Our purpose in this first chapter is to provide relevant background information on the study of taste and taste terms. 1.1 presents a brief introduction to the scientific study of taste, and existing studies of taste terms are surveyed in 1.2. Compared with taste the neighbouring field of colour has been widely explored by both psychologists and linguists; in 1.3 we discuss some areas of contrast between the two fields and consider their possible linguistic implications. Finally in 1.4 we take up the specific topic of taste norms.

Taste: narrow and broad perspectives

This section is intended as a brief introduction to the work of physiologists, psychologists and food scientists in the study of taste. A comprehensive survey of the field, apart from being outside the competence of the present author, is unnecessary for our purpose: our main emphasis is on the distinction between narrow and broad approaches to the study of taste, and on the implications of this distinction for linguistic studies.

In considering scientific work on taste one must begin by recognizing that the sense of taste is there generally defined in terms of a given set of sense organs or receptors, namely the taste cells. These are largely concentrated in thousands of taste buds found in papillae located predominantly on the tip, sides and back of the tongue; a small number of taste buds are also present in other sensitive parts of the mouth, including the pharynx and soft palate.