Document Type

Article

Publication Date

2020

DOI

10.1075/prag.18053.kan

Publication Title

Pragmatics

Volume

30

Issue

4

Pages

29 pp.

Abstract

This study investigates native Japanese speakers’ context-dependent linguistic knowledge of cooking recipes. Recipes are a typical example of a register, defined as the use of language in a particular social situation for a specific purpose. Thirty participants in the present study were asked to write a recipe for curry rice (a popular dish in Japan) or an unnamed soup (shown in a photo) on a blank piece of paper without access to any resources. Most participants’ texts contained specialized vocabulary and basic procedural organization. On the other hand, few integrated the typical grammatical features of commercial recipes. It suggests that the latter details are not part of the communicative repertoires of most participants. The grammatical characteristics of commercial recipes are likely a product of careful editing, aimed for clarity and consistency. Professional editing appears to have a significant role in shaping the grammar of the written register.

Comments

This is the author final version of a paper published in Pragmatics: https://doi.org/10.1075/prag.18053.kan

It is under copyright; contact the publisher for permission to re-use the material in any form: John Benjamins Publishing Company.

ORCID

0000-0002-7183-9888 (Kaneyasu)

Original Publication Citation

Kaneyasu, M., & Kuhara, M. (2020). Dimensions of recipe register and native speaker knowledge: Observations from a writing experiment help. Pragmatics, 30(4). https://doi.org/10.1075/prag.18053.kan

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