Relationality and Metaphorical Landscape of Studio Ghibli Song Lyrics: An Ecolinguistic Study

This research addressed a significant gap in the literature regarding the ecological messaging embedded in Studio Ghibli's song lyrics, which has been largely overlooked compared to visual and narrative elements. Qualitative in design, grounded on Ecolinguistics and utilizing Critical Metaphor Analysis, this research examined chosen Ghibli songs in a search for the presence of common metaphors and what such metaphors could suggest for ecological relationality. Structural and ontological metaphors that express the link between humanity and nature can be found in the data analysis, which could further be divided into intra-, inter-, and extra-relations. These metaphors produced emotional links to the environment and built a better understanding of ecological issues among young listeners. Thus, the discussion points toward language and its role in making an environmentally aware being. It concluded that artistic expressions from Ghibli's musical narratives were critical in developing ecological consciousness and motivation toward action against climate change. This gave one reason to believe in incorporating an Ecolinguistic approach and artistic narrative in the context of environmental education in early stage of learning.