Are proper names proper words? Towards a pragmatic perspective on a perennial problem

The first section of this paper presents a range of theoretical views on the linguistic status of proper names. These form a spectrum that is anchored on the one side by the received lexicographical position that they do not strictly form part of the basic lexicon of the language, as described in the dictionary, but belong in a separate onomastic gazetteer. There is then a spread of positions, all assuming that proper names are essentially proper words but are idiosyncratic in multiple and incremental ways. The second part of the paper is a case study of the treatments of proper names in the context of 17th-century philosophical language schemes, which illustrates how a single theoretical paradigm can nevertheless allow seemingly contradictory viewpoints to co-exist. In the final section, this case study provides a starting point to move towards an integrated pragmatic approach, whereby proper names are accorded full pragmatic status, with special attention being paid to the nicknames and placeholder names as marginal categories.