Journal | Annali di Ca’ Foscari. Serie occidentale
Journal issue | 58 | 2024
Research Article | On Quasi-Proper Names
On Quasi-Proper Names
Abstract
In this paper, I shall deal with quasi-(proper) names, that is expressions like ‘Mum’, ‘Dad’, ‘Grandpa’, ‘Grandma’ in English or ‘Papà’, ‘Mamma’, ‘Nonna’, ‘Nonno’ in Italian. My aim is to describe their uses and to throw further light on the theory of proper names. My view is that quasi-names are even more directly referential than proper names, as they stress continuity in the reference to a certain person. While proper names are always contextual, in so far as the context can select the referent in question (e.g. through salience), a quasi-name guarantees semantic continuity in that the referent is normally anchored to the speaker.
Submitted: April 22, 2024 | Accepted: July 2, 2024 | Published Sept. 30, 2024 | Language: en
Keywords Direct reference • Quasi-names • Nicknames • Proper names • Referential presuppositions • Strawson on proper names
Copyright © 2024 Alessandro Capone. This is an open-access work distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction is permitted, provided that the original author(s) and the copyright owner(s) are credited and that the original publication is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. The license allows for commercial use. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
Permalink http://doi.org/10.30687/AnnOc/2499-1562/2024/12/011
