What is the description theory of names?

In the philosophy of language, the descriptivist theory of proper names (also descriptivist theory of reference) is the view that the meaning or semantic content of a proper name is identical to the descriptions associated with it by speakers, while their referents are determined to be the objects that satisfy these …

What is the meaning of a proper name?

A proper noun is a specific (i.e., not generic) name for a particular person, place, or thing. Proper nouns are always capitalized in English, no matter where they fall in a sentence. Because they endow nouns with a specific name, they are also sometimes called proper names.

What is proper name in linguistics?

A proper name is a noun or noun phrase that designates a particular person, place or object, such as George Washington, Valley Forge, and the Washington Monument.

What is the reference of a proper name?

In the philosophy of language, a proper name – examples include a name of a specific person or place – is a name which ordinarily is taken to uniquely identify its referent in the world.

Is a name a definite description?

Russell also proposed that ordinary proper names could be construed as definite descriptions in disguise. Thus a name like ‘Aristotle’ might be taken as shorthand for ‘the student of Plato who taught Alexander, wrote The Nichomachean Ethics etc.

Are definite descriptions referring expressions?

On the Fregean analysis, definite descriptions are construed as referring expressions rather than quantificational expressions. Existence and uniqueness are understood as a presupposition of a sentence containing a definite description, rather than part of the content asserted by such a sentence.

Can you name types of proper names and give some examples?

Proper names include specific people, places, days of the week, brands, and titles: Names: Proper nouns, or proper names, include people. Pets’ names are also proper nouns and require capitalization. Titles of people: Proper nouns also include titles of people, like Queen Victoria and President Abraham Lincoln.

What are the two functions of proper name?

According to Kiviniemi (1975), the only function of proper names is identification. Names are linguistic marks that function only according to their established denotative function (which is the relationship between the word and the referent).

Do proper names have sense?

We can now resolve our paradox : does a proper name have a sense? If this asks whether or not proper names are used to describe or specify characteristics of objects, the answer is ” no “.

Are proper names connotative?

Proper names are not connotative: they denote the individuals who are called by them; but they do not indicate or imply any attributes as belonging to those individuals.

What is a definite description in philosophy?

In formal semantics and philosophy of language, a definite description is a denoting phrase in the form of “the X” where X is a noun-phrase or a singular common noun. The definite description is proper if X applies to a unique individual or object.

What is the function of proper names?

Notice that, if the Name Claim were correct, then proper names’ only function would be to save breath or ink; they would be just shorthand.

Why do we have names and not descriptions?

(Searle adds the metaphysical claim that to bethe person N is to have a SBVAUN of the relevant properties.) The vagueness is important; Searle says it is precisely what distinguishes names from descriptions, and in fact is why we have and use names as opposed to descriptions.

What is an example of a descriptivist theory of names?

A simple descriptivist theory of names can be thought of as follows: for every proper name p, there is some collection of descriptions D associated with p that constitute the meaning of p. For example, the descriptivist may hold that the proper name Saul Kripke is synonymous with the collection of descriptions such as etc

What is an ordinary proper name?

Logically proper names are indexicals such as this and that, which directly refer (in a Millian sense) to sense-data or other objects of immediate acquaintance. For Russell, ordinary proper names are abbreviated definite descriptions. Here definite description refers again to the type of formulation “The…”