Water, language and discourse : from an eco-topic to an eco-vision

Over the past couple of decades, ecological and environmental topics have become established as relatively common subjects for discourse analytical linguistic research. However, alongside the rising interest in the discursive representation of various issues related to the current problems of the day, such as global warming, environmental pollution, ecological disasters and natural catastrophes, we have seen the emergence of the new discipline of ecolinguistics. In this article, we briefly outline some of the central concerns of the 'ecolinguistic' approach to language study, and provide an overview of the papers that are included in the special issue 'Encounters with water: An ecolinguistic perspective', pointing out the common themes and the various methodological points of departure. The text concludes by suggesting that the ecolinguistic dimension, which is relevant for the exploration of both the language system and the actual language use, is understood as one of the possible components of the broadly defined context in which any language-based communicative activity is grounded.