Re: query: distorted languages?

CONLANG@LISTSERV.BROWN.EDU writes:
>Partly.  The word actually acquired the sense "homosexual" as early as
>the 1940's, where "gay" is recorded as prison slang for "homosexual".
>It merely remained out of the mainstream until the 1970's.  But, once
>the meaning "homosexual" had entered mainstream English, *then* it
>quickly ceased to be used for "happy".
In the past few years it has come to mean something silly, dumb, stupid.
As in kids who see something corny and go "That's so gay!"

I dont get offended by it. It makes me cringe though. It's hard to offend
me unless the insult is truly bad (i pretty much have to
be..........especially as a gay man who is also a minority as well).

_________________________________________________________

This ain't a yes, this ain't a no, just do your thang, we'll see how it
goes

"Courtesy is the KY Jelly of social intercourse"