Anthropological and Cultural Linguistic perspectives on conceptualisations of the (changing) Arctic: The PolECircuM project

Presentation by Arne Peters, Universitetet i Bremen.

This presentation outlines the objectives and preliminary findings of the Polar Englishes, Circumpolar Minds (PolECircuM) project, a collaborative linguistic initiative established in 2024 between the University of Bremen and the Western Norway University of Applied Sciences.

Situated at the intersection of anthropological, cultural, and cognitive linguistics, the project investigates the language–culture–cognition interface in representations of the Arctic across time and communities. Drawing on extensive textual corpora – including Roald Amundsen’s Dagbøker (1900–1907) and Knud Rasmussen’s ethnographic writings (1902–1926) – the study applies both qualitative and quantitative corpus-linguistic methods to explore how different cultural conceptualisations of the Arctic emerge in language. Analyses focus on lexical domains such as landscape, spirituality, and natural forces to compare emic (indigenous) and etic (European) perspectives on Arctic life and environment. Findings reveal linguistic and cognitive differences that underscore the multiplicity of “circumpolar minds” and highlight how language mediates cultural worldviews.

The project contributes to the broader understanding of how linguistic data reflect sociocultural and environmental change in the Arctic, aiming to support cultural empowerment, knowledge preservation, and intercultural understanding.