An Editorial Comment: Speech Acts and Feidhmchláir

The study of translation in Ireland has been, and indeed remains, much concerned with two domains of language – literature and public administration. For a minority, or minoritized, language such as Irish, these domains are, of course, extremely important in elevating the status of the language in society. The various papers in this edition rightly reflect this. But, some of the activity that sustains the vitality of any language is a much more prosaic affair. After all, no less an authority ..

A grounded theory of pro-nature behaviour: from moral concern to sustained action

Worldwide ecosystem decline is a pressing issue that has led governments to sign up to biodiversity-related targets, but little is known about what drives individuals’ conservation behaviour. This study uses a qualitative methodology (grounded theory) to understand what leads to pro-nature attitudes and behaviours. Twenty participants (10 men; 10 women) underwent semi-structured interviews and audio files were transcribed and coded to form the basis of theory. The authors propose a model based on interview material in which species with intrinsic value (i.e., deemed valuable in their own right, not for their usefulness to humans) are within the bounds of moral consideration. Individuals with generalised beliefs about the intrinsic value of non-human species expressed moral concern for human-caused impacts on nature. External prompts, including social messages, were associated with sporadic pro-nature behaviours. Individuals engaging in sustained behaviour showed evidence of having internalised moral standard of pro-nature actions and also appeared to fashion a social environment that would sustain and enhance their moral views. We discuss the implications of our findings with respect to conservation campaign messaging and government policy

Are identities oral? Understanding ethnobotanical knowledge after Irish independence (1937-1939)

BACKGROUND: The Schools' Folklore Scheme (1937-1939) was implemented at a pivotal time in Irelands' political history. It resulted in a body of ethnological information that is unique in terms of when, why and how it was collected. This material consists of over 700,000 pages of information, including ethnomedicinal and ethnobotanical traditions, reflecting an oral identity that spans generations and that in many cases was not documented in writing until the 1930s. The intention of this study is to highlight the importance of the Schools' Folklore Scheme and to demonstrate an ethnographic approach based on recollections of original participants of the scheme, to further understand the material in the collection and the impact it had on the participants. METHODS: This study involves an analysis of both oral and archival data. Eleven semi-structured interviews with original participants of the scheme were carried out between April and September 2016. Their corresponding schools' archival contributions to the scheme were located, and ethnomedicinal information was analysed and compared with the participants' recollections. RESULTS: The majority of participants' stated the scheme had a positive impact on them. Five participants' recalled collecting ethnomedicinal information, and there was a direct correlation between three of the participants' ethnomedicinal recollections and their entries in the archives. One third of all the ethnomedicinal entries analysed included the use of a plant. There were 191 plant mentions and 64 plant species named. CONCLUSIONS: Contacting the original participants offers a novel approach of analysing this archival material. It provides a unique first-hand account of this historical initiative, an insight into how the scheme was implemented and how it impacted upon the children. The ethnomedicinal and ethnobotanical information provides an understanding of the medicinal practices in Ireland during the 1930s. The plant species that were both orally recalled by participants and documented in the archives are in keeping with key ethnomedicinal systems throughout the world

'Mind the Gap': social space in linguistic landsacpe studies

Despite considerable theoretical and methodological innovation, it remains the case that it is not unreasonable to ask how intellectually distinctive LLS is when one considers fields such as visual anthropology, the sociology of advertising, of which the offering by Goldman and Papson (1996) merits considerable attention by researchers in the field of LLS, or even some contributions to international law. Indeed, the point made several years ago by Laur (2007) that LLS suffers from a “lack of shared conceptualizations” and that “a number of methodological questions are raised, such as how sample neighbourhoods are and should be selected, how data should be analyzed and presented” still holds, to a considerable degree. Similarly, a lack of methodological clarity sits at the core of Nash’s (2012: 553) criticism: “The problematic of defining the field of LL and utilizing its epistemology and method beyond ‘simply a collection of somewhat..

The association between anthropomorphism of nature and pro-environmental variables: a systematic review

It is taken for granted that anthropomorphising non-human species promotes pro-environmental attitudes and behaviours, but the literature appears to be conflicted on this topic. There is also little discussion in the literature as to whether there are different types of anthropomorphism that may be particularly associated with pro-environmental attitudes and behaviours. This is the first systematic review to address the hypothesis that there is a significant association between anthropomorphism of nature and pro-environmental variables, and that anthropomorphism has a beneficial causal role. This review synthesises results from 25 studies (18 correlational; seven experimental) in addressing this hypothesis, weighting its conclusions by an appraisal of study quality. This review presents evidence from high quality studies that mind attribution to non-human entities is consistently associated with pro-environmental variables, and that inducing anthropomorphic perceptions of non-human entities can generate pro-environmental outcomes in some circumstances. The authors also summarise the highest-quality evidence with regard to the possible mediators of the relationship between anthropomorphism and pro-environmental variables, and consider the findings through the lens of the theory of planned behaviour (Ajzen, 1991). The implications of the findings for future research and conservation campaigns are discussed alongside a note of caution about the limitations and potential disadvantages of anthropomorphism