Environment through Time: Diachronic Studies in Ecolinguistics is a nuanced and engaging study of the changing way we talk about the environment through the lens of corpus linguistics. It investigates linguistic patterns as indicators of both ecological wellbeing and the relationships between humans and the more-than-human world.
Drawing on large collections of temporally structured, naturally occurring English language use, this book moves beyond the linguistic impact of cultural, social, and technological changes to consider an ecological perspective. It demonstrates how language both reflects ecological change and influences our shifting perceptions of nature over time. Each chapter reveals this underexplored link by analysing patterns of use and representation of ecological keywords, such as wilderness, climate change, hurricanes and animals, in contemporary discourse. Through these practical case studies, Poole highlights how our perception of and behaviour towards the environment is complex and dynamic –an ever-evolving quality that is reflected in linguistic patterns. This text attentively considers how discourse around the various ecological keywords provides insight into ecological wellbeing in this era of climate crisis.
Organised thematically and characterised by a practical corpus-based methodology for exploring language change, this innovative text is an indispensable resource for students and researchers in ecolinguistics, corpus linguistics and discourse studies.