The present article contributes to knowledge within the specialised field of tourism communication by looking at one of its most recent and relevant forms – ecotourism. Defined as a type of sustainable travel to natural areas which preserves the environment and supports local communities, it is inspired by the need to favour appreciation of nature’s intrinsic worth and role in the well-being of our ecosystems. Given the suasive function of metaphors in general tourism discourse, this study seeks to understand whether figurative language employed in the sub-field of ecotourism plays a role in the positive/negative conceptualisation of the relationship between humans and non-humans. It investigates a corpus of nine guides produced within the EU-funded EMblemMatiC Project (2015-2019). The latter consisted in the creation and advertising of “eco-itineraries” across the mountainous regions of the Mediterranean. The research refers to Conceptual Metaphor Theory (CMT) in order to 1) single out metaphorical expressions that target nature in the texts; 2) identify the most productive source domains used to describe the former. Results show that nature is consistently portrayed through metaphors in the corpus. The most recurrent source domains are those of WAR, ART, GUARDIANSHIP, COMPETITION, and HUMAN BODY, CHARACTER AND EMOTION. Their analysis suggests that some creations are peculiar to ecotourism discourse, and indeed participate in the recognition of nature’s salience and humans’ dependence on it. However, findings altogether reveal a consistency with general tourism discourse, so that metaphors in ecotourism texts mainly fulfil a persuasive function to increase the perceived value, in terms of leisure, of the destinations advertised. The article concludes by advocating for the exploitation of the educational role of metaphors, which may aid in reconciling the economic character of ecotourism with its ethical objectives.
Buonvivere, L. (In corso di stampa). Metaphors of ecotourism: The use of figurative language in the promotion of ecotourism activities in the Mediterranean. In G.M. Emanuela Ettorre (a cura di), Travellers in the Mediterranean: Linguistic and Cultural Encounters. Berna : Peter Lang.
Metaphors of ecotourism: The use of figurative language in the promotion of ecotourism activities in the Mediterranean
Lorenzo Buonvivere
In corso di stampa
Abstract
The present article contributes to knowledge within the specialised field of tourism communication by looking at one of its most recent and relevant forms – ecotourism. Defined as a type of sustainable travel to natural areas which preserves the environment and supports local communities, it is inspired by the need to favour appreciation of nature’s intrinsic worth and role in the well-being of our ecosystems. Given the suasive function of metaphors in general tourism discourse, this study seeks to understand whether figurative language employed in the sub-field of ecotourism plays a role in the positive/negative conceptualisation of the relationship between humans and non-humans. It investigates a corpus of nine guides produced within the EU-funded EMblemMatiC Project (2015-2019). The latter consisted in the creation and advertising of “eco-itineraries” across the mountainous regions of the Mediterranean. The research refers to Conceptual Metaphor Theory (CMT) in order to 1) single out metaphorical expressions that target nature in the texts; 2) identify the most productive source domains used to describe the former. Results show that nature is consistently portrayed through metaphors in the corpus. The most recurrent source domains are those of WAR, ART, GUARDIANSHIP, COMPETITION, and HUMAN BODY, CHARACTER AND EMOTION. Their analysis suggests that some creations are peculiar to ecotourism discourse, and indeed participate in the recognition of nature’s salience and humans’ dependence on it. However, findings altogether reveal a consistency with general tourism discourse, so that metaphors in ecotourism texts mainly fulfil a persuasive function to increase the perceived value, in terms of leisure, of the destinations advertised. The article concludes by advocating for the exploitation of the educational role of metaphors, which may aid in reconciling the economic character of ecotourism with its ethical objectives.I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.
