Ecolinguistics: Consolidating a research paradigm

As the ecological crisis facing our planet deepens, understanding the role of language in shaping perceptions and behaviour in relation to the environment becomes ever more critical. This special issue focuses on ecolinguistics, an interdisciplinary domain of linguistics that explores issues of ecological significance through the lens of language and its functioning. Although the field has a rather eclectic history with researchers invoking the term ecolinguistics in diverse spaces from language contact and language acquisition to language policy and bi/multilingualism, it now seems quite clear that contemporary ecolinguistics is most reflective of and aligned with a discourse analytic approach that examines language use in a variety of contexts with aims to either critique language use that perpetuates ecological degradation or elevate alternative language practices that contribute to wellbeing and sustainability. This introductory article overviews recent developments in the field and outlines the main directions of ecolinguistic studies, specifying the range of its methods and approaches. It then introduces the exemplary collection of articles in this special issue and highlights their contribution to ecolinguistics research. The challenges we face are global in nature, and the dialogue between Russian and Western scholars in this issue underscores the importance of collective action and shared knowledge in confronting the ecological crisis. It is hoped that this growing body of ecolinguistics research will deepen our mutual understanding of ecological discourse and inspire concrete initiatives in the direction of a more sustainable and resilient future and foster a united approach to the urgent ecological challenges of our time.