Ecolinguistic Considerations around the Semantics of Water in Wolof
Ecolinguistic Considerations around the Semantics of Water in Wolof

Summary/Abstract: This contribution takes an ecolinguistics approach to studying the semantic field of water in Wolof, the lingua franca of Senegal. Our study highlights the rich vocabulary related to water in Wolof and the ways in which it encourages ecological reflections. Our focus is on the cultural and environmental context and history of the Wolof semantic field of water and its significance for ecolinguistics. Our examples illustrate the impact of environmental changes (mainly linked to industrialization) on the lexicon. This paper is part of a collaborative research project examining Wolof words for water, employing lexicographic tools. In the compilation of the semantic field, we rely on dictionaries, earlier versions of specialized lexicon in academic papers, and interviews conducted between 2021 and 2023. In the analysis of the corpus, we draw on the ecological and socio-cultural context and contrast the Wolof lexicon with English and German expression. These explorations lay the groundwork for a holistic appreciation of the semantics of water in Wolof and its subsequent translation into English. The paper is divided into three sections. The first part deals with sustaining the human body through washing. The second considers the semantics of preserving human life by cleaning the environment and practicing agriculture and fishing. The third part studies the liquid environments as distinguished in the Wolof language, i.e., water in its different forms of appearance.

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