The STUDIA UNIVERSITATIS BABEŞ-BOLYAI issue article summary

The summary of the selected article appears at the bottom of the page. In order to get back to the contents of the issue this article belongs to you have to access the link from the title. In order to see all the articles of the archive which have as author/co-author one of the authors mentioned below, you have to access the link from the author's name.

 
       
         
    STUDIA PHILOLOGIA - Issue no. 4 / 2009  
         
  Article:   ON THE SEMANTICS OF PROPER NAMES AND OF COMMON NAMES.

Authors:  ŞTEFAN OLTEAN.
 
       
         
  Abstract:  On the Semantics of Proper Names and of Common Names. This article proposes an account within a framework of logical semantics and syntax of aspects associated with the denotation of proper names (of individuals) and of descriptive and non-descriptive common names, i.e., common nouns. The first three sections address theoretical notions (meaning, possible worlds, transworld identity), while the following sections go on to discuss the semantics (and syntax) of proper names in comparison with those of common names. Proper names of individuals are seen as singular terms whose meaning lies exclusively in their denotation. They designate rigidly and occur in syntactic configurations of specific kinds. Common names are general terms that have internal structure. They can also designate rigidly, as is the case with non-descriptive terms denoting natural kinds, natural phenomena, and colors. Descriptive common names, however, designate non-rigidly, since they pick out different entities in different worlds.

Keywords: sense, reference, intension, extension, possible worlds, transworld identity, singular terms, general terms, rigid designators, non-rigid designators, proper names, causal theory of proper names, descriptive terms, non-descriptive terms, natural kinds
 
         
     
         
         
      Back to previous page