From Grits to Corn Chips: An Invention of Tradition

From Grits to Corn Chips: An Invention of Tradition

Amy C. Krull

This work explores the symbolic and linguistic significance of the term stone ground when used in the labeling of industrially and locally processed foods. Through comparative analyses of food labels, and engaging in the metadiscourse surrounding the words stone ground, the term is found ambiguous in both meaning and use. Favored by marketers for its flexibility, the words stone ground when found on food labels are doing more than describing a quality possessed by the product, they are indexing tradition.

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April 16, 2011 - Posted by schrisomalis | abstract

1 Comment »

As a skeptical consumer, I hope that this paper will address some of the commonsense issues invlved, to wit: are there any standards (industry or government) regulating the use of the term; is there documented abuse of the term (i.e., products that have never been near a stone)?

Comment by Dan Harrison | April 21, 2011 | Reply

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Language and Societies is the online presence of the graduate seminar of the same name in the anthropology department and linguistics program at Wayne State University in Detroit, Michigan. Its purpose is to disseminate student research and to encourage scholarly discussion of topics in linguistic anthropology and allied areas of study. The abstracts and discussions here constitute work by junior scholars. Comments and suggestions are welcome in the spirit of constructive criticism and scholarly debate.

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Language and Societies

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