The cross‐linguistic uses of proper names

Dados Bibliográficos

ID20142631
AutoresNikhil Mahant (0000-0002-0007-6406, Department of Philosophy Uppsala University Uppsala Sweden, autor correspondente)
Ano2025
Volume91
Fascículo1
Páginas106-121
Data de publicação2025-02-01
Peer ReviewedSim
Open AccessSim
TipoARTICLE
PeriódicoTheoria (JOURNAL)
Identificadores do periódicoISSN: 0040-5825 • E-ISSN: 1755-2567
EditoraWiley (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1111/theo.12578
OpenAlexW4404719942
IdiomaEN
Citações recebidas1
Referências citadas29

A distinctive and widely recognized feature of proper names is that, unlike other words, names can be used across languages without modification. Yet, this feature of names—the prevalence and acceptability of their ‘cross‐linguistic’ uses—has been mostly overlooked within philosophy. This article highlights the theoretical importance of the cross‐linguistic uses of names in the debate concerning their syntax and semantics. It identifies an anomalous phonological feature of names in their cross‐linguistic uses and argues that the source of the anomaly is the widespread view that proper names are syntactically simple. It also argues that such uses provide evidence for the syntactic view that the phonological articulation of a name is mentioned and not used in the syntax—a view that is consistent with some but not all semantic views of names. By examining the hitherto overlooked cross‐linguistic uses of names, this article provides new evidence in favour of a certain variety of metalinguistic views concerning the syntax and semantics of names

Linguistics · Proper noun · Sociology · linguistics and terminology studies · Names, Identity, and Discrimination Research · Natural Language Processing Techniques · Philosophy