Volume II Special Issue VI June 2022

Name of Author : Priya

Title of the paper : Analyzing the Role of Ecolinguistics in Amitav Ghoshs The Hungry Tide

Abstract: Ecolinguistics has now become an intrinsic part of literary studies. It emerged in the 1990s as a new paradigm of linguistic research, broadening sociolinguistics to consider not only the social context, but also the ecological context. Michael Hallidays 1990 speech “New ways of Meaning the challenge to applied linguistics” offered the impetus for linguists to focus on the ecological context and consequences of Language. Many writers have become environment conscious and they use literature as an important tool for highlighting the environmental issues. Realizing this fundamental truth, Amitav Ghosh, the famous Indian English writer, has presented both the destructive and constructive aspects of natural environment in his writings. The objective of this paper is to analyze his novel The Hungry Tide 2004 from ecological as well as linguistic perspective. This Crossword Book Prize winning novel, set in Sunderbans, revolves around the lives of three major characters- Piyali Roy a young marine biologist, who travels to Sunderbans in search of a rare, endangered dolphin- Orcaella brevirostris Fokir an illiterate fisherman and Kanai Dutt a translator and businessman from Delhi, who works as a bridge between Pita and Fokir when they are not able to understand each others language. As Piya and Kanai form relationships with the Sunderban locals, they both scuffle with issues of language and how to make understanding with people who speak an entirely different language. Further, she communicates with Fokir using non-verbal means. This paper aims to connect the human stories with the vast story of environmental effects, at the same time, acknowledging that spoken and written language, while limited, plays a unique role in the universe.

Keywords : Ecolinguistics, environmental issues, language, paradigm, Sunderbans.

DOI :

Page Number : 62-64