Language matters.

In everyday speech, we often refer to other animals as “it” rather than “they” or another “being.” In legal systems, we assign human-centric terms like “personhood” through frameworks such as the Rights of Nature.

These choices may seem small. They are not.

The language we use reflects and reinforces a deeper assumption: that humans are separate from Nature.

We speak of “humans,” “animals,” and “Nature” as if they are distinct categories, rather than expressions of the same living system. We name, define, and organise in ways that create distance.

We also assign roles through language. Terms such as “owner,” “property,” or “resource” shape how relationships are understood and enacted.

Much of this happens unconsciously. It is embedded in everyday speech, institutional language, and legal frameworks.

Language does not simply describe reality. It participates in creating it.

When language maintains separation, it becomes easier to justify systems of control, extraction, and commodification.

When language shifts, so too can perception, relationship, and responsibility.

What words do we use without noticing?
And what might change if we began to choose them differently?

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