2024/2 PBI Introduction to Linguistics

Ecolinguistics emerged as a distinct field in the early 1970s, with its intellectual roots tracing back to key foundational works.

Early Foundations: Haugen's Linguistic Ecology and Hagège's Ecolinguistique

• Einar Haugen (1971/1972): Introduced the term "ecology of language."

  • Drew an analogy between language interactions within their environments and organisms in biological ecology.

  • Encompassed psychological (language in bilingual/multilingual minds) and social (language and broader society) dimensions.

  • This initial framework is often called "Haugen's model" or the "metaphorical model."

• Claude Hagège (1985): Introduced the term "écolinguistique" (ecolinguistics).

  • Explored language diversity, evolution, degradation, and extinction through a Darwinian lens.

  • Defined it as the study of how culturally processed 'natural' references (e.g., orientation, geographical features) integrate into the humanities.

  • This marked the first explicit use of 'ecolinguistic' for research on language and nature.

Solidification and Diversification: Halliday's Influence and 21st-Century Developments

The 1990s saw significant growth, establishing ecolinguistics as a distinct discipline.

• M.A.K. Halliday (1990): Delivered the keynote speech "New ways of meaning: The challenge to applied linguistics."

  • Critically examined illogical linguistic representations of ecological phenomena, asserting language constructs reality.

  • Directly linked linguistic practices (e.g., "growthism") to environmental degradation.

  • His work expanded on Haugen's ideas and, through his functional approach to language, contributed significantly to ecolinguistics' formal recognition.

  • This is often termed the "Hallidayan Paradigm" or the "non-metaphorical model," emphasizing its direct engagement with language's role in ecological problems.

Evolution from Metaphor to Critical Intervention: The field matured from Haugen's analogical, observational framework to Halliday's direct, critical engagement. Halliday's contributions shifted focus to how language actively constructs reality and contributes to environmental degradation through "unecological" discourses, seeking solutions through linguistic analysis and intervention. This transformed ecolinguistics from an academic subfield into an applied, problem-oriented discipline with an ethical and activist dimension.

21st-Century Developments

• Increased Activity: Marked by a substantial rise in publications and academic events (e.g., "30 Years of Language and Ecology" conference in 2000).

• Diversified Research: Expanded beyond language preservation to include:

  • Discourse analysis

  • Language policy

  • Language learning and teaching

• Growing Interest: Continues to evolve with increasing interest among linguists and fostering transdisciplinary collaborations across environmental research domains.