Spoken Language Differences Between Nigella Lawson And Jamie Oliver

Both Nigella Lawson and Jamie Oliver are well recognized TV chefs, however they both use spoken language in very different ways, whilst interacting with their audience. For example Nigella’s language is more sophisticated and formal whereas Jamie’s language is more casual and informal. Whilst there are many clear and visual differences between each of these chefs, there are also many similarities. They both share a lifestyle of being a chef and enjoying a higher-class lifestyle. We readers can observe their different and similar ways of spoken word by linking it with the chef’s personal life and this therefore help us understand their persona more vividly.

Nigella Lawson is the daughter of Nigel Lawson, the former Chancellor of the Exchequer,

and Vanessa (née Salmon) Lawson, whose family owned the J. Lyons and Co. food and catering business. After graduating from Lady Margaret Hall, Oxford University, Lawson started work as a book reviewer and restaurant critic, later becoming the deputy literary editor of The Sunday Times in 1986. She was clearly upper class, and she has come from a wealthy background. This background means that her language will be more formal and she will talk in Received Pronunciation.
Jamie Oliver was born and raised in the village of Clavering. His parents run a pub/restaurant, The Cricketers, where Oliver used to practise cooking in the kitchen. He was educated at Newport Free Grammar School. Oliver left school at age sixteen with two GCSE qualifications in Art and Geology and went on to attend Westminster Catering College (now Westminster Kingsway College.) This background suggests that his language will be more colloquial and he will talk in a regional accent.
Nigella Lawson and Jamie Oliver have the same purpose to entertain and share their love of cooking but they go about it in different ways. Lawson and Oliver differ in many ways, for starters Lawson is all about sharing the “pleasure” of cooking whereas Oliver wants to prove that cooking is easy and it is not difficult or a long process to make a simple healthy meal, especially for parents cooking for their children.
In both the spoken language of Nigella Lawson and Jamie Oliver, positive adjectives are used to comfort the audience and make the viewing experience as enjoyable as possible. This is especially prominent in Lawson's language, where longer, much more unusual words (adjectives especially) are used, such as "luscious" and "fabulous". Because these words are so rarely used in the dialect of most people in the country, they imply that Nigella must have had a very good education. This also ties in with her Received Pronunciation and accent that is regional to London to suggest she was brought up in a wealthy family. The audience may react differently to this- for example, some people may enjoy watching and listening to her language as it is very unusual, and exposes them to words they may be able to pick up and use in their own dialect. As well as this, they could find it interesting to listen to, as it evades the usual format of cooking shows that give imperative after imperative, and makes it more interesting and entertaining to listen too.
However, people who watch Nigella's shows just for information on cooking may not enjoy her vigorous descriptions as it does digress from what they tuned in to watch.

As well as this, they may not be able to understand the large words she uses, and end up getting confused. The way Nigella pronounces the words is also key to the impact they give on the audience. From watching "Nigella Lawson's Hokey Pokey" I noticed that Nigella emphasises the unusual adjectives she uses, extending each syllable to make the word more prominent compared to the other words used. As well as this, she pauses before and after each word to draw more attention to the word as shown by several pauses (.) in the transcript. I think she does this because it's what she's renowned for, and is easily recognisable, as no other chefs use this feature in their language. It may however be used to seduce the audience, although Nigella insists her behaviour is not flirtatious, and is rather

“intimate”.
The pace at which Nigella talks is very slow and controlled, with ease when cooking and her refined spoken language refines this. However, Jamie’s transcript was littered with fillers, this may be because his image as "naked chef" suggests a more natural and authentic approach to cooking for he wouldn't need to come across in a formal manner. Within Jamie’s transcript he repeats his words quite a few times. For example he uses tag question "yeah?" 4 times in the same dish to gain confirmation from the viewer, although he cannot hear them therefore strengthening a somewhat platonic bond, and to achieve an understanding of his instructions. Within Nigella’s transcript she repeats the word “golden" several to put emphasis on her “kaleidoscopically colourful food world” as a reviewer says. The structure of the two Chefs in the video is different to a recipe because usually in a recipe it is introduced with ingredients, and they tell you step by step what you have to do and all the things that you have to prepare. Whereas in a situation like this, the Chefs just tell you as you go along because you can see what they're doing and it saves time.
The chef’s often pause in their transcripts, which indicates when they physically gesture to the audience what to do (e.g.

Jamie pushing the bottom of the cheesecake mould up in the pause after “click it out”). Also, Jamie uses many violent verbs such as “chuck, whiz, and plonk” which seem careless and add to his “proper rustic” and “messy” style, whereas Nigella’s reviewer says “Do not stick, throw, bung, or bosh ingredients into a dish, leave that to Jamie”. This shows that Nigella is a higher class, and appeals to people of a social higher class than Jamie Oliver.

Jamie also uses a “mockney” accent, which is an affected accent and form of speech in imitation of Cockney or working class London speech. A stereotypical “mockney” speaker comes from an upper-middle class background- Like Jamie. He may be doing this to appeal to a lower class, or to engage his viewers even more, as if he was their “mate” and creating a casual atmosphere.

Nigella uses plosives and hyperbole to engage us through her language techniques. We understand that the honeycomb pieces are not literally ‘golden nuggets’ but we appreciate how she is trying to convey their luxury. Similarly, with the plosives she is using them to accentuate her lips in a pout. As the ‘Queen of food porn’ Nigella tries to make the food sound seductive, but also attracts an interested following who are attracted to

her.
In conclusion, Nigella Lawson and Jamie Oliver both use spoken language to present their television cooking shows, but they use it in very different ways to appeal to different audiences. This is part of their persona and why they are successful.