When Proper Names Become Verbs: A Semantic Perspective

Abstract

Proper names are good examples of the interaction between language and society. They are used to refer to specific and unique entities. Taking side with the thesis which states that proper names have a meaning, this article explores the evolution of the use of proper names as denominal verbs in English (boycott for instance) with a specific focus on how their meaning is generated. Although this study confirms to a certain extent the impact of the historical context on the use of proper names as verbs and, as a result, suggests that this type of denominal verb serves as a window to a culture and society, it mostly argues that the semantic structure underlying the use of proper names as verbs is relatively stable through time and heavily constrained by the type of proper name used which in turn defines the chain of metonymies which can operate to form the meaning of the verb.

Keywords

• metonymy
• suffixation
• derivation
• denominal verb
• proper name
• Oxford English Dictionary