Language Food

3 Credits · Level: Undergraduate

Food and language are omnipresent in everyday life. We use language to talk about food, and food terms have rich cultural histories. Menus and food packaging labels provide windows into not only an item’s nature and quality, but also the desired customer’s identity. People talk while they cook, and while they eat; in fact, mealtime has long been a privileged site for the study of language in use, especially in families. Parents use language to socialize their children into food preferences; even among adults, the taste of food is collaboratively negotiated in interaction (as can be witnessed at a wine or chocolate tasting). People participate in online forums on topics such as gourmet cooking, veganism, and weight loss; they use language about food to portray themselves as certain kinds of people (gourmand or glutton, decadent or disciplined eater). People post brunch photos on Instagram, recipe videos on Facebook, and restaurant reviews on Yelp. Food is a necessity and a luxury; it is intertwined with identities (e.g., cultural, gendered, socioeconomic), relationships (e.g., parent-child, friend-friend), and values (e.g., healthy eating, ethical eating), all of which are negotiated through language. In this course, we will explore intersections between language and food by reading research stemming from a range of language-focused perspectives and academic disciplines. We will apply theoretical concepts to various data types, including restaurant menus, recipes, mealtime talk among friends and family, food-related online discussion forums, social media posts about food, food advertisements, and reality TV shows about food. We will learn about the multifaceted and sometimes surprising connections between language and food, while also gaining insights into the role of language in creating and negotiating social structures, processes, and ideologies that go well beyond food. A central component of this course is a series of small-scale research projects, in which students will apply course concepts to empirical data that they collect.