Review of Economics and Development Studies, Vol. 8 (1) 2022, 25-39 25 Appraising Environmental Beauty of Northern Areas of Pakistan through Rhetoric Expressions in Uzma Aslam Khan’s Thinner Than Skin: An Ecolinguistic Perspective Hafiza Muarifa Masood Mirza a, Tazanfal Tehseem b, Tarim Masood c, Naima Tassadiq d a Postgraduate Research Scholar at the department of English, University of Sargodha, Sargodha, Pakistan Email: muarifamasood@gmail.com b Assistant Professor at the department of English, University of Sargodha, Sargodha, Pakistan Email: tazanfal.tehseem@uos.edu.pk c Research Scholar at the department of English, University of Sargodha, Sargodha, Pakistan Email: tarimmasood42@gmail.com d Research Scholar at the department of English, University of Sargodha, Sargodha, Pakistan Email: naimatassadiq01@gmail.com ARTICLE DETAILS ABSTRACT History: Accepted 28 February 2022 Available Online March 2022 Environmental study is rising as a hot topic nowadays and there is a striking awareness of sustaining asymmetry between man and nature. How individuals ponder human relationships with the earth and other living creatures have changed deliberately. Ecolinguistics is a sub-field of sociolinguistics that studies the role of language in connecting human beings and their natural environment. Therefore, this research investigates the use of rhetorical expressions by Anglophone author Uzma Aslam Khan and her characters Nadir, Farhana, and Maryam and their attitudes, graduation, and engagement with the natural environment. For this purpose, the "Appraisal Model" (Martin and White, 2000) has been used as a theoretical framework that sheds light on Arran Stibbe's (2015) ecolinguistic model of Evaluation. It highlights several rhetorical devices through which the narrators expressed their positive attitude towards "the stories they lived by." They rhetorically bespeak the readers to appreciate the environmental beauty of the Northern areas of Pakistan as it is surrounded by beauty and provides a therapeutic potency to build a strong relationship between man and his motherland. The study is limited as it only attempts to praise the beauty of Northern areas by appraisal patterns and does not include the other counterparts of Pakistan. However, the study is significant as it endeavors to appreciate the environmental beauty of Pakistan and provides new avenues for scholars to bridge a gap between ecolinguistics and other areas of linguistics, such as critical discourse analysis, pragmatics, and semantics. © 2022 The authors. Published by SPCRD Global Publishing. This is an open access article under the Creative Commons Attribution- NonCommercial 4.0 Keywords: Ecolinguistics, Rhetoric Expressions, Evaluation, Appraisal Patterns, Stories We Live By JEL Classification: P27 DOI: 10.47067/reads.v8i1.428 Corresponding author’s email address: muarifamasood@gmail.com Review of Economics and Development Studies, Vol. 8 (1) 2022, 25-39 26 1. Introduction The story, expressed through language, seems positive or negative to an individual. Individuals cannot live in a world with a negative attitude and devastating stories in their brains. He shares life with living and non-living organisms, forests, mountains, oceans, glaciers, plants, rivers, species, and other environmental elements of the natural world. The positive attitude of the individuals toward nature precludes them from developing withering stories around them and detaching themselves from nature. For this purpose, Ecolinguistics, as a sub-field of Sociolinguistics, innovated a supporting framework (presented in the methodological section) for the researchers to examine language as a tool to create a balance between individuals and the natural environment. "Ecolinguistics," sometimes also known as "language and ecology," is a moderately new discipline of language which considers the physical and social environmental setting in which language works. Its focuses on "how language and discourse affect the environment and ecology" (Stanlaw, 2020). According to the International Ecolinguistics Association, “ecolinguistics as a field investigates the job of language in the life-sustaining interactions of humans, other species, and the physical environment" (Home, n.d.). The association's objective is both theoretical and applied. The first aim is the need “to develop linguistic theories which perceive humans not only as part of society but also as part of the larger ecosystems that life depends on.” The next aim is to show “how linguistics can be used to address key ecological issues, from climate change and biodiversity loss to environmental justice” (Stanlaw, 2020). In 1985, the word "Ecolinguistic," not recorded in the OED (2005), was first utilized by a French linguist named Claude Hagege in his book "L' Homme de parlore" as a French expression "Ecolinguistique." According to him, Ecolinguistics is the inquiry into the etymological articulation of natural peculiarities. His meaning of Ecolinguistics covers only a piece of the whole review (Steffensen& Fill, 2014). In its existing consciousness, "Ecolinguistics" was utilized interestingly by a group of scholars. In 1990, Frans Verhagen coordinated a few encounters on environmental features of linguistics at the AILA meeting in Thessaloniki. The word "Ecolinguistics," comprehended in a sense, confronts a twofold challenge. The first challenge is to explore the relationship between language in the social group and the human mind and investigate the causes and etymologically various conditions, focusing on the safety of endangered languages. The second challenge is to investigate environmental and non- environmental components of the language by concentrating on the linguistic portrayal of the ecology. Moreover, there is a need to emphasize texts concerning man's role in the environment. The predication of the components of human civilization regarding linguistic peculiarities to ecological issues was first proposed by Edward Sapir (1912) about one hundred years ago in an article named "Language and Environment." He outstretched the delineation of language by associating it with the natural atmosphere as a collection of linguistic segments to access the physical milieu. The other factors ascribe the linguistic diversity that is additionally liable to speculate. Sapir (1912) defined environment as it can act straightforwardly on an individual, and where purely natural impacts are viewed as answerable for a communal trademark which ought to be perceived as a combination of distinct cycles of environmental impacts on people. In today's society, even the least difficult ecological sways are either assisted or modified by social powers (Alwin Fill &Mühlhäusler, 2001). Sapir (1912) indicated that the language of environmental problems extends beyondgeographical matters to achieve societal practices. Such theory is sincerely appealing for the relationship between Review of Economics and Development Studies, Vol. 8 (1) 2022, 25-39 27 topography and sociology to make sense of linguistic phenomena. Sapir's actual environment alludes to the geographical configuration of an area. Agriculture, Campos, glaciers, ice, mountains, seas, winds, rivers, rainfall, and other natural components impose on a specific area various lifestyle that fit these geological measures authentically. Therefore, these natural surroundings are ample for living as an individual's behavior relies upon these factors that are important for his physical environment and geographic measures and have incredible worth in linguistic studies. However, social powers are more fundamental because language is a social phenomenon. Sapir (1912) evaluates this significance as a group's trademark physical surroundings are generally reflected in their language. Their social climate is significantly more evident (Alwin Fill & Mühlhäusler, 2001). In comparison, the physical circumstances incorporate geographical elements, including earthy and non-earthy parameters. The social climate comprises social powers that are viewed as ecological (Alwin Fill & Mühlhäusler, 2001). Nowadays, the increase in ecological problems in terms of climate, global warming, ice melting, polar ice covers, unusual temperature, and the weather is a hot topic in environmental debates. As mentioned in Pakistan Daily Times, Jamal (2016) says that "Pakistan may not be the easiest place to be these days, but this bracing narrative manages to forge a connection with the land's inimitable spirit with a few precision strokes. While it may not be easy to comprehend the land's many moods, a fusion of proud traditions and fickle desires, it takes a good listener to bring its inherent contradictions to life. Thinner Than Skin acts as a beacon to these inhospitable shores” (Off the Beaten Track, 2016). The study aims to analyze the stories presented by Khan (2019) and her central characters, Farhana, Maryam, and Nadir. The author and her characters present their experiences in the form of a story while living in the Nothern areas of Pakistan. It evaluates their attitude, graduation, and engagement while living within the particular environmental surrounding. For this purpose, the ecolinguistic perspective of "evaluation" as proposed by Stibbe (2015) has been applied. The theory of Evaluation includes rhetorical expressions such as simile, metaphor, hyperbole, personification, onomatopoeia, sensory imagery, etc., to unveil the tales of the narrators through language. The study is subjected to applying Martin and White "The Appraisal Model" (2005). The study highlights that the attitude of the narrators is highly positive and as they are showing their true feelings of appreciation. Pakistan has been blessed with the unmatched natural beauty of high mountains, attractive lakes, plushy green valleys, icy depths, sublime rivers, and glaciers, especially in the Northern counterpart. Through the rhetorical expressions of their language, the narrators want the reader to appreciate the beauty of Pakistan as a lively place. In this age of environmental crisis, they motivate the readers to engage, live, and maintain harmony between nature and themselves. To attain the objective of the present study, the two research questions are as follows: • How are the rhetorical expressions evaluated within the selected text? • What is the function of attitudinal, graduation, and engagement pattern of each rhetoric expression towards appreciating the natural beauty of Northern areas of Pakistan? By evaluating the role of rhetorical expressions in the story, the appreciative attitude has been shown by grading up the focus and monoglossic and heteroglossic engagement of the characters towards the environmental surroundings of Northern areas of Pakistan. To make this study valuable, the researcher has granted the applied implications of the Appraisal Model concerning the rhetoric expressions about the appreciation of Pakistan's environmental and topographical beauty. The study fosters its contribution by fleshing out the idea of "stories we live by" using rhetorical expressions, which not only function in terms of appraisal and ecolinguistics Review of Economics and Development Studies, Vol. 8 (1) 2022, 25-39 28 perspective but also motivate the generation of Pakistan to maintain a life-sustaining connection with their earthly surroundings. The research attempts to convey and appreciate Pakistan’s natural environment. The work may help future researchers to bridge a gap between the domain of ecolinguistics and other areas of linguistics such as critical discourse analysis, pragmatics, and semantics. The researcher hopes to contribute to the advancement of this field by studying the other regions of Pakistan, as only a little or no research has been conducted within the orbit of ecolinguistics in Pakistan. The present study is limited to evaluating only a few rhetorical expressions to praise the glorious beauty of natural surroundings in the Northern regions of Pakistan. After reading the writer's stories and her characters, one can focus, engage, appreciate, and want to live in those surroundings. The collection of such events is excessive to be studied in this research. However, the researcher has selected the data from a Pakistani-English fictional narrative, Thinner Than Skin, written by Uzma Aslam Khan (2012), to achieve objectivity and transparency in the present study's findings. 2. About the Novel Thinner Than Skin Uzma Aslam Khan, a forthcoming Pakistani-American novelist probes into nature through the powerful portrayal of breeze, ice-lands, hills, lakes, winds, and rivers that reverberates her emphatic voice and feelings of the characters. The firmly constructed series of events in the text exhibits her manifestations of the homeland, which is the central attention of most travelers. The writer's perspective addresses the landscapes of the Pakistan scene as a heaven of magnificence, enriched with lush green trees that are significant and ought to be valued when culture, nature, and geographical scenery have been misunderstood in most Anglophonic articles. This study throws light upon the influence of natural landscapes and environmental beauty on the lives of foreigners and local and nomadic people. It induces the readers to idolize nature, making the environmental elements amenable. Similarly, it lays out the significance of The Himalayas and the Kaghan Valley with their impressiveness which has animated the artists, performers, painters, and photographic artists for centuries. 3. Review of the Related Literature This portion is structured into two parts. The first part begins with a critical review of the role of Ecolinguistics in the relationship between language and human beings in the sense of Stibbe's (2015) "stories" and associating it with the environmental study of Thinner Than Skin (Khan, 2012). The second part discusses the research gap. 3.1. Ecolinguistics and Thinner Than Skin Ecolinguistics has its roots in various approaches and concerns as the term is applied in multi- cultural schools to educate and portray a study of combinations of languages. It further investigates foreign languages and local dialects that will vanish, concentrate on discourses of rustic signboards and synthesize texts regarding climate change, environment, or associated with the environment, including advertisements, living organisms, media, natural resources, and raw materials, and tourism. Muhammad, Sobia, and Shahzeb (2020) suggested that Thinner Than Skin (Khan, 2012) is an “eco- pedagogical” novel. In their article, Towards Ecopedagogy: A Fiction-Based Approach to the Teaching and Learning of the Environment, the scholars advanced an educational doctrine that “by employing literary models and by using the classroom as a forum, strives to give birth to an environmental consciousness that can provoke in the students a better understanding of the issues plaguing the Review of Economics and Development Studies, Vol. 8 (1) 2022, 25-39 29 physical and the living environment, paving the way for environmental praxis” (Shoaib et al., 2020). There is diversification with various apprehensions of the word "ecology" (Stibbe, 2015). He contended that the etymology of Ecolinguistics, principally the utilization of semantic investigation methods, uncovers remarkable stories and frees the individuals to questions and difficulties according to a natural point of view (Wu, 2018). Khan's (2012) Thinner Than Skin highlights the environmental views that modify “a diversity of concepts.” The writer “revisits indigenous and nomadic cultures of Himalayas and reflects upon a complex entanglement between grazing rights, concern over vanishing forest and articulates a sense of place which is conscious of environmental sensitivity” (Makhdoom & Yaqoob, 2019). Lakoff and Johnson's (1980) "Metaphors We Live By" defines an alteration in the domain of linguistics. They inspired Stibbe's (2015) theory of ecolinguistics in his book "Stories We Live B." As Lakoff and Johnson (198) indicated, human beings "live by" their mental structures that direct their way of behaving. It implies that human beings should accept, perceive and value the world in which they live, inseparable from their viewpoints, words, and cognitive system. The ideas that supervise our thoughts are not merely the subject of the insight. They, in addition, supervise our day-to-day functions, down to the most unremarkable significance. The mental framework structures "what we see, how we get around in the world and how we connect with others. Our conceptual system thus plays a central role in defining our everyday realities" (Lakoff & Johnson, 1980, p. 3). Khan, in his books Trespassing (2003) and Thinner Than Skin (2012), provides an elective mood of conveying the idea of "environmental justice" using "metaphors, tropes, and images." Such utilization of linguistic properties allows the readers to be broad the domain of environmentalism in the scholarly fields (Makhdoom & Yaqoob, 2019). The primary role of Lakoff's (1980) "Conceptual Metaphor Theory" is integrated into a human brain as a perception to make an illustration (metaphor) that joins one "conceptual" domain to another. This association is organized in the metaphorical cycle to make the "source domain and target domain." One can figure out the target area through the root of the source domain. The principal method for empowering this significance is by uncovering the mental designs of discourse as they are evident in linguistic texts. Consequently, ecolinguistics delineates a "socio-cognitive" methodology or an "eco- cognitive" approach. Teun van Dijk describes that “Socio-Cognitive Discourse not only makes explicit the fundamental role of mental representations but also shows that many structures of discourse itself can only (completely) be described in terms of various cognitive notions, especially those of information, beliefs or knowledge of participants” (van Dijk, 2018, p. 28). Van Dijk recorded numerous discourse structures which can be represented in mental terms like "appraisals," "frames," and "metaphors." The "story," as utilized by Stibbe (2015), is the structure of a discourse that lives in the brain of language users. Therefore, the researchers can evaluate the hidden stories because of the linguistic properties in the discourse and contend whether it advances a biologically disastrous, conflicted, or beneficial discussion. In this way, the mental point of interaction from an ecolinguistic perspective is to include discourse and environment instead of an exclusive talk on discourse and society (Stibbe, 2015). According to Sanober (2019), "the novel which can be truly labeled as an environmentalist text isUzma Aslam Khan’s oeuvre is Thinner than Skin (2012)” (Hussaini, 2019). Review of Economics and Development Studies, Vol. 8 (1) 2022, 25-39 30 3.2 Research Gap Various research studies indicate that the environmental surroundings may negatively influence the ecosystem. Still, this study focuses only on those images that praise Pakistan's environmental beauty and develop harmony between man and nature. 4. Research Methodology 4.1. Data Collection This study is predominantly qualitative. The data for the current research has been collected from the English novel Thinner Than Skin. Khan’s fourth novel, which is published in 2012, is granted the maiden French Fiction Prize at the Karachi Literature Festival in 2014 (Shah, 2014). The novel is written in English and is divided into five parts. The selected textbook can be an appropriate data because one can get a wide range of rhetorical expressions. The second step is the selection and critical analysis of the lines from each part. Fourteen excerpts s of rhetoric properties have been selected from the novel. These fourteen Excerpt s were further subjected to Stibbe’s (2015) ecolinguistic theoretical implications of “Evaluation” and Martin and White’s (2000) "Appraisal Model," which suggests that every rhetoric device encompasses three appraisal patterns, namely "attitude," "graduation," and "engagement" towards a positive attitude. The research brought forth an array of positive attitudes which the characters have portrayed in their stories. 4.2 Criteria for the Selected Data The present study tends to appraise the environmental beauty of Northern areas of Pakistan by applying Stibbe's (2015) theory of Evaluation, utilizing the Appraisal model as a tool for analysis. Later on, the chosen lines from Khan's Thinner Than Skin are connected with the environment and the portrayal of various parts of the environmental framework to uncover the writer's story and her characters as the principal focus of an ecolinguistic investigation. 4.3 Methodology In his book, "The Stories We Live By," Stibbe (2015) proposed an ecolinguistic model chosen to enhance the researcher's contention. It informs specific stories (mental models or structures) familiar to the human beings, presented to them without deliberately choosing them or becoming conscious of the reality that they are simple stories. These tales are assimilated into our day-to-day routines and have become "stories we live by." The "stories-we-live-by" are available around us in ads, books, news, political talks, law, and even in our day-to-day communication. It influences an individual's way of behaving and their decisions in life. 4.4. Stibbe’s theory of Ecolinguistics “The Stories We Live By” Stibbe (2015) portrayed nine speculations concerning humans' connection with their environmental surroundings. He believed that the primary duty is to produce an equal society by considering the function of language in an enlivening relationship between individuals, living organisms and species, and their physical milieu. He says that these stories cannot be examined straightforwardly. However, one can get signs about them by analyzing the familiar ways that individuals use various linguistic expressions and choosing whether these are valuable stories or not as per the actions they stimulate. The list of nine stories is as follows: Review of Economics and Development Studies, Vol. 8 (1) 2022, 25-39 31 Table 1 Sr.# Story Type Explanation Linguistic Expression 1 Ideology Stibbe (2015) believes that "Ideology is a tale about how the world is and ought to be shared by group members." Ideology implies discourses, especially a unit of linguistic patterns a community uses. 2 Framing Stibbe (2015) illustrates framing as “a story utilizing a frame, a pack of knowledge about an area of life, to structure another area of life." Framing implies triggering words that impart a frame to the brain. 3 Metaphor According to Stibbe (2015), “metaphor is a story that uses a frame to structure a distinct and different area of life." The metaphor implies trigger words that convey a well-defined frame to the brain. 4 Evaluation Stibbe (2015) defines Evaluation as a story about whether an area of life is good or bad. Evaluation implies appraisal structures such as structures of language which address a subject of life in a positive or negative way. 5 Identity Stibbe (2015) elaborates on identity as "a story about what it means to be a particular kind of person." Identity implies language forms which characterize attributes of specific individuals 6 Conviction A tale about whether a specific depiction of the world is valid, dubious or incorrect. Conviction implies facticity structures. For Excerpt linguistic properties Which portray descriptions of the world as valid, dubious, or incorrect. 7 Erasure Stibe (2015) defines erasure as "a story in that an area of life is unimportant or unworthy of consideration." Linguistic features fail to address a specific domain of life or, on the other hand, mutilate it. 8 Salience According to Stibbe (2015), Salience is "a story that an area of life is important or unworthy of consideration." Language features render importance to the subject of life. 9 Narrative Stibbe (2015) defines narrative as “a structure which involves a sequence of logically connected events." Narratives in the form of a text, for example, an oral or written story-telling, or other types of temporals or logically associated recounted series of events. 4.5 The Appraisal Model Martin (2000) proposed the "Appraisal Model," which organizes Evaluation in three main domains: engagement, attitude, and graduation. This three-dimensional theoretical account presents “a systematic organization of the semantic resources used to negotiate emotions, judgments, and valuation, alongside resources for amplifying and engaging with these evaluations” (Hunston & Geoff Thompson, 2003, p. 145). Munday (2012) provided an overview of the appraisal patterns as follows: Review of Economics and Development Studies, Vol. 8 (1) 2022, 25-39 32 Table 2 4.6 Appraisal Model (Munday 2012, p. 24) This overview is familiarized with the "meanings in context and towards rhetorical effects, rather than grammatical forms” (Martin & White, 2005, p. 94). It suggests the central focus on the "the meanings or functions of the resources for the expression of Evaluation than on the formation of given linguistic indicators. Lexico-grammatical devices are treated to encode evaluation and stance meanings and not as an end in themselves” (Naeem et al., n.d.). The present study contributes to the ecolinguistic idea of Evaluation by Stibbe (2015) in the Appraisal Model by Martin and White (2000) to explore rhetoric expressions in Thinner Than Skin by various patterns of attitude towards the environmental surroundings of Northern areas of Pakistan. The story told by Khan (2012) and her characters can be called the writer's plan to make ecological cognizance among the readers to appreciate the attention-seeking environmental beauty in Pakistan. The writer developed a magnificent story to create a positive impact on individuals and the nature around them. 5. Analysis and Discussion The present study explores how rhetoric devices are represented in the light of ecolinguistics as an Evaluation in confirming the narrators' appraisal structures (mental attitudes). 5.1 Part I 5.1.1 Excerpt 1 “Now the wind carried a similar foreboding not in the shape of a scent but of a wingbeat, and the lake froze in anticipation” (Khan, 2012, p. 1). Table 3 Sr. # Appraisal Type Parameter and Evaluation 1 Attitude Appreciation: The attitude is concerned with the appreciation of the wind in Northern areas. 2 Graduation Focus: The grading phenomena increase the beauty of the wind by using kinesthetic imagery such as "wingbeat" and "lake froze." 3 Engagement Hetrogloss: The engagement is hetrogloss as has been represented from the voice of Maryam. The appraisal of the word wind creates a positive impact on the readers. Maryam's story reflects a favorable attitude wind of the northern lands. The character used the kinesthetic imagery Review of Economics and Development Studies, Vol. 8 (1) 2022, 25-39 33 of nature as "wingbeat" and "lake froze" the character's intention has been graded up to establish a deep and wanted relation with nature. It suggests the up-to-down motion of wind in Nothern areas of Pakistan in an attractive manner which makes an individual breath comfortable in the natural environment. The "frozen lakes" are ideal and impressive during winters. Such positive description will influence the readers to start believing in this tale and appreciate their environmental surroundings. 5.1.2 Excerpt 2 "It was the snowmelt of the two peaks that created the lake"(Khan, 2012, p. 2). Table 4 Sr.# Appraisal Type Parameter and Evaluation 1 Attitude Appreciation: The natural imagery of the lakes and mountains has been praised. 2 Graduation Focus: The rhetorical expression of kinesthetic imagery softens the image of the lakes and mountains of the Northern areas of Pakistan. 3 Engagement Heterogloss: The illustration is from the viewpoint of the narrator and the central character. The appraisal conveys a positive attitude by rating up the natural imagery of the hilly areas and lakes of Northern Pakistan. The story of the narrators depicts the kinesthetic imagery of nature which is performing its role as a facilitator to clear the way for travelers as a thick sheet of snow melts and creates the lake. The softness of the snow displays its reflection in the water, which is soothing to the eyes. 5.1.3 Excerpt 3 “The air began to ring with bells as faint yet bright as stars” (Khan, 2012, p. 3). Table 5 Sr.# Appraisal Type Parameter and Evaluation 1 Attitude Appreciation: The aesthetics of the sound “ring with bells” and vision “as faint yet bright as stars” of the air of Northern areas has been presented in the story. 2 Graduation Focus: By using the rhetorical expression of euphony such as "ring with bells” and the simile "as faint yet bright as stars," the focus on the breeze of Northern areas of Pakistan has been raised. 3 Engagement Hetrogloss: The illustration has been expanded through the voice of Maryam, a central character of the story. The appraisal of air in the Northern areas shows a positive attitude. The rhetorical expression of the euphony "ring with bells" indicates that the sound of the air is pleasing to the ears as it addresses the beginning of the winter season. In addition, the sensory perception of vision of the breeze in the form of the simile "as faint yet bright as stars" informs that though the color of the air is not clear yet, it is visible and associated with the shining of the stars in the darkness. Maryam's engagement in the story is raising a voice providing an experience of her feelings while living in the particular environment so that the reader could start believing in her story and delicate their natural surroundings. Review of Economics and Development Studies, Vol. 8 (1) 2022, 25-39 34 5.1.4 Excerpt 4 “The current of the swishing water, and shady trees like sheltering huts. It provided a perfect atmosphere to take sunbathe in the morning” (Khan, 2012, p. 11). Table 6 Sr.# Appraisal Type Parameter and Evaluation 1 Attitude Appreciation: There is an appreciation of the active environment near River Kunhar, where the characters feel independent about their actions, dealings, and relationship. 2 Graduation Focus: The rhetorical expression of onomatopoeia such as "swishing water” and visual imagery such as "shady trees," and personification such as "sheltering huts"have been focused. 3 Engagement Monogloss: The demonstration has been expanded through the voice of the author. The appraisal of the natural surroundings at Kunhar River. In Pakistan, the river is located in the province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. The river is famous for boating, camping, and other aquatic occupations. It provides tactile healing. The sound of the water of River Kunhar has been illustrated by utilizing onomatopoeia, "swishing water". This rushing of water sounds soft and pleasant to the ears. The shady trees provide the natural conditioning air, improve breathing, control air pollution, etc. Moreover, the huts play their role in providing shelter during caustic weather situations. By elaborating on the story of the Kunhar River, the author chooses to maintain a balance between man and nature. 5.1.5 Excerpt 5 “The mountain that borders the lake. ‘And Malika Parbat means?’ ‘Queen of the Mountains’” (Khan, 2012, p. 49). Table 7 Sr.# Appraisal Type Parameter and Evaluation 1 Attitude Appreciation: An appreciation of the mountain's highest peak, named Malika Parbhat in Kaghan Valley. 2 Graduation Focus: The rhetorical expression of antonomasia, such as "Queen of Mountains," has been used for Malika Parbhat after deep consideration. 3 Engagement Hetr0gloss: The demonstration has been expanded through the voice of the central characters, Nadir and Farhana. The appraisal attitude exposits the role of characters' imagination and their aesthetic appreciation of the natural surroundings of Kaghan Valley. The story-telling of the fairy princess Badar Jamal at "Malika Parbhat" portrays the powerful creative thinking of the characters. Through their imagination, the characters allow the readers to take an interest and praise the beauty of Pakistan. 5.1.6 Excerpt 6 “Malika Parbat’s reflection was being admired and broken by a stream of exhausted pilgrims and a dozen boats” (Khan, 2012, p. 66). Review of Economics and Development Studies, Vol. 8 (1) 2022, 25-39 35 Table 8 Sr.# Appraisal Type Parameter and Evaluation 1 Attitude Judgment: A significant judgment about the reflection of the peak of Himalayan hills, "Malika Parbhat," has been made. 2 Graduation Focus: The author focused on the symbolic imagery of Malika Parbhat, such as "a stream of exhausted pilgrims" and "to sharp the judgment. 3 Engagement Hetrogloss: The engagement has been expanded through the voice of the central Nadir. Pakistan is a mountaineer's Eden. The appraisal of the judgment of the beauty of Malika Parbhat has been illustrated. The mountain is one of the topographic tourist points in Pakistan. Nadir has made a profound and sharp focus by portraying the symbolic imagery of the hill. He says that although it has a bone-tired journey for the travelers, they love sailing boats and stick around the shore of the lake by kicking their heels and devoting their precious time to the objects of crowning beauty of nature. 5.1.7 Excerpt 7 “If you let your imagination soar, far in the distance to the northwest of the Queen appeared a tiny fragment of what might have been the most photographed and feared peak in the Himalayan chain: Nanga Parbat. Naked Mountain” (Khan, 2012, pp. 66-67). Table 9 Sr.# Appraisal Type Parameter and Evaluation 1 Attitude Judgment: There is the judgment of aesthetic pleasure using gustatory imagery such as "soar imagination" and tactile imagery such as " a tiny fragment." 2 Graduation Focus: The rhetorical expression of antonomasia, such as "Naked Mountain," has been used to sharpen the judgment. 3 Engagement Hetr0gloss: The engagement has been expanded through the voice of the central Nadir. Pakistan is blessed with heavenly environmental beauty. With a master judgment, Nadir expands his story to give each and every detail about the beautiful high mountains that unite man and nature. He wants the readers to throw away their soar imaginations about Pakistan. The expression "Naked Mountain" depicts the mountains' steep corners, allowing the magnificent white snow to cover it completely. The dry and brownish lands with an exquisite touch of white snow is an organic therapy of fear and visual therapy for the eyes. Foreign and local tourists have cosmetically apprehended these ranges of Pakistan. 5.1.8 Excerpt 8 "In the icy depths below, the Queen's twin peaks fanned into triangular wings, enclosing us in a jagged cape of blessings" (Khan, 2012, p. 68). Review of Economics and Development Studies, Vol. 8 (1) 2022, 25-39 36 Table 10 Sr.# Appraisal Type Parameter and Evaluation 1 Attitude Appreciation: The feelings of Nadir as a traveler have been illustrated beautifully. 2 Graduation Focus: The focus has been softened with the help of rhetorical expressions of tactile imagery such as "icy depths," visual imagery such as "twin peaks," "triangular wings," and hyperbole such as " a jagged cape of blessings." 3 Engagement Hetrogloss: It has been engaged through the comments of Nadir about Malika Parbhat. The appraisal "attitude" creates an admiring effect on the reader. The beauty of the Northern areas of Pakistan can be traced out through the story of an experienced tourist, Nadir. The focus on these areas has been ranked up by using the exaggerated statement about the glorious jagged surfaces of the sleeveless twinned peaks of Malika Parbhat, which is the great blessing of Allah Almighty. Many tourists come to visit these impressive and sublime mountains enriched with ice. The narrator believes that the individuals should engage themselves in traveling these places to admire the visual appearance of the environment they live in. 5.2 Part II 5.2.1 Excerpt 1 “High above the clouds, the mystery mountain was now entirely free of clouds and glistened a silvery amethyst so pure it belonged to another world, a world of princes and princesses, jinns and fairies” (Khan, 2012, p. 103). Table 11 Sr.# Appraisal Type Parameter and Evaluation 1 Attitude Appreciation: The beauty of Saif-ul-Malook has been portrayed in an appreciative mode. 2 Graduation Focus: The concentration has been modulated with the help of hyperbole such as "a world full of princes and princesses, jinns and fairies." Visual imagery in the form of colors has been used, such as "silvery amethyst." Moreover, there is a use of metaphor such as "the mystery mountain has glistened a silvery amethyst." 3 Engagement Hetrogloss: It has been engaged through the remarks of Nadir about the beauty of Saif-ul-Malook. The highly exaggerated story-telling of the narrator not only pursues the visual sense of the reader but also renders a chance to view and consider these environmental beauties of Pakistan as a supreme blessing and gift of Allah Almighty. 5.2.2 Excerpt 2 "A spray of stars winked in her place and thin wisps of cloud smeared by the violet sky" (Khan, 2012, p. 122). Review of Economics and Development Studies, Vol. 8 (1) 2022, 25-39 37 Table 12 Sr.# Appraisal Type Parameter and Evaluation 1 Attitude Appreciation: The visual aspect of Malika Parbat has been portrayed gratefully. 2 Graduation Focus: The concentration has been modulated with the help of hyperbole, " a spray of stars," and visual imagery in the form of the shape "thin wisps" and the color "violet sky." 3 Engagement Hetrogloss: The voice of the central character Nadir has been engaged. The attitude pattern portrays alluring visual imagery. It is also mentioned that " the nomads rose very early, to pray. They might already be awake, waiting for the sun to break behind Malika Parbat." (Khan, 2012, p. 122). However, Nadir modulates an exaggerated statement of the sky as filled with "a spray of stars," which means a vast coating of the sparkling stars shines bright and clear in the sky. Then he uses visual imagery that the clouds appear in the shape of the flat twisted crew in the sky, which appears in purple shade due to a great mass of snow existing at the top region of the earth. As a passionate observer, Nadir conceptualizes beauty as an immense unified whole accomplishing religious responsibility by the nomadic people by reconsidering their connection with the earth. 5.3 Part III 5.3.1 Excerpt 1 “A butterfly flit between all three of them, a yellow swallowtail with a shimmer of purple spots at the edge of two serrated wings” (Khan, 2012, p. 150). Table 13 Sr.# Appraisal Type Parameter and Evaluation 1 Attitude Appreciation: The visual aspect of the insects of Nanga Parbat. 2 Graduation Focus: The concentration has been modulated with the help of hyperbole, " a spray of stars," and visual imagery in the form of the shape "thin wisps" and color "violet sky." 3 Engagement Hetrogloss: The voice of the central character Nadir has been engaged. 5.4 Part IV 5.4.1 Excerpt 1 “River laughed, the river was pleased with waterfall because it was leaving one valley to meet the next. Queen once washed her tired eyes in this water, and it was called Nain Sukh” (Khan, 2012, p. 250). Table 13 Sr.# Appraisal Type Parameter and Evaluation 1 Attitude Appreciation: The appreciation is dynamic and highly optimistic. 2 Graduation Focus: The focus has been softened through the personification" river laughed," and antonomasia "Nain Sukh" has been used for Kunhar River. 3 Engagement Monogloss: The voice of the author. In these lines, the author's attitude in appreciating nature is optimistic. Using antonomasia "Nain Sukh," she tells the story of a Queen of the Mughal Empire, Noor Jahan, who has an infection in Review of Economics and Development Studies, Vol. 8 (1) 2022, 25-39 38 her eyes while traveling to Kashmir. The Queen washed her eyes with the pure cool water of River Kunhar, which healed her infection and provided comfort to her eyes. The writer intends to raise awareness among the readers that the rivers of Pakistan also provide a visual therapy and it can create a healthy interaction with human beings. 5.5 Part V 5.5.1 Excerpt 1 "Now she inhaled the scent of filly-a fresh manure scent-with hints of wood and incense-and wondered if she could cure a mother too" (Khan, 2012, p. 303). Table 14 Sr.# Appraisal Type Parameter and Evaluation 1 Attitude Appreciation: The attitude is positive. 2 Graduation Focus: The concentration has been modulated with the help of olfactory imagery such as " inhaled the scent" and "fresh manure scent." 3 Engagement Hetrogloss: The voice of the central character, Maryam, has been engaged. The attitude of Maryam is highly positive. By using certain expressions of the sense of smell, she says that nature is performing its role to provide an olfactory therapy that is helpful for human beings. It is a good sour of oxygen. The visitors can feel relaxed and fresh and breathe easily under the trees of Northern Pakistan. Maryam also thinks that the leaves of these trees could also be beneficial to curing her mother's health. As "over the years, she had cured the coughs of all children with the tissues of pistachio bark" (Khan, 2012, p. 303). This information can develop the readers' interest in Pakistan's trees acting as a physical therapist for human beings. 5.5.2 Excerpt 2 “I could see stars so close that I felt I could grasp them in my nail” (Khan, 2012, p. 316). Table 15 Sr.# Appraisal Type Parameter and Evaluation 1 Attitude Appreciation: The appreciation reveals a positive attitude toward nature 2 Graduation Focus: The concentration has been modulated with the help of hyperbole, "grasping the stars in the nail." 3 Engagement Hetrogloss: The voice of the central character Nadir has been engaged. The attitude of Nadir is highly positive. His wish of sighting the stars has been evoked by the ability of his sense of sight. Nadir has used hyperbole of "grasping the sars into his nails" as the top of the mountain provides the view of the sky closer so that he and the tourists can easily talk to the sky. In the light of rhetoric expressions evaluated through the Appraisal Model in this study, a recurring theme of appreciation, engagement, and acceptance of the natural environment appears in the foreground. The characters and the writer engaged in telling the stories want to pass away their feelings to the readers to evoke a positive valuation of the beauty of their homeland, Pakistan. Review of Economics and Development Studies, Vol. 8 (1) 2022, 25-39 39 6. Conclusion The research proposes an instructive way of thinking that the application of ecolinguistic models and appraisals attempt to give birth to ecological cognizance. The ecolinguistic perspective of the elected stories through the language used by Khan (2012) and her central characters, Nadir, Farhana, and Maryam, who inform that Pakistan is a not only a place of tour and dedication, but a root providing mental, physical, and spiritual therapy to human beings. It is gearing up the readers for ecological practicality. The readers are more mindful of their own creating or parting the relationship with their environment. The rhetoric expressions are investigated for the appreciation of Pakistan in terms of its beauty. This natural beauty is remarkably found in the Northern regions of Pakistan. The data depicts that the rhetorical use of language is a source of creating a positive engagement between humans and nature. One can find ample instances of the appreciation of Pakistani beauty found in the research. They are documented as capable of loving and respecting nature and valuating it positively as we all are involved in the world's ecosystem. References Alwin Fill, &Mühlhäusler P. (2001). The ecolinguistics reader: language, ecology and environment. Continuum. Farias de Souza, L. M. (2015). Munday, Jeremy. Evaluation in translation: critical points of translator decision-making. London/New York: Routledge, 2012. Print. 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