37.1721, FYI: Onomastics Online Lecture Series | Bhutanese Personal Names and Identity

[The LINGUIST List]

LINGUIST List: Vol-37-1721. Fri May 08 2026. ISSN: 1069 - 4875.

Subject: 37.1721, FYI: Onomastics Online Lecture Series | Bhutanese Personal Names and Identity

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Date: 08-May-2026
From: Chrismi-Rinda Loth [LothC at ufs.ac.za]
Subject: Onomastics Online Lecture Series | Bhutanese Personal Names and Identity


11 June 2026
17:00 UTC+2 / 17:00 GMT+2
Microsoft Teams
Speaker: Sonam Tshering (Jigme Singye Wangchuck School of Law, Bhutan)
Moderator: Fatemeh Akbari (Kamusi Project International/University of
Vienna, Austria)
Title: Bhutanese Personal Names and Identity
Abstract: Bhutan, a small Himalayan kingdom between India and China,
promotes Gross National Happiness (GNH). Bhutan has preserved its
unique culture, strong Buddhist values, and lively social and cultural
legacy despite its 400-year-old political structure. Bhutanese
personal names are one of the most important ways people express
themselves. Lamas and other religious figures often give Bhutanese
names spiritual meaning. Buddhist philosophy, morality, and protection
inspired these names. South and Southeast Asia often base names on
family or ancestry, whereas Bhutan does not, ensuring equality.
However, Bhutanese personal names rarely follow these patterns.
Instead of ancestry, they value egalitarianism and community. Thus, in
this lecture, I will briefly address Bhutanese names' cultural,
social, and linguistic significance and uniqueness. I will also
discuss how the names reflect Bhutanese culture, society, and
religion. Finally, I will analyse how Westernised or hybrid naming
patterns may affect Bhutanese culture expression and identity and
belonging in modern Bhutan.
Keywords: Bhutan, Personal Names, Culture, Identity, GNH
Biography: Sonam Tshering is an Associate Professor at Jigme Singye
Wangchuck School of Law (JSW Law), where he also serves as Associate
Dean for Research, Library Services, and Archives. He teaches
contract, procedural, and media law and has written a weekly legal
column for Bhutan’s leading newspaper for seven years, promoting
social justice and civil rights. Formerly a journalist, legal officer,
prosecutor, and parliamentary secretary, he is a certified legal
counsel and national arbitrator. Sonam has contributed to
international treaty drafting and represented Bhutan at major global
forums, including the Conferences of the Parties on Climate Change and
Tobacco Control.
Register here (required):
https://events.teams.microsoft.com/event/44c352a6-7195-41ab-b13a-cc8105906bd5@8efc1bb9-b90f-4a48-bf6c-ba0686193b80
-       Upon registration you will receive an email with the link.
-       The system will also circulate a reminder with the link an
hour before the event.
ICOS policy on privacy:
https://icosweb.net/membership/icos-personal-data-protection-policy/
Onomastics Online lecture series:
Onomastics Online is a series of online lectures dealing with
important timely topics related to names and naming. Given by
distinguished scholars from various academic backgrounds, the lectures
demonstrate the importance and the multidisciplinary nature of
onomastic research.
To see the list of upcoming and past lectures, please visit our
webpage at: https://icosweb.net/onomastics-online/.
Previous lectures can be found on our YouTube channel:
https://www.youtube.com/@theinternationalcouncilofo2460.

Linguistic Field(s): Applied Linguistics
                     General Linguistics
                     Sociolinguistics




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