摘要：This paper puts forward an optimal educational model by integrating English learning and the language of ecology and mapping the former in terms of the terminology proposed by the latter as a source domain. According to the current paradigm shift in linguistic studies,languages,as well as language learning,are perceived in relation to ecological perspectives in an integrated global context. The objective of language teaching from this perspective lays emphasis on personal development and ecological awareness,rather than mere formal knowledge accumulation. The learning environment is extended beyond the class of students,who are granted the opportunity to feel connected on a larger scale in the grand scheme of life. Paradigmatically,the class of students may be seen as an ecosystem,ESP (English for Specific Purposes) becomes a special niche of language teaching,learning may be seen as a form of nutrition (and consequently must be truly nourishing instead of empty food), learning facilitators are called upon to create affordances for learning instead of causing interruptions in the homeostasis displayed by any living system (e.g. a class of students). By the same token,the list of eco-metaphors is further expanded as the paper explores a corpus of eco-related vocabulary that may be transferred to the educational domain and viewed in direct connection to learning a foreign language with more meaning than the words carry in themselves alone.
关键词：Conceptual metaphor;Ecolinguistics;ESP (English for Specific Purposes);ecological awareness;language learning.
