Proper Names, Quasi Proper Names, De se Thoughts, and Communication

by Alessandro Capone

Overview

This book offers an in-depth exploration of proper names, quasi-proper names, de se thoughts, and communication, offering a comprehensive analysis of how proper names function within language. Aimed at scholars in the philosophy of language and linguistics, it delves into the distinction between referential acts and referential presuppositions,highlighting the involvement of conceptual components. The book examines the use of proper names in various linguistic contexts, including their role in speech acts, the evolution of names, and the interplay between direct reference and conceptual dimensions. It also explores the unique functions of proper names in assertions and non-assertive speech acts, such as calling and scolding. By analyzing primary and secondary data, the book enhances understanding of nominal categorization and the grammatical features of proper names, addressing the challenges of learning and using them. This book significantly contributes to the broader field of linguistics, offering new perspectives on the semantics of de se structures, quasi-proper names, and the pragmatic presuppositions associated with proper names.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9783031950124
Publisher:	Springer Nature Switzerland
Publication date:	09/28/2025
Series:	Perspectives in Pragmatics, Philosophy & Psychology , #32
Pages:	148
Product dimensions:	6.10(w) x 9.25(h) x (d)

About the Author

Alessandro Capone is a full professor of General Linguistics at the University of Messina. He has published about a hundred articles in international journals and several monographs on indirect speech and the relationship between pragmatics and philosophy. Alessandro Capone is part of the scientific committee of various prestigious international journals and coordinates the Research and Mobility project at the University of Messina

Table of Contents

Presuppositions as pragmemes: The case of exemplification acts.- On the distinction between reference and referential presuppositions.- Proper names as speech acts.- Quasi-proper names and pragmatics.- Thinking, expressing and reporting ‘de se’ thoughts (and the problem of proper names).- Conclusion.