This book reflects the cutting edge in ecostylistic approaches to nature, the environment and sustainability as represented in contemporary non-literary discourse. Firstly, the book presents the ecolinguistic and stylistic terms and theories applied in this ecostylistic analysis (ecosophy, beneficial, ambivalent and destructive discourses; and foregrounding, point of view, metaphor), and reviews the most recent literature in the field of ecostylistics. Secondly, the book examines the occurrences of five marker words (nature, environment, ecosystem, ecology, sustainability) on the websites of five environmental organisations and agencies (Forestry England, Greenpeace International, National Park Service, Navdanya International, World Wide Fund for Nature). The main research purpose of this study is to identify beneficial discourses in the environet and to investigate the beneficial ecostylistic strategies utilised to produce them. Above all, this book reminds us humans that we do not stand apart from nature: we are a part of it. The book will be of interest to scholars of stylistics, ecolinguistics and ecocriticism, as well as scholars of discourse analysis, environmental communication and environmental humanities.
Author(s): Daniela Francesca Virdis
Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan
Year: 2022
Language: English
Pages: 259
City: Cham
Acknowledgements
Contents
1 Introduction: Towards an Ecological Stylistics
1.1 Background, Main Research Purpose and Contents
1.2 Data and Methodological Notes
1.3 The Ecosophy of This Research
Notes
References
2 Ecostylistics, Ecolinguistics and Stylistics: A Theoretical Overview
2.1 Ecolinguistics
2.1.1 Ecolinguistics and Discourse
2.1.2 Beneficial Discourses
2.1.3 Ambivalent Discourses
2.1.4 Destructive Discourses
2.2 Stylistics
2.2.1 Foregrounding
2.2.2 Point of View
2.2.3 Metaphor
2.3 Ecostylistics
Notes
References
3 Nature
3.1 Definition and Evaluation
3.2 “Nature” in WWF’s Words
3.2.1 Ecostylistic Analysis
3.2.2 Summary and Evaluation
References
4 Environment
4.1 Definition and Evaluation
4.2 “Environment” in Greenpeace’s Words
4.2.1 Ecostylistic Analysis
4.2.2 Summary and Evaluation
References
5 Ecosystem
5.1 Definition and Evaluation
5.2 “Ecosystem” in Forestry England’s Words
5.2.1 Ecostylistic Analysis
5.2.2 Summary and Evaluation
References
6 Ecology
6.1 Definition and Evaluation
6.2 “Ecology” in National Park Service’s Words
6.2.1 Ecostylistic Analysis
6.2.2 Summary and Evaluation
References
7 Sustainability
7.1 Definition and Evaluation
7.2 “Sustainability” in Navdanya’s Words
7.2.1 Ecostylistic Analysis
7.2.2 Summary and Evaluation
References
8 Summary and Concluding Remarks
8.1 Summing It All Up
8.2 Beneficial Foregrounding Strategies
8.3 Beneficial Point of View Strategies
8.4 Beneficial Metaphorical Strategies
8.5 A Language of Connection
References
9 Appendix: Checklists for Foregrounding, Point of View and Metaphor
9.1 Checklist 1: Foregrounding
9.2 Checklist 2: Point of View
9.3 Checklist 3: Metaphor
References
Index
