Conceptual Metaphors of Happiness in Russian Language in Cognitive Linguistics

Abstract

This paper is concerned with applying the cognitive linguistic view of metaphor theory as defined by Lakoff and Johnson (1980) to the concept of Happiness or “счастье” in Russian Language. We can find some related metaphors, such as “food”. The findings reveal that there are 5 concepts of Happiness reflected by the metaphorical expressions in Russian National Corpus, namely 1. [HAPPINESS IS HUMAN BEINGS] 2. [HAPINESS IS FOOD] 3. [HAPINESS IS PROPERTY] 4. [HAPPINESS IS BIRD] 5. [HAPPINESS IS PARTS OF BODY]. The findings propose that our conceptual system of hapiness is organized metaphorically, carrying within them cognitive characteristics and culture in Russia language.