On negotiating bodies and ecolinguistics: A response to Coupland et al. (1998)

This paper is a response to Coupland et al.'s (1998) recent analysis of neg otiating sun use. In critical engagement, a simple methodological point is made about the use of interview data. Despite claiming to analyse negotiati on in context, Coupland et al. neglect to consider the implications for pra gmatic analysis of an interviewer of female gender asking questions of sunb athers of male gender, while they are sunbathing. Linguistic contributions to the study of environment and risk are welcomed, but such contributions m ust in turn be prepared to consider the narrowness or breadth of their conc eptual and theoretical foundations. (C) 1999 Elsevier Science B.V. All righ ts reserved.