چكيده لاتين
Based on the basic models of positive discourse analysis and ecolinguistics, linguistic structures and representations play a pivotal role in formalization of cognition, attitude and even the performance of informants in relation with the world and environment. The aim of this study is to investigate the mechanisms of the representation of ecology in folk literature of Mamasani variety of Lori within a discursive-cognitive approach based on Stibbeʹs (2015) model. The methodology of this research is field and library survey in which a number of 1006 example of folk literature of Mamasani variety of Lori were gathered from informants of Mamasani villages and also textbooks, articles and previous studies. Stibbe proposes eight forms of stories, namely: ideologies, framings, metaphors, evaluations, identities, convictions, erasure and salience. The collected data were analyzed quantitatively and qualitatively through Stibbeʹs ecolinguistic framework and within the limitations and objectives of critical discourse studies. The findings of the study revealed that all mechanisms in ecolinguistics were found in data. The most frequent ones were metaphors with 44/ 84 percent. It seems that this frequency is the reflection of the proposition that language is basically metaphorical in nature and the metaphors are the basis of language relation and of course the organizer of thought. Another reason is that metaphorical mappings themselves act as an powerful instrument for transferring concepts in this language variety and also inherently act as an instrument for representing other stories including ideology, framing or salience. So we can claim that in contrast with the formalization of the model used in this research, metaphor cannot be considered at the level of other stories but should be considered as an underlying device that also play a key role in conceptualization through other mechanisms. Regarding the construction or destruction of mechanisms, identity was totally positive and constructive. Maybe the reason is that in all examples, the nature elements have been given human identity through personification, so the anthropocentric look has led to a positive position for nature elements. In contrast, erasure was totally negative and destructive through intransitivity, nominalization, adjectives, metonymy, hyponymy and genericization. In all examples, the role of human agents in damaging the nature has been deleted or marginalized. Moreover, in general based on the analysis, we can say that the ratio of the use of the mechanisms for positive representation of nature elements is higher than the negative and destructive one. This is originated from the style of tribal and rural life and their dependence to nature to earn a livelihood throughout history. The results of the informants responses to the questionnaire and their comparison with the acquired results of the folk literature texts analysis indicated that the predictions based on data analysis were in line with the responses. So we can claim that the folk literature of Mamasani variety of Lori, in practice has affected greatly the thought and mind of informants and as a result the formation and probably their behaviors. Moreover, it was seen that the cultural elements, life style and historical and ethnic background play a prominent role in representing the nature in Mamasani variety of Lori. The results also indicated that methodologically, it is not possible to have exact cutting and clear the border of the mechanisms of stories in the model and the discursive – cognitive mechanisms have the considerable overlapping.
