Pragmalinguistic features of cooking verbs

Abstract

This article examines the variety of meanings of cooking verbs from a pragmalinguistic perspective. The focus is on the interaction between the literal semantics and context-dependent nuances of meaning that manifest themselves in everyday communication, specialist discourse, or metaphorical transfer.  The study shows that these verbs not only describe actions but also convey cultural practices, social norms, and implicit knowledge. Methodologically, the analysis combines qualitative examples with theoretical models of pragmalinguistics to capture contextual influences of interpretation. The results show that cooking verbs function as an interface between linguistic precision and situational adaptability: Their meaning only emerges in use, depending on factors such as the speaker’s intention, situational setting, and cultural background. This has consequences for intercultural communication, language didactics, and translation, as lexical equivalents alone often do not reflect connotative differences. The article argues for a broader semantic view that includes pragmatic dimensions and suggests comparative studies of other languages or domains. Overall, it emphasizes how everyday verbs offer deeper insights into the dynamics of language as a social phenomenon through their contextual embedding.