Transformation techniques in gastronomic terminology of Alsace (linguoculturological aspect)

Abstract

In recent decades, modern science has paid sufficient attention to the study of gastronomic terminology and the culinary worldview of speakers of different languages and cultures. This article is devoted to the study of culinary names of the historical region of Alsace, whose cuisine as a significant cultural phenomenon allows us to trace the functional peculiarities of linguistic units and their transformations. The authors analyse the lexical units of the French language, the German language and the Alsatian dialect related to the concept of ‟food”. The accumulated empirical material makes it possible to categorise the corresponding words and phrases, as well as to describe the most common types of transformation of Alsatian culinary names under the influence of the French language and culture. These types include calquing, selection of a duplicate in the recipient language, loan-words, descriptive translation, phonetic and morphological assimilation of the notion, etc. The researchers come to the following conclusion – regional culinary names represent language material which deserves special attention for the study of the ethno-cultural component of the gastronomic discourse. Gastronomic terminology as a part of culture is undergoing constant transformation due to its dynamism and predisposition to language crossing. The overlap of cultures in the border regions creates a special linguocultural model that reflects the boundaries of interlingual interaction.