On the nature of properhood. On the quest for an onomastic definition of a proper name

Abstract

The aim of the paper is to address a centuries-old question: What is a proper name? However, the question seems to be asked incorrectly. One should rather ask about the nature of properhood and the criteria used to assess the level of properhood of a given language sign. In the article, proper name is defined as a bilateral sign consisting of “the signifier” (an onym or an onymic form) and “the signified”. Building on that, several types of possible meanings within a single proper name are listed: the denotational, the referential, the etymological, and the structural meaning. This constitutes a frame of reference for a classification of the criteria of properhood found in selected works of Polish material-oriented name researchers. Finally, a concept of poly-polar “space of properhood” is proposed, which is constituted by a set of several separate scales, indicating levels of properhood of each single language sign.