The proximization of threat in anti-plastic discourse: A linguistic analysis

Plastic pollution is a serious environmental issue that constitutes a grave threat to life on Planet Earth. Due to its durability and versatility, plastic has become part and parcel of every aspect of our lives, revolutionizing several fields like medicine, technology and various industrial sectors. The problem with plastic is that it does not readily decompose, which results in the accumulation of plastic litter in terrestrial areas as well as on sea and ocean floors where it degrades very slowly into smaller particles called “microplastics”, causing the death of many marine creatures through ingestion, suffocation or entanglement. The present paper presents a qualitative and quantitative linguistic analysis of a Ted Talk about the grave consequences of plastic pollution delivered by Patricia Villarrubia-Gómez, a researcher and PhD candidate who is concerned with the environmental impact of plastic pollution. Using the proximization theory proposed by Cap (2013), the paper aims to analyze the lexico-grammatical items enacting the categories of proximization. The analysis reveals that the speaker uses spatial, temporal and axiological proximization in order to draw the threat of plastic pollution closer to her audience in an attempt to solicit their approval of the preventive measures she proposes to neutralize the negative effects of plastic pollution.