska-Tox! It’s the new prescription drug for people who are gagging,” Detox explains the blend.

She-mail

“My queens, for the first time in Drag Race history I’m not going to say for the first time in Drag Race history,” Ru says. This is a rather humorous structure, used to make an ironic statement; this pattern is often used. In American Dad (s5e18), Steve uses a rather similar odd structure based on the classic “yo mama” jokes:  “Mom, you are not smart. I don’t tell ‘yo mama’s so dumb’ jokes. I tell ‘my mama’s so dumb’ jokes. Example: my mama’s so dumb, I don’t tell ‘yo mama’s so dumb’ jokes. I tell ‘my mama’s so dumb’ jokes.”

Mini-Challenge

“For today’s mini-challenge, you’ll need to pucker up and impress me… with the power of your pie-hole.” RuPaul says. Here, not much is structurally remarkable, except that the choice of words seems to favour the consonance of the sound ‘p’. This pattern of strangeness is often used in British papers’ headlines, like in:

Lewis laps up last races at McLaren (Metro, 1 Nov. 2012).

Arshavin’s prayers are answered in Royals rout (Metro, 1 Nov. 2012).

The repetition of sounds – like alliteration, rhyming, echo, and others – is actually a common pattern of strangeness in English. Not often noticed though.

“Now, using just your mouths, I want to see winning lip-synch performances – of my songs, Tranny Chaser… Lady Boy, and Peanut Butter.” RuPaul utters the song titles with an unusual blowy voice, in a slack-jawed manner; the ‘b’ in Lady Boy even sounds like the word initial ‘b’ in Spanish.

“So, put on some lipstick and let’s go for the glory.” RuPaul makes an allusion to glory hole (look up dictionary or go downtown) because in the mini-challenge, the queens have to lip-synch with their mouths showing only through a hole in a wooden wall.

 

“Nice lip-jobs ladies,” RuPaul says. Lip-job is used instead of lip-synch, in an obvious innuendo.

Runway

“Well, shut my mouth, it’s Santino Rice.” RuPual uses a soft American Southern accent when she introduces Santino (see strange voices).

.

“Juliette Lewis, you look go-go-go-gorgeous.” Ru mimics a stutter to introduce Ms Lewis.

“Now Juliette, is she wearing a cape fear?” Ru asks Lewis, alluding to the cape in Mahogany’s costume - a reference to Cape Fear, film which Ms Lewis starred.

“I’m serving rodeo drag fishness.” Alyssa Edward on her own look; realness is already used by the queens as a suffix meaning ‘in a real way’; now, in a similar fashion to realness, Alyssa adapts fishness as a suffix meaning ‘in a fish way’ ‘in a real feminine way’.

“Pants off dance off.” Ru references tv show Pants-Off Dance-Off, alluding to ChaCha’s underpants which are showing.

“Screw the rainbows, give me leather.” Michelle Visage refers to the rainbow and colourful costume that Jade had on last week.

. 

“I like to have the fringe going down my boobicles and booty.” Roxxy. Uncommon word boobicles, is a blend of booby and testicles, meaning ‘saggy breasts’.

.

“Tita Turter…” Ru odd way of saying Tina Turner, changing ‘n’ to ‘t’ as she does with words like hunty 'hunny' n' entertaintment 'entertainment.' 

“Tina Tatase…” Ms Lewis says tatas in a distorted way. 

“Very third rock from the sun.” RuPaul says, referring to outer space look of Jinx Monsoon and alluding to the sitcom Third Rock From the Sun which had guest judge Kristen Johnston in the cast.

“Natural born thriller. RuPaul again makes a reference to a film starring Ms Lewis Natural Born Killer.

.

“You better ass somebody.” Santino, alluding to Coco Montrese exposed bottom, using the same odd remark he used with Dida Ritz’s in season 4 episode RuPocalypse Now.

“Snow white and the hunty man” Ru, on Detox's all black costume; a deviation of the film title Snow White n' the Huntsman.

.

“How many black cocks had to die for that outfit?” RuPaul uses the funny question ‘how many birds’ in reference to a costume covered in plumage.

...The choice of words black cocks turns the utterance into a double-entendre.

“One of you really lipsmacked the competition…” RuPaul’s use of lipsmacked is perhaps commonly used; although I’m inclined to think that he plays with gobsmacked which is tagged in the Concise OED as ‘informal’ for astonished. Gob is mouth from the Scottish Gaelic; so lipsmacked is analogue to gobsmacked.

.

“Your Delta Work was… halehrah.” Michelle Visage pronounces the word hilarious in a quite distorted way – probably to convey the meaning that a normal hilarious cannot express.

The oddest and most subliminal thing I’ve heard so far in RuPaul’s strange English was his collocation of the word tight with charisma, uniqueness, nerve and talent. “Ladies, I need your lip-syncs to be as tight and unforgettable as your charisma, uniqueness nerve and talent.” On hearing the word tight I immediately expected it to go with a double-entendre word. But I couldn’t see the end of it… 

...Until I realised that charisma, uniqueness, nerve, and talent, form a an acronym: c.u.n.t. OMG!


What else lies beneath the witty and strange English of RPDRace? I can’t wait to see how this turns out…

Here Comes RuPaul Boo Boo

RuPaul’s Drag Race Season 5 had its première this Monday night – January 28. The fresh display of gaudy men in Drag was only matched by the fresh display of gaudy expressions in English – most of them uttered by the Queen mother RuPaul. But the freshness and gaudiness of RuPaul’s English goes beyond the unconventional choice of words and peculiar neologisms; the way RuPaul delivers certain lines illustrates well a type of what David Crystal calls Linguistic Strangeness.

That's all - RuPaul mimics Miranda Priestly

In the première of Season 4 RuPaul introduced his “that’s all” warning to the ‘safe’ girls. Here, RuPaul clearly mimics Miranda Priestly from The Devil Wears Prada. The way RuPaul glances to the side, blocking the girls, matches the character’s depiction by author Lauren Weisberger.

One of the most common patterns of strangeness in language is the use “of abnormal voices”. As Crystal says, a common type of abnormal voice is when the speaker adopts a regional of social accent other than the speaker’s own, or the speaker uses an unnatural tone of voice which recalls perhaps a famous personality (1990. p. 19).

You Betta Sissy That Walk

Ru again used that’s all à la Miranda this Monday. But she also adopted a new odd linguistic behaviour as Penny Tration walked off the stage. 

.

You better sissy that walk, Ru said, assuming an atypical facial expression, head motion, and an un-RuPaul-like accent.

It doesn't seem clear if Ru is mimicking someone specifically. I’d place my bets on infant reality tv personality Honey Boo Boo.

The clue is in the fact that Ru used such odd linguistic behaviour during Penny Tration’s presentation. 

Penny and Honey Boo Boo share two things in common: they both take part in runway contests and are both big proportioned ladies. 

Penny Tration & Honey Boo Boo

.

But the allusion to Honey Boo Boo is not just due to matters of size. I believe RuPaul indentifies herself with Honey Boo Boo’s sassy style and social unconventionality.

RuPaul & Boo Boo

One aspect that surely brings Ru and Boo Boo together is their odd and inventive use of language. The reality show Here Comes Honey Boo Boo often focuses on Honey Boo Boo’s peculiar English. 

Here are some of the pearls by Honey Boo Boo.

“A dolla make me holla, honey boo boo child!” Honey boo boo are actually terms of endearment. Alana Thompson, Boo Boo’s real name, used honey boo boo child as an interjection. She rhymes dolla and holla (holler, shout).

Honey Boo Boo's family

“I have three sisters. Pumpkin is the craziest. Anna is the pregnantest.” Pregnant is an adjective, so although Boo Boo actually follows a rule of English, the use of superlative with pregnant is unconventional because you cannot be more or less pregnant.

“No one can be proper and etiquettely all the time.” Boo Boo creates an adverb that derivates from the noun etiquette. It’s an unusual adverb.

.

"I'm sassified." Boo boo blends sassy and satisfied.

“You better redneckognize!” Everyone from Boo Boo’s family uses the word redneckognize which is a blend of redneck and recognise.

“My gay uncle is poodle…” Boo Boo’s word for gay.

“Shh! It’s a poodle.” Boo Boo makes takes this expression from Shh! It’s a Wig store.

“We put Glitzy on the table, and she ooo’d herself.” Boo Boo’s word for ‘pooped’.


 
“Baby Kaitlyn arrived on the Biscuit Express!” Biscuit is the word for ‘vagina’ used by Boo Boo’s family members. Biscuit Express thus is Boo Boo’s phrase to ‘birth’. 



Beautimous ‘some kind of beautiful’, s’mage ‘massage’, s’mexy  and sexmous ‘some kind of sexy’, are just some words used by Boo Boo’s mother – words that are sure to be part of Boo Boo’s vocabulary.

Like the English of RPDRace the English of Boo Boo’s family circle presents its share of odd words and phrases. And since Here Comes Honey Boo Boo is a reality show that follows Boo Boo’s family with no scripted speech, it provides evidence that linguistic strangeness is an ordinary aspect of language – and not an exclusive feature of the Drag Queen’s English.

Extra! Extra! Read all about them

RuPaul’s Drag Race had it's 5th season premiered on line.

RuPaul meets the new Queens

And this opening episode was crammed with very peculiar expressions of English, particularly those uttered by the Queen mother RuPaul. If you like the strange and creative English of RPDRace enjoy this extra edition of the blog. Read it to filth!

Entrance.

“…and I’m the Queen bee…” Detox makes reference to her costume and the word queen (homossexual).

“Hunny, I’m serving up fish. Tuna on a platter.” Jade Jolie. 

Fish means to look like a real female and not like a man in drag.

"Honey Mahogany is like a Rupaul’s Drag Race poster…but not quite as polished. Sorry about it.” Detox says these final three words singing.

“This might be the fishiest season ever darling!” Monica Beverly Hillz. Fishiest, superlative of fishy, i.e. full of drags who look like a real woman.

“And then enter Coco Montrese.
The face crack of the century.” Allyssa. 



Face crack, in the urban dictionary means addicted to facebook – though I'm not sure of this meaning is what Alyssa implied. Alyssa and Coco are mortal enemies; Alyssa accuses Coco of back stabbing; does that has anything to do with face crack?

Shemail 

“Welcome my Queens. I’ve told you California was the place you ought to be. So you tightened up your tuck, and you flew to Beverly… Hills. Adjacent that is. So, whether you’re a fresh princess of Bel-Air, a Malibu Barbie, or just serving real housewife realness, to get your big break in RuPaullywood you’ll need to make an even bigger splash and really shake things up!”

tuck (hyde penis and balls in the body),

Beverly Hills Adjacent, name given by realters to area next to Beverly Hills. 
fresh princess of Bel-Air... allusion to the sitcom Fresh Prince of Bell-Air, 

real housewife realness, reference to the reality show Real Housewives. 

you’ll need to make an even bigger splash, allusion to the up comming mini challenge in which the queens have to enter a pool full of water.” 

Mini Challenge

“What we’re looking for is underwater glamour.” RuPaul. “…like…giv’ us fish.” Mike Ruiz.

“Please, notice there’s no p in the water.” RuPaul plays with the sentece there’s no p in pool.

“It’s the bumblefish.” Ruiz identify the queens with differents types of fish; he calls Detox of bumblefish. Bumblefish doesn't exist, but is a deviation of bumblebee.

“The time’s come for you to sink for your life.” RuPaul corrupts his own catchphrase replacing the original lip-sync for sink.

“I can see your seafood platter. Your paella is showing.” RuPaul alludes to Selena ChaCha whose privates parts aren't tucked. 

“Don’t be so shallow Alyssa.” RuPaul says b'cos Alyssa stays closer to the service; RuPaul uses an admonishing tone since shallow also means a 'superficial person'.

“Jynx Monsoon welcome to the drag lagoon.” RuPaul uses rhyme with the name Jynx 'n refers to the film title The Blue Lagoon.

“Jynx there’s got to be a morning after.” RuPaul makes reference to the song ‘The Morning After’ in the film The Poseidon adventure.

“Deeper Penny Tration. Girl you’re gonna put Shelley
Williams out of work.” RuPaul.

“Alaska is underwater. Damn you global warming.” RuPaul, talking to Alaska.

“It’s Honey Mahogany!… Honey, I sunk the kids.” RuPaul referes to the film Honey, I shrunk the kids.’

“Sparkle Lineysha!” (Sparkle ‘brilha’ Lineysha) RuPaul talks to the drag Lineysha Sparx.

“Serving Tuna Turner. Instant Coco, just add water.” RuPaul talks to Coco Montrese making reference to Tina Turner and coconut.

Main Challenge

“All that ass.” RuPaul makes reference to the film title of All That Jazz.

"I dream of Jynx.” Santino makes a reference to the series I Dream of Jeannie.

“Loofah my ass” RuPaul uses 'my ass'  - an expression of disagreement - making a reference to the loofah sewed in the back part of her costume.

“She’s detoxing from crack by the way.” RuPaul making a reference to the drag Detox with the verb detex and allude to crack (butt crack).

“The lady boy in red.” RuPaul makes reference to the film title The Lady in Red.

“Let’s have lunch at The Ivy” RuPaul, alluding to Ivy Summers.

“You can catch more flies with Honey Mahogany.” RuPaul.

“The men love me, the women love me.” Ruiz mentions this from the 1975 film Mahogany, alluding to Honey Mahogany on the runway.

“Ding, ding, ding…” Ruiz mimics the sound tune of NBC network because Jade wears the simbols of the channel.

“A Penny for your thoughts.” RuPaul alludes to Penny Tration.


“I’m walking slow and letting them take all the Penny Tration in.” Penny Tration and another pun with her name

“I wonder if she has a twin; she’d be double Penny Tration.” Ruiz.  

“Alaska. I can see Russia from here.” RuPaul refers to the drag Alaska and allude to her bottom as she lives the runway.

During the deliberation the judges still created neologisms:

Eloguent, compound of Elegant and Eloquent which started from a slip of the tongue of Michelle Visage.

TP, normally toilet paper; here means total package.

Coutorture, compound of Couture and Torture.

The show ended here. The end wasn't aired. But whoever watches the full new episode will now be more prepared to the linguistic oddities of RPDRace.