Non-literal uses of proper names in XYZ constructions: A relevance theory perspective
EwaWałaszewska
University of Warsaw
Abstract
The paper focuses on non-literal uses of proper names in XYZ constructions, such as the use of the personal name
Donald Trump in Boris Johnson is the Donald Trump of UK politics or ‘5G’ is the
Donald Trump of telecom, and argues that such uses can be best accounted for by relevance theory. While in their
primary use, proper names uniquely denote specific individuals and have no meaning on their own, in their secondary uses, they act
as common nouns, capable of conveying non-literal meanings. In relevance theory, such non-literal uses can be explained in terms
of lexical modulation or ad hoc concept formation. The analysis of selected examples shows that while some of the XYZ
constructions can be seen as metaphors, others are better described as category extensions, and it substantiates the
relevance-theoretic claim that there is no clear cut-off point between the two varieties of loose use.
Proper names as terms used to uniquely identify specific individuals have long attracted the interest of linguists and
philosophers seeking answers to the questions concerning their meaning and reference. Much less attention has been given to so-called
secondary uses of proper names as illustrated by He is no Shakespeare used to comment on the writer’s lack of
genius.
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