Recipe analysis

The language throughout all three recipe texts is varied due to the different time periods of when they were written, for example the semantic change of words and meanings, format and the features of orthology are different. Text number one (of which was written in 1747) is a curry recipe. There are uses of non-standard language, such as the spelling, “currey”, of which now has the spelling adaptation of just being “curry” without the requirement of the “e”. There also seems to be a dismissal of the letter “s”, of which is replaced by the letter “f”, such as words, “Fowls”, “fmall”, “Frefh”.  However the letter “s” wasn’t ignored completely, as the recipe later on has intermittent uses of the constantan S, “Stew-pan”, “Salt”. It seems as though the letter “f” is used on verbs and adjectives, however if there is a word beginning with S and it is a noun, the S is kept and it is also made to be a capital even if it is mid-sentence. This links to another non-standard feature of this recipe is also the orthography, where the capitalisation of nouns, especially concrete nouns (such as the ingredients of the curry), are capitalised. This may be due to the confusion of concrete nouns and proper nouns; however language over time has become more specific, splitting the nouns into different groups to no longer need capitalisation unless it is a proper noun.

Recipe no. 2 is an Economical Pot Liquor Soup that was written in 1852, of which the language is different again to the previous recipe. Firstly, the recipe being described a “pot liquor soup” suggests a different meaning to what it would have meant back in the 1800’s, as liquor is alcohol in the 21^st century, whereas the recipe would have intended a different meaning that doesn’t include alcohol. The contextual time that this recipe was written is also reflected in this recipe as it directly speaks to the target audience, “a thrifty housewife”, suggesting that this recipe is for working class women. This gender specific text is tailored to suit the stereotypical domestic housewife, which would not be seen in a 21^st century recipe due to the stigma of only women cooking has changed, meaning that men are cooks just as much women can be.

Recipe 3, the “wan kai thai-style red curry” is instantly different (written in 1998), as the borrowing of the word “curry” was originated from Tamil in the late 16^th centry, however has adapted to the English language. It is evident how the spelling of the word has changed by just looking at the spelling “currey” from text number 1 compared to tis modern text. The graphology of this recipe is the major difference between this recipe compared to the other two, as the other two recipes were set out as columns of block text, talking through the steps of the recipe. However the modern 1998 recipe is set out in bullet points. Whereas the previous recipes included the ingredients within the process of the recipe rather than listing them before, the ingredients are listed with the exact measurements in units before the steps of the recipe in the modern text. This is because people nowadays have less time to prepare meals, and the use of bullet points are quick and easy to read. There is also a “nutrition notes per serving”, telling the reader all of the facts about what this recipe includes in terms of calories and fats. People are more aware of what they are eating, and the obsession of diets and calories are constantly what people search for in foods. The government have also put these nutritional intake statistics with red, yellow or green colours to indicate the healthiness of the food product. It seems as though recipes are now including these types of information for the consumer to be able to make a quick decision whether they want to make and eat this recipe or not. English language has not only changed through the events and influences of modern-day life, but it has adapted to suit the lifestyle of 21^st century audiences.