Textlinguistics can be described as a linguistic discipline that investigates language on a wider level than formally usual. Discussing the text as a whole system derives from the conclusion that "linguistic investigations cannot be limited to the classic disciplines of phonology, morphology, syntax and lexicology" (Görlach 2004: 3).
In attempt of a diachronic research of text types a synchronic analysis should be given precedence. What are the characteristic features of the text type? What is its function? What are its restrictions? Examples of the same period might help to get a comprehensive notion of the text type in question.
Having established the linguistic elements characterizing the text type, one can start out a diachronic investigation. Its development and the reasons for change or stasis have to be examined and set into context. Examples of the text type from different points in the history of the language need to be compared with each other. The development of a text type through time requires a close look at textual traditions and how the text type and its authors were influenced throughout time (Jucker 2000: 103). Nevertheless one must not forget that due to the limitation of examples it is impossible to depict a complete evolution of a text type.
Making a start, I will deal with different terms designating the text type as a linguistic category and the way a text type is defined. This can only be done in an exemplary manner, as there has been such an amount of unlike positions. In addition, I shall elucidate what makes up the cookery recipe in particular. In what follows this paper contains the analyses of four examples, the focus being placed on their linguistic features. The excerpts chosen originate from the late Middle English to early Modern English period and are taken from collections including a large number of recipes. Finally, I will sharply go into finding out whether the cookery recipe is evolutionally stable or discontinuous.
Table of Contents
1 Introduction
2 Problems in designation: What is a text type?
3 The cookery recipe as a text type
4 Linguistic features of the cookery recipe: An exemplary analysis
4.1 Two fifteenth-century cookery books (~1420)
4.2 Liber cure cocorum (~ 1430)
4.3 A Proper Newe Booke of Cokerye (16th century)
5 Conclusion
Research Objectives and Themes
This academic paper investigates the medieval cookery recipe as a distinct text type by analyzing its linguistic characteristics and evolution from the late Middle English to the early Modern English period. The primary research goal is to determine whether this specific procedural text type displays evolutionary stability or discontinuity through a synchronic and diachronic examination of selected historical culinary texts.
- Theoretical definitions of text types and genres in linguistics
- Linguistic criteria for analyzing historical recipes (e.g., imperative usage, sentence structure)
- Comparative analysis of late medieval and early modern recipe collections
- The impact of rhymed forms and poetic language in early cookery manuscripts
- Evaluation of instructional clarity and target audience expectations in historical recipes
Excerpt from the Book
3.1 Two fifteenth-century cookery books (~1420)
The earliest of the examples I will take a closer look on dates back to approximately 1420 and is part of the Harleian Ms. 279, reprinted in a collection called Two fifteenth-century cookery books:
Capoun in Salome. – Take a Capoun & skalde hym, Roste hym, flen take flikke Almaunde mylke, temper it wyth wyne Whyte ofler Red, take a lytyl Saunderys & a lytyl Safroun, & make it a marbyl coloure, & so atte fle dressoure flrow on hym in ye kychoun, & flrow fle Mylke a-boue, & flat is most commelyche, & serue forth.
(Austin 1888: 33-34).
Summary of Chapters
1 Introduction: This chapter defines the scope of historical textlinguistics and outlines the methodological approach for examining the diachronic development of the cookery recipe.
2 Problems in designation: What is a text type?: This section discusses the terminological challenges in distinguishing between "text type" and "genre," providing theoretical context for the subsequent linguistic analysis.
3 The cookery recipe as a text type: This chapter establishes the dimensions for analyzing recipe texts, focusing on external, social, and linguistic features relevant to their historical context.
4 Linguistic features of the cookery recipe: An exemplary analysis: This main part of the paper applies a specific catalogue of eight linguistic features to four historical cookery sources to identify patterns of stability and change.
5 Conclusion: The concluding chapter summarizes the findings, confirming the extraordinary evolutionary stability of the cookery recipe as a procedural text type despite minor variations.
Keywords
Historical linguistics, Text type, Cookery recipe, Middle English, Diachronic analysis, Synchronic analysis, Textlinguistics, Imperative, Culinary history, Procedural text, Linguistic features, Manuscript studies, Early Modern English.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the core focus of this research paper?
The paper examines the cookery recipe as a distinct linguistic text type, tracing its evolution and stability from the late Middle English period through the 16th and early 17th centuries.
Which linguistic framework is used for the analysis?
The study utilizes a catalogue of eight linguistic features proposed by Manfred Görlach, including imperative usage, sentence complexity, and the use of possessive pronouns.
What is the primary objective of the author?
The goal is to determine if the cookery recipe is a stable text type or one characterized by discontinuity by examining how instructions were written across different historical periods.
What are the main thematic areas covered?
The analysis covers the definition of text types, the structural components of recipes, the transition from rhymed instructions to standard prose, and the social implications of the ingredients mentioned.
Which specific sources are analyzed in the work?
The author analyzes excerpts from the Harleian Ms. 279, the Liber cure cocorum, A Proper Newe Booke of Cokerye, and A New Booke of Cookerie.
How is the "text type" defined in this paper?
The paper adopts a definition of text type as a specific linguistic pattern with formal or structural characteristics that have become conventionalized for standardized uses of language.
What makes the "Liber cure cocorum" unique among the sources?
The Liber cure cocorum is highlighted because it utilizes a rare rhymed form, suggesting that early recipe writers experimented with poetic language even in practical procedural texts.
Does the language of the recipes change significantly over time?
No, the study concludes that while there are minor variations in sentence complexity and address markers, the fundamental linguistic conventions of the cookery recipe remain remarkably stable.
How does the author characterize the target audience?
The author argues that based on the assumed knowledge and the exclusivity of the ingredients, the recipes were likely intended for experienced or professional cooks rather than novices.
- Quote paper
- Eva Tüttelmann (Author), 2006, The medieval cookery recipe as a text type, Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/75879
