When people in a rural area become distressed by ugly developments marching across their landscape, what word best describes their feelings?
Environmental philosopher Glenn Albrecht has coined a word to name the distress these people feel in their hearts.
His new word is ‘solastalgia.’
He says he has derived this as a ‘portmanteau word’ which combines elements from ‘solace’ (comfort, consolation, the alleviation of sorrow) ‘desolation’ (devastated) ‘nostalgia’ (sentimental longing, regretful memory) and ‘algia’ (pain).
He says he coined the word in 2003 and that since then it has been used in court cases, academia, public policy, books and music.
It is not yet listed in any of the major dictionaries.
However, it does appear in the hyper-hip online Urban Dictionary which gives following definition: ‘A form of emotional or existential distress caused by environmental change. It is best described as the lived experience of negatively perceived environmental change.’
In other words, when folk in a country town, or living on farms, see giant, ugly power lines marching across their landscape—forced on them by ideological governments—destroying good farmland, ruining the landscape, killing local wildlife and creating a massive waste-disposal problem for the future—what they feel is ‘solastalgia.’
The word has been listed by the Collins Dictionary as a new word suggestion and is ‘being monitored for evidence of usage.’
Tonight I will be on the 'Credlin' program on Sky News for 'Words Matter. (The host this week is Jaimie Rogers, filling in for Peta Credlin who is on her way back from London.)
My newest column on the Sky News website is about Karl Stefanovic and free speech -- here's the link: The freedom of speech questions that need answering as Karl Stefanovic is forced out by Nine over Tommy Robinson interview | Sky News Australia
TO SIGN UP FOR THE FREE DAILY NEWSLETTER SCROLL FURTHER DOWN THIS PAGE >>>>>>
BOOKS:
* My latest book is called Pray Like This. To look at prayer I do what I do in these Ozword columns: I go through the most famous prayer in the world (The Lord’s Prayer, also known as the Our Father) and unpack it word by word—each chapter being a short word-study on a key word in that prayer. There is a total of 21 words studies in all. To find out more, here’s a link to the publisher’s website (where you can buy a copy if you wish): Pray Like This – matthiasmedia.com.au
* My book is Sherlock Holmes: 5-Minute Mysteries -- containing 50 new stories I have written about the great detective. You can find it on Amazon. Just go to Amazon and type in Sherlock Holmes: 5-Minute Mysteries in the search panel. Or use this link: h Amazon.com.au : Sherlock Holmes 5-Minute Mysteries Kel Richards
* My book "Defending the Gospel" is now in a second, fully revised, edition. You can find it here: Defending the Gospel – matthiasmedia.com.au
* If you're looking for my recent book "Flash Jim" you'll find it here -- Flash Jim, The astonis
hing story of the convict fraudster who wrote Australia's first dictionary by Kel Richards | 9781460759769 | Booktopia
* You can find all Kel's books currently in print here -- Booktopia Search Results for 'kel richards'. We sell books, hardback, paperback, audio, CDs.
* And also here -- Amazon.com.au : Kel Richards
* And you'll find more here -- Search: 4 results found for "Kel Richards" – matthiasmedia.com.au
* Many of Kel's out of print books can be found at ABE Books -- Kel Richards - AbeBooks explaining words explain the term
BY THE WAY...
If you'd like to see my A-Z list of Aussie slang, you'll find it here in the Australian Geographic website -- A-Z list of Aussie slang. Here’s the link: The A-Z of Aussie slang - Australian Geographic
The liveliest part of this website is usually the Q and A page -- be sure to check it out from time to time.
