Proper noun
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| - | ''Proper nouns'' (also called ''proper names'') are nouns representing unique entities (such as ''London'', ''Jupiter'' or ''Johnny''), as distinguished from common nouns which describe a class of entities (such as ''city'', ''planet'' or ''person''). Proper nouns are not normally preceded by an article or other limiting modifier (such as "any" or "some"), and are used to denote a particular person, place, or thing without regard to any descriptive meaning the word or phrase may have. | + | A '''proper noun''' is a [[noun]] that identifies a single entity and is used to refer to that entity (''[[Africa]]'', ''[[Jupiter]]'', ''[[Sarah (given name)|Sarah]]'', ''[[Microsoft]])'' as distinguished from a '''common noun''', which is a noun that refers to a [[Class (philosophy)|class]] of entities (''continent, planet, person, corporation'') and may be used when referring to instances of a specific class (a ''continent'', another ''planet'', these ''persons'', our ''corporation''). Some proper nouns occur in plural form (optionally or exclusively), and then they refer to ''groups'' of entities considered as unique (the ''Hendersons'', the ''[[Everglades]]'', ''the [[Azores]]'', the ''[[Pleiades (Greek mythology)|Pleiades]]''). Proper nouns can also occur in secondary applications, for example modifying nouns (the ''Mozart'' experience; his ''Azores'' adventure), or in the role of common nouns (he's no ''Pavarotti''; a few would-be ''Napoleons''). The detailed definition of the term is problematic and, to an extent, governed by convention. |
| - | In [[English language|English]] and most other languages that use the [[Latin alphabet]], proper nouns are usually [[capitalization|capitalized]]. Languages differ in whether most elements of multiword proper nouns are capitalised (e.g., American English ''House of Representatives'') or only the initial element (e.g., Slovenian ''Državni zbor'' 'National Assembly'). In [[German language|German]], nouns of all types are capitalized. The convention of capitalizing ''all'' nouns was previously used in English, but ended circa 1800. In America, the shift in capitalization is recorded in several noteworthy documents. The end (but not the beginning) of the [[United States Declaration of Independence#Annotated text of the Declaration|Declaration of Independence]] (1776) and all of the [[United States Constitution|Constitution]] (1787) show nearly all nouns capitalized, the [[United States Bill of Rights#Text of the Bill of Rights|Bill of Rights]] (1789) capitalizes a few common nouns but not most of them, and the [[Thirteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution|Thirteenth Constitutional Amendment]] (1865) only capitalizes proper nouns. | + | A distinction is normally made in current linguistics between ''proper nouns'' and ''proper names''. By this strict distinction, because the term ''noun'' is used for a class of single words (''tree'', ''beauty''), only single-word proper names are proper nouns: ''Peter'' and ''Africa'' are both proper names and proper nouns; but ''Peter the Great'' and ''South Africa'', while they are proper names, are not proper nouns (though they could be said to function as proper [[noun phrase]]s). The term ''common name'' is not much used to contrast with ''proper name'', but some linguists have used the term for that purpose. Sometimes proper names are called simply ''names'', but that term is often used more broadly. Words derived from proper names are sometimes called ''[[proper adjective]]s'' (or ''proper adverbs'', and so on), but not in mainstream linguistic theory. Not every noun or a noun phrase that refers to a unique entity is a proper name. ''Chastity,'' for instance, is a common noun, even if chastity is considered a unique abstract entity. |
| - | Sometimes the same word can function as both a common noun and a proper noun, where one such entity is special. For example the common noun ''god'' denotes all deities, while the proper noun ''God'' references the [[monotheism|monotheistic]] [[God]] specifically. | + | Few proper names have only one possible referent: there are many places named ''[[New Haven (disambiguation)|New Haven]]''; ''[[Jupiter (disambiguation)|Jupiter]]'' may refer to a planet, a god, a ship, a city in Florida, or a symphony; at least one person has been named ''[[Mata Hari (disambiguation)|Mata Hari]]'', but so have a horse, a song, and three films; there are towns and people named ''[[Toyota (disambiguation)|Toyota]]'', as well as the company. In English, proper names in their primary application cannot normally be modified by articles or another determiner, although some may be taken to include the article ''the'', as in ''the Netherlands'', ''[[Roaring Forties|the Roaring Forties]]'', or ''[[Rolling Stones|the Rolling Stones]]''. A proper name may appear to have a descriptive meaning, even though it does not (the Rolling Stones are not stones and do not roll; a woman named ''Rose'' is not a flower). If it had once been, it may no longer be so, for example, a location previously referred to as "the new town" may now have the proper name ''Newtown'', though it is no longer new and is now a city rather than a town. |
| - | Owing to the essentially arbitrary nature of [[Orthography|orthographic]] classification and the existence of variant authorities and adopted [[Style guide|''house styles'']], questionable capitalization of words is not uncommon, even in respected newspapers and magazines. Most publishers, however, properly require ''consistency'', at least within the same document, in applying their specified standard. | + | In English and many other languages, proper names and words derived from them are associated with capitalization; but the details are complex, and vary from language to language (French ''lundi'', ''Canada'', ''un homme canadien'', ''un Canadien''; English ''Monday'', ''Canada'', ''a Canadian man'', ''a Canadian''; Italian ''lunedì'', ''Canada'', ''un uomo canadese'', ''un canadese''). The study of proper names is sometimes called ''[[onomastics]]'' or ''onomatology'', while a rigorous analysis of the [[semantics]] of proper names is a matter for [[philosophy of language]].{{Citation needed|date=August 2019}} |
| - | The common meaning of the word or words constituting a proper noun may be unrelated to the object to which the proper noun refers. For example, someone might be named "Tiger Smith" despite being neither a [[tiger]] nor a [[smith (metalwork)|smith]]. For this reason, proper nouns are usually not [[translation|translated]] between languages, although they may be [[transliteration|transliterated]]. For example, the German surname ''Knödel'' becomes ''Knodel'' or ''Knoedel'' in English (not the literal ''Dumpling''). However, the [[Transliteration|transcription]] of place names and the names of [[monarch]]s, [[pope]]s, and non-contemporary [[author]]s is common and sometimes universal. For instance, the [[Portuguese language|Portuguese]] word ''Lisboa'' becomes ''[[Lisbon]]'' in [[English language|English]]; the English ''London'' becomes ''Londres'' in French; and the [[ancient Greek|Greek]] Ἁριστοτέλης (''Aristotelēs)'' becomes [[Aristotle]] in English. | + | Proper nouns are normally invariant for number: most are singular, but a few, referring for instance to mountain ranges or groups of islands, are plural (e.g. ''Hebrides''). Typically, English proper nouns are not preceded by an [[Article (grammar)|article]] (such as ''the'' or ''a'') or other [[determiner]] (such as ''that'' or ''those''). |
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| + | Occasionally, what would otherwise be regarded as a proper noun is used as a common noun, in which case a plural form and a determiner are possible. Examples are in cases of [[Ellipsis (linguistics)|ellipsis]] (for instance, ''the three Kennedys'' = ''the three members of the Kennedy family'') and [[metaphor]] (for instance, ''the new Gandhi'', likening a person to Mahatma Gandhi). | ||
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| + | ==See also== | ||
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| + | *[[Name]] | ||
| + | *[[Proper name (philosophy)]] | ||
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Revision as of 18:57, 19 September 2022
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A proper noun is a noun that identifies a single entity and is used to refer to that entity (Africa, Jupiter, Sarah, Microsoft) as distinguished from a common noun, which is a noun that refers to a class of entities (continent, planet, person, corporation) and may be used when referring to instances of a specific class (a continent, another planet, these persons, our corporation). Some proper nouns occur in plural form (optionally or exclusively), and then they refer to groups of entities considered as unique (the Hendersons, the Everglades, the Azores, the Pleiades). Proper nouns can also occur in secondary applications, for example modifying nouns (the Mozart experience; his Azores adventure), or in the role of common nouns (he's no Pavarotti; a few would-be Napoleons). The detailed definition of the term is problematic and, to an extent, governed by convention.
A distinction is normally made in current linguistics between proper nouns and proper names. By this strict distinction, because the term noun is used for a class of single words (tree, beauty), only single-word proper names are proper nouns: Peter and Africa are both proper names and proper nouns; but Peter the Great and South Africa, while they are proper names, are not proper nouns (though they could be said to function as proper noun phrases). The term common name is not much used to contrast with proper name, but some linguists have used the term for that purpose. Sometimes proper names are called simply names, but that term is often used more broadly. Words derived from proper names are sometimes called proper adjectives (or proper adverbs, and so on), but not in mainstream linguistic theory. Not every noun or a noun phrase that refers to a unique entity is a proper name. Chastity, for instance, is a common noun, even if chastity is considered a unique abstract entity.
Few proper names have only one possible referent: there are many places named New Haven; Jupiter may refer to a planet, a god, a ship, a city in Florida, or a symphony; at least one person has been named Mata Hari, but so have a horse, a song, and three films; there are towns and people named Toyota, as well as the company. In English, proper names in their primary application cannot normally be modified by articles or another determiner, although some may be taken to include the article the, as in the Netherlands, the Roaring Forties, or the Rolling Stones. A proper name may appear to have a descriptive meaning, even though it does not (the Rolling Stones are not stones and do not roll; a woman named Rose is not a flower). If it had once been, it may no longer be so, for example, a location previously referred to as "the new town" may now have the proper name Newtown, though it is no longer new and is now a city rather than a town.
In English and many other languages, proper names and words derived from them are associated with capitalization; but the details are complex, and vary from language to language (French lundi, Canada, un homme canadien, un Canadien; English Monday, Canada, a Canadian man, a Canadian; Italian lunedì, Canada, un uomo canadese, un canadese). The study of proper names is sometimes called onomastics or onomatology, while a rigorous analysis of the semantics of proper names is a matter for philosophy of language.Template:Citation needed
Proper nouns are normally invariant for number: most are singular, but a few, referring for instance to mountain ranges or groups of islands, are plural (e.g. Hebrides). Typically, English proper nouns are not preceded by an article (such as the or a) or other determiner (such as that or those).
Occasionally, what would otherwise be regarded as a proper noun is used as a common noun, in which case a plural form and a determiner are possible. Examples are in cases of ellipsis (for instance, the three Kennedys = the three members of the Kennedy family) and metaphor (for instance, the new Gandhi, likening a person to Mahatma Gandhi).
See also
