Theory and typology of proper names / by Willy Van Langendonck.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Langendonck, Willy van.

Series:

Trends in linguistics. Studies and monographs ; 168.

Trends in linguistics : studies and monographs, 1861-4302 ; 168

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Names.

Semantics.

Pragmatics.

Grammar, Comparative and general--Syntax.

Grammar, Comparative and general.

Typology (Linguistics).

Physical Description:

1 online resource (396 p.)

Edition:

1st ed.

Place of Publication:

Berlin ; New York : Mouton de Gruyter, c2007.

Language Note:

English

Summary:

This book proposes a new synthesis of the functions of proper names, from a semantic, pragmatic and syntactic perspective. Proper names are approached constructionally, distinguishing prototypical uses from more marked ones such as those in which names are used as common nouns. Since what is traditionally regarded as 'the' class of names turns out to be only one possible function of name-forms (though a prototypical one), the notion of 'proprial lemma' is introduced as the concept behind both proprial and appellative uses of such categories as place names and personal names. New formal arguments are adduced to distinguish proper name function from common noun or pronoun function. The special status of proper names is captured in a unified pragmatic-semantic-syntactic theory: a proper name denotes a unique entity at the level of langue to make it psychosocially salient within a given basic level category. The meaning of the name, if any, does not determine its denotation. An important formal reflection of this characterization of names is their ability to appear in such close appositional constructions as the poet Burns or Fido the dog. The neurolinguistic finding that proper names constitute a separate category is introduced and interpreted within a general linguistic frame of reference. The different kinds of meanings associated with names (categorical, associative, emotive, and grammatical) are shown to be presuppositional in nature. In addition, the book proposes an entirely new classification of proper names as forming a continuum ranging from prototypical (personal and place names) to nonprototypical categories (brand and language names) to citations and autonyms, and a new diachronic classification of family names and nicknames. This book fills an important gap in the current literature, because the most recent linguistic book in English on name theory dates back to 1973. It is explicitly interdisciplinary, taking into account linguistic, philosophical, neurolinguistic, sociolinguistic and dialect geographical aspects of proper names.

Contents:

Frontmatter

Contents

General introduction

Chapter 1 Nominal and referential-semantic status of proper names

Chapter 2 Formal characteristics of proper names

Chapter 3 Typology of proper names

Chapter 4 Dialinguistic aspects of Flemish personal names

Backmatter

Notes:

Description based upon print version of record.

Includes bibliographical references (p. [342]-369) and index.

ISBN:

1-282-19421-6

9786612194214

3-11-019785-5

OCLC:

476123671