Etymological characteristics of English restaurant menu vocabulary

Автор: Polyakovskaya A., Nikolaeva Elena

Журнал: Мировая наука @science-j

Рубрика: Гуманитарные и общественные науки

Статья в выпуске: 6 (27), 2019 года.

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The results of the etymological analysis on the vocabulary of English restaurant menu texts are described in the article. It contains the information regarding the etymological composition of three categories of names in the menu structure, the correlation between the native and borrowed lexical units, as well as the periods of their appearance in the English language.

Etymology, restaurant menu, native vocabulary, borrowed vocabulary, source of borrowing

Короткий адрес: https://sciup.org/140264816

IDR: 140264816

Текст научной статьи Etymological characteristics of English restaurant menu vocabulary

The menu is the signature line of any food outlet, hence significant attention is required when choosing its design and vocabulary. However, while the variety of external decorations can only be limited by the designers and illustrators’ imagination, the vocabulary of the menu text should possess a definite structure and characteristics.

An etymological analysis was conducted on English restaurant menu vocabulary in order to obtain the information regarding the correlation of the native and borrowed language units, as well as the time and the source of their appearance in the English language. The inputs for the study were made up of twenty English restaurant menu texts, found on the official websites of the restaurants from various parts of England. Etymological characteristics of the total 267 language units were obtained via the Online Etymology Dictionary by Douglas Harper [2].

To achieve a higher degree of accuracy and detail, the following categories of language units were included into the etymological analysis: the names of menu sections, the names of dishes and the names of ingredients.

Sixty-seven names were picked to conduct the etymological analysis on the vocabulary of menu sections. The results of the research have shown that, according to the source of borrowing, 58% of the names appear to be English words proper. The major part of the native English names of the menu sections is represented by the lexemes, indicating the time of the day ( Breakfast, Brunch, Lunch, Daytime etc.) and the variety of dishes ( Pancakes, Pastry, Fillings, Puddings, Sandwiches, IceCream, Cocktails, Toppings etc.).

Old English vocabulary of the first category comprises 7,46% and is represented by five words: Bites, Sweets, Eggs, Cheeses, Pots .

Regarding the borrowed vocabulary, Old French ( Dinner, Salads, Buns, Vegetables, Roast) and French ( Desserts, Grills, Favourites) language units make up 10,45% and 8,96% out of 67 names accordingly.

Besides the above-mentioned languages there are other borrowings among the names of the menu sections, such as Chinese ( Teas ), Dutch ( Waffles ), German ( Muffins ), Italian ( Pasta, Pizza ), Latin ( Pies ), Spanish ( Barbecue, Tacos ) and Scandinavian languages ( Wings, Steaks ). Nevertheless, the percentage content of these borrowings is minor and ranges from 1,49% to 2,99%.

The next category of the English restaurant menu vocabulary under analysis refers to the names of the dishes and features 100 lexical units. Among them native English words comprise 23% and are represented by such lexemes as Poached Egg, Porridge, Dumplings, Shortbread, Meatballs, Chips, Fudge etc.

The rate of borrowings is significantly higher than that of the native words in the second category and makes up 77%. The main source of borrowing is French, as French names of dishes comprise 42% of all borrowings. Such lexical units had entered English vocabulary from the beginning of the 13th to the mid-20th century, and they can be subdivided into French words proper and the borrowings from Old French.

Modern French names of the dishes make up 30% of all borrowings and are represented by such popular lexemes as Escalope, Marmalade, Omelette, Soup, Puree, Croutons, Parfait, Quiche etc. The other 12% of French borrowings come from Old French: Fillet, Biscuit, Tart, Jelly, Toast, Sausage etc.

Italian is the third most-popular source of borrowing for the names of dishes in English restaurants and comprises 17% of all borrowed lexical units. Some of the most widely used Italian dish names are Ravioli, Bolognese, Lasagna, Gnocchi, Frittata, Focaccia etc. Moreover, the majority of Italian names were borrowed into the English food language in the second half of the 20th century ( Bruschetta, Linguine, Espresso, Ciabatta etc.).

It can be seen that a number of borrowings from other languages constitute a much smaller quantity. For example, 6% of the “dish name” lexemes were borrowed from Spanish, such as Tortilla, Salsa, Chorizo, Guacamole, Nachos and Chipotle .

Further sources of borrowing do not exceed 3% for every language and include

Turkish ( Pilaf, Kebab, Hummus ), German ( Torte, Strudel ), Japanese ( Wasabi ) and Arabic ( Falafel ) names.

The etymological analysis was also conducted on 100 lexical units, denoting the names of ingredients. English words proper constitute 15% of all ingredients vocabulary. In menus of English restaurants the native names are represented by such lexemes as watercress, buttermilk, pineapple, chestnut, horseradish, watermelon etc.

The etymological composition of the third category appears to be similar to the second one, as the majority of the lexical units, denoting ingredients, tend to be borrowings as well. Thus, the largest number of borrowed ingredient names belongs to French (49%).

However, there should also be a division of French vocabulary into Old French borrowings and French words proper. A significantly larger quantity of ingredient names (35% out of 49%) had been borrowed from Old French into English from the beginning of the 12th century to the middle of the 15th century. It is interesting to know that during this period the names of various types of ingredients, originating from different parts of the world, were borrowed from Old French. Among them, there are names of fish and seafood ( salmon, mackerel, oyster ), greens and vegetables ( onion, lettuce, kale ), fruit and berries ( cherry, orange, pomegranate ) as well as nuts and spices ( almond, nutmeg, sage ).

At the same time, modern French borrowings take up only 14% of all foreign words, although they represent some international and exotic ingredients as well: sesame, chicory, cardamom, truffle, pecan, cashew etc.

A slightly smaller number of borrowed words originate from Italian and Spanish sources, each of which constitutes 9% of the 100 lexemes. The earliest borrowings from these sources date back to the 16th century, while most of Italian and Spanish words were integrated into the English language in the second half of the 19th century. The favoured weather conditions of the Mediterranean climate in Italy and Spain contributed to the introduction of formerly exotic vegetables ( tomato, avocado, cauliflower ), fruit and nuts ( banana, pistachio ), seafood ( tuna, calamari ) and cheeses ( parmesan, ricotta ).

The ingredient names, originating from Oriental languages, are represented to a remarkably smaller degree in the restaurant menu texts under analysis. The overall percentage of Eastern borrowings constitutes 3% and includes such sources of borrowing as Chinese ( ketchup ), Japanese ( soy ) and Turkish ( yoghurt ).

Therefore, our etymological analysis made a significant contribution to the discovery of characteristic cultural and social features of English society, reflected in restaurant menu texts. Despite the fact that all the menu texts under analysis were taken from specifically traditional British cuisine restaurants, the variety of dishes appears to be under the notable influence of European and Mediterranean cuisines, as well as increasingly popular Asian cuisines. According to the results of the etymological analysis, English caterers not only bring out bold combinations of traditional British dishes and exotic novelties, but also exploit the borrowed “barbarisms” instead of some commonly used English words.

Список литературы Etymological characteristics of English restaurant menu vocabulary

  • Dickson Right C. A History of English Food. London, 2011.
  • Harper D. Online Etymology Dictionary [электронный ресурс]. URL: https://www.etymonline.com (дата обращения: 05.04.2019)
  • Haward N. Traditional food in Britain // Bridge. 2006. №6. Рр. 26-29.
  • Jurafsky D. The Language of Food: A Linguist Reads the Menu. W. W. Norton, 2014.
  • Spencer C. British Food: an extraordinary thousand years of history. Columbia University Press, 2003
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