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Article In:
Naming and Labelling Contexts of Cultural Importance in Africa
Edited by Nico Nassenstein, Sambulo Ndlovu and Svenja Völkel
[International Journal of Language and Culture 10:2] 2023
► pp. 151–175

Named entities, naming practices, and their meanings – linguistic types and cultural contexts

| Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz

Although names exist in all languages of the world, their formal and functional manifestations show great diversity. Due to their embeddedness in socio-cultural and historical contexts, an anthropological-linguistic approach that brings together linguistic and cultural facts is required to capture the full meaning of names and naming practices. Overall, names are given to entities of cultural importance and of significance for humans in social life; name usage and name-giving practices reflect social beliefs and cultural values; and their meaning is strongly shaped by cultural and historical contexts. This paper provides a typological, cross-linguistic overview of named entities, kinds of naming practices, and types of meanings associated with names, name giving, and name usage, which are illustrated with numerous examples from Australia, Europe, and Africa. Therefore, it also offers a structural framework for the contributions in this issue.

Keywords: onomastic typology, name usage, naming taboo, name-giving practices, etymological meaning, classificatory meaning, social history of names
Article outline
  • 1.Introduction
  • 2.Named entities and types of names
  • 3.The act of naming
  • 4.The meaning of names
  • 5.Conclusion
  • Notes
  • References
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