Ecology

Abstract: This study explores emotive language in lyrical nature writing from the perspective of ecolinguistics in four nature textbooks. In fact, embodied mind style is explored by considering emotive language as a linguistic phenomenon that can inject into the readers' minds the sensorial, emotional, and psychological experiences of the lyricist. The interrogation of emotive language is based on Attitude subsystem of Appraisal Analysis, which consists of Affect, Judgment, and Appreciation (Martin & White, 2005). The analyses of the linguistic portrayal of Affect -based on the modified Affect system sub-categories, including Un/Happiness, Dis/Satisfaction, In/Security, Dis/Inclination, and Surprise -revealed the prevalence of Insecurity in the textbooks by contemporary nature writers and Happiness in the textbooks by their predecessors. Moreover, the Judgement and Appreciation analyses suggest that moral sentiment and aesthetic emotion are indispensable parts of lyrical nature writing that can awaken humility and sympathy in the minds and hearts of the readers.

Sustainable ecotourism is a nature oriented tourism that maintains a sound relationship with the natu-ral environment, and contributes to its conservation. Ecological understanding is a prerequisite of sus-tainable ecotourism. Nature conservation and ecotourism are interdependent. There should be a sym-biotic relationship between the two, in which, both derive sustainable benefits in a lengthy period of time. In order to decrease natural deterioration, the present ecotourism economic and financial assess-ment should be challenged. Sustainable ecotourism demands new managerial methods that can esti-mate both environmental inputs and outputs in every single ecotourism venture and meets the required criteria of both. Triple-bottom-line accounting approach provides a foundation for assessment of envi-ronmental, social, and financial costs and benefits of ecotourism ventures. Ecotourism companies can allocate some of their resources to the nature conservation and people education. This is how they can obtain a positive triple bottom line. Developing environmental management strategies, programs and procedures with measurable objectives, and allocating adequate funds for their effective implementa-tion is recommended in this article. Effective financial management system with capable accounting mechanisms would provide the ecotourism organizations with the necessary foundations for transition towards sustainability.

Delving into the sources of foreign language writing problems is usually neglected. This necessitates more scrutiny of finding out where these problems originate from. To this end, the present study sought to follow a two-fold aim: finding the roots of the Iranian EFL learners’ writing problems, and discovering how these roots are interconnected with each other and come up with a corresponding model. In the qualitative part of the study, a phenomenological research tradition was adopted and 20 EFL learners were selected through purposive sampling. In the quantitative part, through convenience sampling 120 language learners from an English language school in Gorgan, Iran, were selected to be the participants of the study. A semi-structured interview and a researcher-developed questionnaire were used as the instruments for data collection. The results obtained from the analysis of data revealed that writing problems originate from various sources, mainly linguistic, personal, epistemological and ecological, and enjoy a model in which epistemological, linguistic and ecological sources have direct effects and personal source has indirect effect on writing problems. Recognition of epistemological and ecological sources as a novel finding can make teachers revisit their view of these less-approached issues.  

In recent years, ecological metaphors have gained popularity in the field of innovation. Such excessive preoccupation of researchers with common ecological metaphors, such as ecosystems, and a lack of due attention to the development of other ecological principles, challenges the systematic conceptual framework of the field. This raises the metaphorical concept of a "boundary object," which could hinder the connection between theoretical discussions on innovation ecosystems and their practical applications and policy development. Therefore, there is a need for an evidence-based approach to define and map the innovation ecosystem metaphorically. The concepts deployed would form a part of the conceptual network of the innovation ecosystem. As part of an effort to implement evidence-based practice in the field of innovation ecosystems, this study employs Scaringella's and Radziwon's (2019) systematic review framework and the comparative-qualitative content analysis method. The analysis is based on a structured matrix that is rooted in metaphor mapping. Upon analyzing the content of the selected articles, the ecological metaphors grounded in innovation ecosystems can be classified into two general categories: metaphors related to actors (species, population, and community) and metaphors related to the environment (landscape, biome, and ecotone). The developed framework serves as a tool for innovation policymakers, enabling them to make informed decisions by gaining a comprehensive understanding of the seven hierarchical metaphorical layers within innovation ecosystems. Consequently, policymakers should not restrict their governance to the suggestions offered by the prevailing literature on ecosystems. Instead, they should also give equal attention to the various dimensions of innovation ecosystems, including actors, the environment, and the relationships between them, from an ecological perspective.