An Ecolinguistics Reading of Rachel Carson’s Silent Spring

Abstract

This paper investigates language use in Rachel Carson’s Silent Spring. The purpose of the study is to investigate how Carson uses language to paint man’s inhumane and uncalled for activities in his interaction with the ecosystems on which life depends. The data for the study comprises one tale from Rachel Carson’s Silent Spring. The selected tale is A Fable for Tomorrow. Using Ecolinguistics (Stibbe 2015) as a framework of analysis, the study unearths Carson’s beautiful play with language to demonstrate man’s uncanny and careless interaction with the ecosystem (the world beyond human beings). The paper reveals how this unwelcome interaction has left the ecosphere and all life in at the brink of collapse as many species are at the edge of extinction. Particular attention is given to the use of language to enact salience patterns which evoke convictions, framing patterns to foster Ecocentricism, a much-needed mindset in the face of global ecological crises. Man’s acts of destruction, as portrayed through linguistic constructions are projected for criticism. In a whole, the paper is important as the findings reveal various ways through which language can be used to fight against various ecological crises.