Douglas Mark Ponton is Associate Professor of English Language and Translation at the Department of Political and Social Sciences, University of Catania, Italy.
In his excellent new book, Douglas Ponton digs into the rich soil of ecolinguistics and reveals how much words matter when it comes to the often vexed relationship between people and planet. With fascinating case studies set in England and Italy and a wealth of first-hand observation, this is a hopeful, thoughtful book about an important topic - Randolph Lewis, Professor of American Studies, University of Texas at Austin, USA. The forces of globalisation, hyper-connectivity and hyper-consumerism are accelerating the gentrification of hegemonic languages (such as English), and impacting massively on our understanding of ecological issues. Ponton takes the reader on a thought-provoking, poignant and sometimes humorous journey into a world where language and biological diversity are implicitly connected. The book makes an important and timely contribution to a growing canon of literature devoted to the pragmatics of ecolinguistic discourse. A fascinating must read for scholars, researchers, environmentalist and anyone else interested in how situated linguistic enquiry can enrich the field of ecological research. - Peter Mantello, Professor, Ritsumeikan Asia Pacific University, Japan.