Paper short abstract:

This presentation explores the relationship between cultural diversity and the current ecological crisis. With reference to the indigenous language of Ireland, It queries the potential role of indigenous languages in ensuring a more sustainable future and better human-nature relationships

Paper long abstract:

In Wisdom Sits in Places, Bassi (1996) argued that a sense of place is strongly impacted by the cultural and linguistic environment. Language gives a sense of rooted-ness. It situates us in our particular environment. The vocabulary of an indigenous language reflects the natural environment (Steiner 1997). While Bassi explored the significance of placenames among the Western Apache, this presentation focuses on Irish and the indigenous cultural practice of naming places. The landscape was full of memories both communal and individual; and places were named with regard to natural features and folklore. Focusing on two particular documents written by a peasant fisherman on the Great Blasket Island at the beginning of the twentieth century, the paper explores the human-nature relationship that was implicit in the indigenous practice of place-naming. It analyses how islanders invested the natural landscape with meaning. Cronin (2020) recently argued that the decline of Ireland’s indigenous language has ruptured the relationship between people and landscape. He proposes that indigenous languages (such as Irish) offer an alternative human-nature relationship that can equip us with invaluable skills for the future. The paper focuses on the link between linguistic diversity and a sustainable environment and asks whether the renewal of languages such as Irish could influence values and attitudes associated with nature. It explores the impact of cultural diversity on the current ecological crisis and the potential role of an indigenous language in ensuring a sustainable future.