In this paper I reflect on whether ethnonyms and demonyms can appropriately be considered proper names at all from the semantic perspective, and if so, on what basis. I believe the answer is yes, perhaps unsurprisingly, but there are troublesome conceptual tensions to overcome in the relation between logic and linguistics. Nevertheless an understanding of the difficulties can be constructive, and in this case it lead to a proposal for a terminological innovation that has useful consequences.
No takes yet. Share an insight, caveat, or question.
Richard Coates (2021) studied this question.
Synapse has enriched one closely related paper. Consider it for comparative context: