摘要：Language ecology was proposed by Einar Haugen in 1972 as the study of the interaction of any given language and its environment. Despite some use of the term inthe literature,sociolinguists have failed to develop the potential that Haugen saw in anecological approach. Recen developments in ecological thought,however;when appliedto language,raise questions about many basic assumptions of conventional linguistics.For example,from an ecological perspective,language is not a rule-governed system,but aform of patterned behaviour arising,from the needs of 'human sociality: communi-cation,culture,and community. As Haugen foresaw,language ecology offers an excitingalternative approach to linguistic theory..
