This analysis presents an interesting insight into how our use of language has changed over time
- Claire Dembry
Long-standing festive treats, such as sherry and brandy, are declining in popularity, according to the research by a joint team from Cambridge University Press and Lancaster University.
And the study also reveals that we’re less likely to pour custard over our Yuletide dessert – though we still enjoy a slice of Christmas cake.
Champagne, vodka and gin are now our favourite festive tipples, according to the research team. The study, which compares spoken British English today with recordings from the 1990s, allows researchers to analyse how language has changed.
The research team from Lancaster and Cambridge University Press has revealed how our tastes in food and drink have changed over time. Based on recent recordings, traditional British favourites and festive holiday dinner staples, such as Yorkshire puddings and custard, have been overtaken by takeaways, notably pizza and curry, which have risen in frequency by four and five times respectively.
Despite the rise in convenience food, talk of over-indulgence, especially around holiday seasons like Christmas, is also more prevalent today. Compared to the 1990s, we talk about calories twice as much as we used to. But our words don’t necessarily translate to actions; our most talked about food item at Christmas – as well as the rest of the year – is cake.
The initial findings also suggest that alcohol is more important to British English speakers than coffee. While tea remains the nation’s favourite drink, spoken an average 255 times per million words, hot drinks are dwarfed when compared to booze.
When it comes to Christmas stalwarts, sherry and brandy appear to have fallen out of favour over the last 20 years, replaced by vodka, gin and even champagne, all of which are being talked about more.
While our tastes may have changed, our desire to spend time with our families at Christmas seems unrelenting and, when we aren’t with our families, we are more likely to talk about them.
We talk about family almost twice as much as we used to, as it seems that somehow the concept of family is more salient in British English speech today than it was two decades ago.
Dr Claire Dembry, Senior Language Research Manager at Cambridge University Press, said: “This analysis presents an interesting insight into how our use of language has changed over time. Our tastes in food and drink have certainly changed, but our interest in the family seems to be ever increasing."
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Image: Christmas Cake by Eldriva via Flickr
Reproduced courtesy of the University of Cambridge
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