Proper Nouns

@gilbert posted:

'A distinction is normally made in current linguistics between proper nouns and proper names. By this strict distinction, because the termnoun is used for a class of single words (tree, beauty), only single-word proper names are proper nouns: Peter and Africa are both proper names and proper nouns; but Peter the Great and South Africa, while they are proper names, are not proper nouns (though they could be said to function as proper noun phrases).'

I never knew there was a distinction. I always thought proper nouns and proper names were merely synonymous terms. Are they?

Hi, Gilbert—The distinction Wikipedia wants to draw between proper nouns and proper names, while not earth-shattering, seems sensible enough to me.

Wikipedia implies there is overlap between proper names and proper nouns. But some names of individuals include words from other lexical categories.

Where an individual's name is a phrase consisting of words from more than one lexical category, it is reasonable to say it's a name only at a phrasal level.

Hi, David.

Thank you so much for your reply. It has helped me better understand the intended meaning of that article.

Help much appreciated.