Gavin Lamb, Ph.D.

Hello! I am a sociocultural and applied linguist exploring the intersection of language, culture and the natural environment. I received my Ph.D. in applied language and communication studies from the University of Hawai‘i at Manoa in 2019, specializing in the intersection of applied linguistics, the sociolinguistics of multilingualism, intercultural interaction, and environmental communication. My research draws on a combination of ethnography and discourse analysis to explore how language and culture shape human relationships and interactions with animals and nature.  I am particularly interested in human relations with threatened wildlife and places, situations where sociocultural diversity and biodiversity intersect to produce both healthy and problematic human-environment relationships. My primary research explores the linguistic and social practices shaping wildlife conservation and nature-based tourism in Hawai‘i around one charismatic species, the Hawaiian green sea turtle.  This research seeks to develop a ‘green applied linguistics’ by bringing empirical research on people’s everyday bi/multilingual practices into dialogue with interdisciplinary research in environmental studies and humanities. Through this research I am working to show the relevance of ethnographic language research for better understanding diverse human relationships with animals and nature. More broadly, this approach aims to better understand the intertwined social and ecological challenges posed by environmental crises, from climate change to species extinction, and the diverse cultural responses to their consequences. I am currently an Associate Professor of English Language in the Department of Professional Language and Intercultural Communication at NHH Norwegian School of Economics. I also hold academic affiliations with the Center for Multilingualism in Society across the Lifespan (MultiLing) at the University of Oslo and NORCE Norwegian Research Centre.