Exploring Ecological Discourses in Pakistani News: An Ecolinguistic Analysis of Environmental Narratives
Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: Environmental issues are increasingly discussed through news media, which play an important role in shaping how people understand ecological problems and their relationship with the natural environment. This study explores ecological discourses in Pakistani news through an ecolinguistic analysis of environmental narratives. It draws on Arran Stibbe’s ecolinguistic framework, particularly his concept of stories we live by and the analytical categories of framing, evaluation, metaphor, identity, ideology, salience, and erasure. The study uses a qualitative comparative discourse analysis of ten purposively selected news reports published in 2026, including five Urdu and five English reports addressing climate change, water scarcity, flooding, and related environmental concerns. The selected reports are examined to identify recurring linguistic patterns, representations of nature and human agency, and underlying environmental narratives. The tentative findings suggest that Pakistani news discourse frequently presents environmental issues through narratives of crisis, vulnerability, and human impact, while differences may emerge in the ways Urdu and English news represent environmental responsibility and human relationships with nature. The study contributes to ecolinguistic research by highlighting how news language shapes environmental understanding in Pakistan.
Author: Aatika Asad
Language: English
Subfield: Linguistics and Language
Field: Social Sciences
Domain: Social Sciences
SDG: Climate action
Open Access status: diamond
OpenAlex ID: W7223156300