Y.A. Buketov Karaganda state university
"Food"
in the works of Russian and British writers
Ethnic cuisine is one of the most sustainable forms of culture. If you
change the place of residence of people hardly rearranged on other people's
products and dishes. The process of cross-cultural communication and
globalization blurs the boundaries of national culinary schools: everywhere
there is a network of McDonald's, Chinese, Japanese, Italian restaurants,
destroyed even some national traditions. Dishes that have appeared in the last
century, and even decades, are considered to be national: pickles and potatoes
for Russian national steel products, and vice versa, "Olivier" salad
in the world is "Russian salad".
Different types of crops and linguocultures - Russian and English, a
variety of culinary traditions, different cuisines and different principles of
names of food and meals products are comparable, if we look at the principles
of representation and ways of functioning of the names of dishes in modern
Russian and English languages.
Language representation of the concept of "food" in Russian
and English languages is characterized by the variety of lexical
and phraseological tools, semantic components which contain attitude toward
food. The concept of "food", with linguistic expression, includes all
communicatively relevant information, forming based on the key words
"is" and "drink."
Consider which of your keywords - food and dishes names serve as
material for the formation of "food" concept.
English food is quite simple. There food is homemade (like bread and a
festive meal), is - the traditional (as part of the national culture). With the
exception of breakfast food in England is similar to food in other countries.
Breakfast, lunch, tea and depleted usual meals in England. British picky eating
habits and adhere strictly to certain meal times. England is also famous for
its traditions, including the - afternoon tea, fish and chips are relevant for
a large English breakfast [1].
The Russian linguistic culture is no naming shaped dishes. Presentations
on basic foods and Russian cuisine is very general. However, proverbs, sayings,
riddles Russian language provide information about what titles embody the
greatest amount of knowledge and ethno-cultural representations. Among them -
bread (Bread - a head bread and salt.), Salt (to annoy anyone, salt sprinkle -
to quarrel), oil (Porridge oil will not spoil Like cheese rolls oil oily eyes
Podmaslit nonsense on vegetable.... .. oil to pour oil on the fire enough for
bread and butter, as if butter to the heart like clockwork the Fig butter
Pancake), soup, porridge (cabbage soup yes porridge -.... our food), cakes (red
hut no corners, red cottage pie), pancakes (Worst-first), tea, jelly (seven
miles jelly slurp. Kisel (of the person), jelly (jelly shakes). It is a great
material for the analysis of Russian naming of dishes gives a "Dictionary
of the Living great Russian language" in .i. Dalia [4].
However, recent decades have made adjustments to the traditional list,
there are faceless generic names of the dishes, as the second, pastries, etc.
Some of them became the concepts of certain communicative situations, often
with the accession of diminutive suffixes. Soup, Morozhenko, mineral water, just
nuts. Others come from the works of literature and film, including children:
(.. Day jam Bun Bears love honey ... You're wrong, Uncle Fyodor, eat a
sandwich). Some titles (with dish) come from abroad and in the Russian language
grows national connotations: Olivier, sprats; later - cola, sushi, foie gras,
fondue, doshirak. Some of the product names themselves form new figurative
phrases (business sausage fingers like sausages) [3].
The names of Russian dishes foreigner can learn from literary works (fairy-tale
"The Gingerbread Man", the description of the dishes in the poem
"Dead Souls" by Nikolai Gogol story Averchenko "Pancakes
Dodi" and others.), Movies ( "What muck this your jellied fish!
"), through proverbs, idioms (not all cat Shrovetide. Like cheese in
butter), from certain communicative situations (set of dishes for breakfast,
lunch, dinner, reception, on a buffet table, a banquet) and rituals ( weddings,
funerals, holidays - New year, Christmas, Mardi Gras).
Many of the names of dishes, available in the classical Russian
literature often incomprehensible not only to foreigners but also to the
Russian reader, because the culture of traditional Russian food is lost.
Capsule in "Dead Souls" by Gogol manages "to bake pancakes, yes
bend unleavened cake with an egg." She's on the table are
"skorodumki, pies, shanezhki, pryagly, pancakes, tortillas, with all
Pripek: full sun with onion, full sun with poppy seeds, with cottage full sun,
full sun with snyatochkami and goodness knows what was not." Without analyzing
in detail the names of the dishes we imagine Korobochka as a full and bustling
woman, in a house where everything is subordinated to management of the economy
and, above all, cost-effective preparation, varied and hearty food. And if the
Russian reader understands that Gogol leading names of traditional Russian
pastry dishes, which in the 19th century were widespread, and at the present
time due to the troublesome preparation replaced by other products, a foreign
reader without comment, this information is unlikely to be straightforward.
It is not clear without further explanation, and Russian, and alien
symbols of ritual and festive dishes: pancakes on Shrove Tuesday, Easter cakes
and colored eggs at Easter, bread and salt at the solemn meeting. And this
applies not only to the historical mythological and religious traditions. There
are already new stereotypes in modern Russian society, for example, such as
Olivier and tangerines in the New Year. They can be taken ironically, but
nevertheless they are very tenacious. All these concepts have verbal
expression, as enshrined in the vocabulary, and become elements of the national
Russian culture [4].
Thus, the names of food products and dishes are an integral part of the
national linguistic culture. This stable and lexical-semantic group forms a
national picture of the world to the concept of «food»: junk food -
unprofitable for health food; fast food - letters. "Fast food" eatery
(fast-food); Scotch collapse - grilled meat with onions; a shepherd ispie -
potato casserole with minced meat and onions; Tom and Jerry - hot punch,
flavored with spices; Irish stew - lamb stew with onions and potatoes; dumpling
- dumpling, apple, baked in dough; gooseberry fool - mousse crumpled gooseberry
berries with cream or custard; pancakes - blins / pancakes; dumplings -
pelmeni; soup - shchi / cabbage soup (literally "cabbage soup."); ear
- ukha, borscht - borch; moonshine - moonshine (. the letters "moonlight)
/ home-made vodka (. the letters" home-made vodka); cottage cheese -
cottage cheese; loaf -. round loaf of bread (. the letters "a round loaf
of bread") and other studies of this group of words can be used in the
practice of translation, teaching of a foreign language or learn
"foreign" linguistic culture.
Equivalence of English translations of such simple words as breakfast,
lunch, and dinner quite questionable because of the differences in cultures.
Breakfast is available in two variants: continental and English - with a stable
and lean, with the Russian point of view, the menu. Russian breakfast - can be
characterized by an unlimited variety of dishes, ranging from different social
groups to the regional, and just from family to family.
Lunch is even more confusing picture because it is lunch, and dinner, or
rather no lunch or dinner, do not coincide Deli, on a set of dishes, either in
time (lunch at 12.00 - too early, dinner - at 20-21.00 too late for dinner)
.Uzhin - this dinner, and supper. Thus, the whole harmonious system of
"transfer" "crashed against life", as it said Mayakovsky
[2].
The realities of Russian life and mythology are especially persistent
and exist throughout the history of Russia: for example, lexical units soup,
botvinya, cereal, jelly, jelly, dumplings, yogurt and other historical
information are on the Russian worldview. Features of Russian cuisine are
explained, as a rule, the climatic conditions of life of people. For example,
in the winter without a hearty soup in the northern regions of Russia,
especially in Siberia, it is very difficult to live. The colder the climate,
the high-calorie food, the slower it is absorbed. In order to supply the body's
internal heat was, you could probably explain the popularity of the first
dishes (soups) in Russia (soup, fish soup, borscht, halophyte, and others.)
Language phenomena reflect the social and cultural life of the speaker's
staff. From this point of view it is interesting to find out how are reflected
in the language of some of the concepts and how these concepts are due to
social and cultural factors on the material of modern English literature.
The methods of lexical expressions of the concepts of
"delicious" - "tasteless", it turned out that in modern
English concept of a negative evaluation of food (Russian - tasteless)
lexically represented very poorly. The main way of expressing this concept is
the combination of not good (bad). The use of this particular phrase, not more
strongly in the emotional evaluation forms of the same concept of bad (bad),
apparently, is not accidental. In modern English society, as a rule, it is not
accepted to speak negatively about the food, it does not correspond to the
cultural and ethical requirements, so the concept lexically not detail. In
these texts have not met a single case of expressing the concept of "tasteless"
in direct speech.
The concept of a positive assessment of food - "delicious" -
is presented in the language of modern English and American literature is much
brighter, it is more detailed, diverse lexical. Along with the very common
words good (good), to express the concept of "delicious" used the
phrase with the words delicious (delicious), nice (nice), excellent
(excellent), perfect (perfect), fine (beautiful), splendid(excellent),
appetizing (mouthwatering), beautiful (gorgeous), savoury (spicy). Praise food
(even if she does not deserve) - one of the standards of conduct in the modern
civilized society, while the bad things about the treat - a violation of this
rule. This ethical requirement is reflected in the modern English language: the
concept of a positive assessment of food is expressed lexically
"tasteless" than antonymous meaningfully "delicious" [2].
When text analysis revealed that the expression of characteristic
evaluation of food, mainly for wealthy people, for the representatives of the
middle and upper classes who are prone to it, "revaluation»
(overstatement). The poor also, representatives of the lower strata of society,
much less express their attitude to food and prone to its
"underestimation» (understatement). This, apparently, can be explained by
the fact that representatives of the wealthier sectors of society meal - not
just a natural function, necessary to sustain life, but also a certain
socio-cultural ritual phenomenon of social life, for which the quality of the
food is essential (for example, the famous "saddle of lamb" at a
solemn meeting Forsyte family) [1].
Evaluation of food in wealthier sections of society characterized by
lexical diversity and richness of hues:
The feature of the feast was red mullet. This delectable fish brought
from a considerable distance in a state of almost perfect preservation was
first fried, then boned, then served in ice according to a recipe known to a
few men of the world (J. Galsworthy).
The highlight of the celebration was the red mullet. Delicious fish,
brought from afar, perfectly preserved, was first fry, then de-boned and served
on ice, according to the recipe, known only to a few people in the world [D.
Galsworthy].
«Delicious!» He said. «Exquisite! Who but a Frenchman could make poetry
of fish, I ask you? »[Ch. Gorham].
"Great!" - He said. "Exquisite! Who else but the
Frenchman could make fish a poem, tell me! "[Ch Gorham].
In describing the poor food use other lexical means of expressing the
most words in most cases, good (good), tasty (delicious), nourishing
(nutritious)
«There's no bloddy head room», agreed Slogger, chewing pie with the
noisy relish of a man whose missus usually gave him cut bread and dripping. But
this was a bloddy good pie! [A. J. Cronin].
"There is no devil's front room," - agreed Slogger, loudly
absorbed the cake with the air of a man who used to get his wife a piece of
bread with beef fat. And it was a damn good pie! [A. J. Cronin].
Any working - class wife who has thin times will have a fine knowledge
of those cuts which are inexpensive and nourishing and also tasty [R. Hoggart].
Any woman of the working environment, constantly limited in the media,
is well aware of the existence of inexpensive, nutritious and at the same time
tasty chunks of meat [R. Hoggart].
Poor old age pensioners used sometimes to simulate a tasty meal by
dissolving a penny Oxo in warm water, and having it with bread [R. Hoggart].
The poor old man had retired at times to create a likeness of yourself a
tasty meal, spreading the broth cube "Oxo" in boiling water, then
drinking it with a piece of bread [R. Hoggart].
The food of the poor, so that the main advantage is its nutritional
value, "substantial", ie what words passed nourishing (nutritious)
and tasty (delicious). Assessment of the food of the poor by using words such
as exquisite (exquisite), delectable (delicious), even delicious (delicious) is
not detected in the analyzed products.
Ways of expression of positive or negative assessment of the food can be
caused by factors such as age, sex, education level of the speaker. The
tendency to self-assessment, which is characteristic for young people, is
clearly traced in the following dialogs.
Dialogue between grandmother and grandson:
«Is it a good cake?» She asked intensely. «Yes, mam», he said, wiring
into it. «It 's fair champion» [A. J. Cronin].
"The pie is good?" - She asked tensely. - "Yes, ma'am, -
he said, biting into it. - Right-champion pie "[A. J. Kronin].
The second dialogue between a grandfather and grandson: Seated at a
little marble topped table in the oldes-tablished confectioner's, the Rector
watched his grandson eat strawberry ice. «? Good» - «Awfully» [A. J. Cronin].
Sitting at a small marble-topped table in the old confectionery, Rector
watched his grandson eating strawberry ice cream: "Good?" -
"Awesome!" [A. J.. Cronin].
In Soviet literature feast often forms the composition of the work. The
main theme of this prose is the life of an ordinary village or urban dweller.
There are events such as family disputes, family celebrations, joint lunches,
dinners, friendly conversations, etc. Particular attention is paid to the
lyrical prose (V. Solouhin "Honey on the bread", "The Third
Hunt"; F. Abramov "Grass-ants"), dedicated to the description of
the medicinal properties of food and preparation methods used. We reviewed the
titles of works, containing translations of the concept "Food", as
the title is often concentrated meaning of the text, which is the deployment
takes place throughout the works. The title contained:
- Lexical units that characterize the natural products (K. Abaturov
"White honey," Kantor "Filling an apple," Karelin L.
"A bunch of radishes," R. Kireev "potato");
- Class "dishes" (V. Komlev "Flapjack" Mr. Korobkov
"cutlets", "Cooking pies", Lavrov AI "Cherry Pie",
S. Laskin "Pea soup," B. Mashuk "Fish soup");
- Dishes, talking about the main event of the text (B. Ekimov "Pies
goodbye");
- Meals are taken in a certain amount and a certain container (D.
Gusarov "Bank of canned food," M. Krasavitskaya "pot of
honey");
- Food characteristics (G. Nemchenko "The smell of hot bread,"
V. Telpugov "The taste of watermelon," Yu Kazakov, "The smell of
bread").
Eating food is presented the concept of "food" in the cases:
1) due to time meal: lunch, dinner, and connected to the main event in
the text (N. Strudzyumov "Lunch for the platoon", A. agama "Last
dinner" A. Surzhko "Dinner on departure day");
2) describe the drinking ritual: (F. Iskander "Tea and love of the
sea", E. Bogdanov "Tea at Seklety");
3) The use of food in a particular place (V. Musakhanov "Barbecue
beside the road," Tkachenko "bitter beer on the pier," V.
Eliseev "at the station buffet").
The process of cooking is also reflected in the titles, in this case, it
is connected with the activities of the hero in a family setting (B.
Kachenovsky "Mama's soup"), with the names of their own heroes who
are involved in the preparation of dishes (AI Toropov "Shurkin broth"
Nosov. "Mishkin porridge"). Titles may contain metaphorical
expression, in which there are the taste and the cooking process (FA Vasilev
"Pineapple Watermelon" Yakovlev "Grilled pineapple"), they
have a special case and goal orientation (E. Nosov "Red wine of
victory," V. Yarosh "special purpose Apples").
Subject headings are not limited to the inclusion of language
"food" concept, as there are a large number of texts in which
"food" performs a secondary role. The concept is also reflected in
prose, having headers associated with the themes of folk life (Belov
"Lad."); travel (Kolesnikov "Fields full of quail",
"spoiled the hunt") [3].
So, the concept of "food" is often an integral part of the
titles of artistic works and suggests that the topic of food interacts with
every sphere of human activity.
Let us now consider the individual characteristics of the concept of
"Food" in the work of British writer Helen Fielding, "Bridget
Jones's Diary", as in this novel concept of "Food" plays an
important role in revealing the image of the heroine, her relationship to the
emerging life situations, emphasizes self-irony. On the other hand, the author
gives a fairly detailed description of diet foods in everyday life Bridget
Jones, and various celebrations. Thus, we can get an idea of the
modern English cuisine, its traditions and the lexical filling concept
"Food."
Written on behalf of an English blog age of thirty. It occupies an
insignificant position in the company, a sense of suffering a rapid run-time,
and a significant portion of middle-aged women with unsettled personal life,
finds solace in food. The heroine gives itself important attitudes, such as: do
not drink more than 14 times a week, go on a diet to lose weight. Heart
troubles Bridget not only dilutes the food, but discussing their problems in a
café or pub for a cup of coffee or a glass of wine with your loved ones.
Results of the "workshops", she meticulously records the meetings in
the diary, as well as keeps statistics eaten, weight gain and alcohol doses.
After studying many examples of the Diary, we can say that here the
concept of "Food" is open and stable. Expressing not so much matter
how much sense, the concept of "Food" is presented as part of the
English culture, English traditions.
Cultural and value aspects of the concept of "Food" in the
analyzed product is widely presented. The author describes in detail the dishes
on traditional holidays and in everyday life. Thus, we get a complete picture
of traditional festive dishes of modern English cuisine. Blog not only displays
the whole lifestyle of the main character works, but also gives a detailed
description of the British modern cuisine.