CHIN 1029 - SAVORING THE LANGUAGE IN CHINESE FOOD CULTURE

Minimum Credits: 3
Maximum Credits: 3
The course introduces students to linguistic inquiries in topics related to Chinese food and food culture. We will examine a variety of food texts including dish and fruit names, menus, culture performances on the dining table and in toasting, recipes, food reviews, and food documentaries. Students will also have the opportunity to conduct applied linguistic analysis on how food-related establishments in Pittsburgh (e.g., restaurants and boba tea shops) use language in signage, menus, and advertisements. The course content includes the following: (1) Chinese characters, words, and food naming (including semantic radicals in food-related characters, dish and fruit naming; (2) Polysemous word use and conceptual metaphors and proverbs in Chinese food culture; (3) sociolinguistic issues including pragmatics and cross-cultural perspectives in food related text; (4) issues in language borrowing, transliteration, and translation in food culture. The course will use a combination of lectures, discussions, and presentations. While the text of our analysis may be in Chinese (including Chinese characters, vocabulary items, expressions associated with food), together with its English translations, class discussions will be conducted in English. Students who cannot concurrently take CHIN 0001 but have equivalent or higher proficiency can reach out to the instructor for permission to enroll. Novice level proficiency in Chinese is generally sufficient.
Academic Career: Undergraduate
Course Component: Lecture
Grade Component: LG/SNC Elective Basis
Course Requirements: COREQ: CHIN 0001 or DEPARTMENT CONSENT

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