CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION:

1.1   BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY

The term ‘Ecolinguistics’ is auto-suggestive, insofar as it indicates the combination of ‘ecology’ and ‘linguistics’. Thus, apparently though, Ecolinguistics is a branch of linguistics dealing with ecology. However, it’s no definition; or at least, it leaves a lot unsaid. Yet when we search the most popular dictionaries for a definition, the Oxford, Cambridge, Merriam-Webster, Chambers, and the American Heritage Dictionary of English Language, etc. disappoint us.

Then, the question arises: Is ‘Ecolinguistics’ a neologism? Especially when words describing the other branches of linguistics, such as ‘applied linguistics’, ‘sociolinguistics’, ‘psycholinguistics’, ‘computational linguistics’, ‘neurolinguistics’, have featured in popular lexicons, the conspicuous absence of ‘ecolinguistics’ arguably points toward its lack of popularity as a branch of study.

In fact, studies reveal Ecolinguistcs is an emerging field of study since the 1990’s (LeVasseur, 2014; Stibbe, 2015; Chen, 2016; Wenjuan, 2017; Fill, 2018) it is being treated as branch of linguistics in its own right. In the subsequent sections, we shall discuss the meaning, nature and scope of Ecolinguistics with a focus on its evolution, growth, and future dimensions.

There is little doubt that the ‘eco’ in Ecolinguistics lends substance to the concept even as ‘eco’ stands for ecology or ecological and ‘linguistics’ means the scientific study of language. The interface between ecology and language is prima facie the concern of Ecolinguistics.

An uninformed reader, however, may be lost in the thought whether Ecolinguistics is the ecological study of language or a linguistic study of ecology --- or both. Words and phrases that churn out of such an exercise may well facilitate a good understanding of Ecolinguistics: Ecology, the ecology of language, language ecology, ecosophy, and several other terms derived from the mutations or combinations or in association with ‘ecology’ and ‘language’ (i.e., ecocide, linguicide, biodiversity, linguistic diversity and a host of others).

German biologist Ernst Haeckel defined the term ‘ecology’ long back in 1866 as “the study of the interrelations between organism and their living and non-living surroundings -- including organisms of the same and of other species”. This study facilitated an ecological approach to life and things, and in the process helped the concept of Ecolinguistics to take strong roots.

Within a century, say in the 1960’s, its adjective, i.e., ‘ecological’, was understood as “biological, natural, environmentally friendly”. Contemporary understanding of ‘ecology’ which is presented as follows is completely in sync with the assumptions of Ecolinguistics: Ecology is the study of the relationships between living organisms, including humans, and their physical environment; it seeks to understand the vital connections between plants and animals and the world around them. Ecology also provides information about the benefits of ecosystems and how we can use Earth’s resources in ways that leave the environment healthy for future generations. (Halliday, 2001).

Academic performance refers to how well a student is accomplishing his or her tasks and studies (Scortt’s, 2012). Grades are certainly the most well-known indicator of academic performance. Grades are the student’s “score” for their classes and overall tenure. Grades are most often a tallying or average of assignment and test scores and may often be affected by factors such as attendance an instructor opinion of the student as well.

Grading systems vary greatly by county and school; common scales include a percentage form 1-100, lettering systems from A-F, and grade point averages (GPA) from 0-4.0 or above. According to Ward, Stocker and Murray-Ward (2006) academic performance refers to the outcome of education; the extent to which the student, teacher or institution have achieved their educational goals.

Academic performance is the ability to study and remember facts and being able to communicate one’s knowledge verbally or written on paper (Answers, 2010). In the context of this study, academic achievement refers to the extent to which students have achieve mastery of the objectives of the subjects they are exposed to in school.

1.2   STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEMS

        Ecolinguistics and its related concept “language and ecology” work on the interactions between language and its surrounding environment and since then the field have enjoyed a steady development as an emerging interdisciplinary field of linguistics and environmental studies.

In Ecolinguistics the language, choice of vocabulary and the way ideas are presented does or can affect the environment: it may lead to desertification of forests or afforestation of deserts, killing or saving of animals, birds, species, etc. Ecolinguistics strongly believes that people’s approach to languages, culture, and environment is formed by the stories they live by and language helps to tell and retell these stories and impact the beliefs; therefore, in a situation where there are no qualified teachers of English language, students may be found wanting. Finally, several research has been carried out on Ecolinguistics study of conservation news texts in Indonesian mass media but not even a single research has been carried out on Ecolinguistics influence of Oyo community secondary school students performance in English language.

1.3   AIMS AND OBJECTIVES

        The main aim of the study is to examine the Ecolinguistics influence of Oyo community secondary school students’ performance in the English language. Other specific objectives of the study include;

1. to determine the effect of Ecolinguistics on the academic performance of English language students of community secondary school student, Oyo.
2. to determine the extent to which Ecolinguistics affects the academic performance of English language secondary school students of Oyo.
3. to determine the relationship between language and environment and its effect on the academic performance of English language students.
4. to proffer possible solutions to the problems.

1.4   RESEARCH QUESTIONS

1. What is the effect of Ecolinguistics on the academic performance of English language students of community secondary school student, Oyo?
2. What is the extent to which Ecolinguistics affects the academic performance of English language secondary school students of Oyo?
3. What is the relationship between language and environment and its effect on the academic performance of English language students?
4. What are the possible solutions to the problems?

1.5   STATEMENT OF RESEARCH HYPOTHESIS

HO:   Ecolinguistics has no significant effect on the academic performance of English language students.

HI: Ecolinguistics has a significant effect on the academic performance of English language students.

1.6   SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY

        The study on Ecolinguistics influence of Oyo community secondary school students performance in English language will be of immense benefit in the sense that it will enhance the development of the whole idea of Ecolinguistics empirically, factually, and conceptually, which can be a source of inspiration in identifying the various environmental issues around us, in the effort to dissect mutual relationships between people, humans and nature, as well as about the diversity itself. Ecolinguistics explores the role of language in the life-sustaining interactions of humans, other species and the physical environment. The first aim is to develop linguistic theories which see humans not only as part of society, but also as part of the larger ecosystems that life depends on. The second aim is to show how linguistics can be used to address key ecological issues, from climate change and biodiversity loss to environmental justice. Finally, the study will contribute to the body of existing literature and knowledge to this field of study and basis for further research.

1.7   SCOPE OF THE STUDY

        The study on the Ecolinguistics influence on the academic performance of English language is limited to community secondary school Oyo.

1.8   LIMITATION OF THE STUDY

Financial constraint- Insufficient fund tends to impede the efficiency of the researcher in sourcing for the relevant materials, literature or information and in the process of data collection (internet, questionnaire and interview).

Time constraint- The researcher will simultaneously engage in this study with other academic work. This consequently will cut down on the time devoted for the research work.

1.9   DEFINITION OF TERMS

Ecolinguistics         Linguistic ecology is the study of languages in relation to one another and to various social factors

Influence         the capacity to have an effect on the character, development, or behaviour of someone or something, or the effect itself.

Community    A community is a social unit (a group of living things) with commonality such as norms, religion, values, customs, or identity. Communities may share a sense of place situated in a given geographical area (e.g. a country, village, town, or neighbourhood) or in virtual space through communication platforms.

Students         A student is primarily a person enrolled in a school or other educational institution who attends classes in a course to attain the appropriate level of mastery of a subject under the guidance of an instructor and who devotes time outside class to do whatever activities the instructor assigns that are necessary either for class preparation or to submit evidence of progress towards that mastery.