The Semantic Structure of Gross National Happiness: A view from conceptual metaphor theory

In: Gross National Happiness: Practice and Measurement: Proceedings of the Fourth International Conference on Gross National Happiness. Thimphu, Centre for Bhutan Studies 2008, pp. 228-238 . ISBN 978-99936-14-52-4

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Abstract

In this study, the author makes several observations on how conventionalized metaphors used in public discourse regarding Gross National Happiness shape the semantics of development in Bhutan. On this basis, he proposes ways in which the field of cognitive linguistics might contribute to planning and education for Gross National Happiness. The theoretical basis for this approach is Conceptual Metaphor Theory, as formulated by University of California Berkeley linguist George Lakoff and other cognitive linguists. Conceptual Metaphor Theory analyzes the patterns of meaning reflected in idiomatic figurative language and predicts that these semantic patterns can influence patterns of non-linguistic conceptual structure, including patterns of moral reasoning.