Proper Name as a Bilateral Linguistic Sign and the Levels of Properhood

Abstract

The aim of this paper is to propose a semiotic definition of a proper name with the classic Saussurean bilateral linguistic sign as the genus proximum and the individual concept (and not a general or categorical one) constituting a name’s signifié as the differentia specifica. This Aristotelian definition is accompanied by the notion of a poly-polar space of properhood, within which one may distinguish between more and less prototypical proper names. The individual concept is defined as a mental unit located in a language user’s mind and comprising knowledge of an individual (single) object, its properties, and associations connected with it. Perceiving a proper name as a bilateral sign creates a need for terminological decisions. An onym is defined as any linguistic form or expression that serves as the signifiant within a proper name while a typical onymic form is defined as any linguistic form or expression that serves as the signifiant within many separate (homonymous) proper names. Relations between signifiants and signifiés of many proprial and appellative signs make it possible to list several types of proprial meaning: denotative, referential, etymological, and structural, as well as the denotative predisposition of an onymic form.