Name – Culture – Identity

Proper names are primarily linguistic elements with an identifying role. Such a function is based on the linguistic and conceptual knowledge of the name and the object denoted by it. Beyond their identifying role, however, the semantic structure and function of proper names have other important elements also. Of these, my paper addresses the cultural and identity-denoting functions of names in more detail. The cultural meaning, cultural function derives from the fact that the individuals become familiar with names as part of culture, during their social-linguistic socialization. As a result of this, name competence emerges that includes the most fundamental cultural, pragmatic, semantic, and morphological knowledge on names. Thus in relation to names, rich and diverse knowledge is accumulated about the world, society, other people, and ourselves alike. Language and culture also play a fundamental role in the definition of human (individual and collective) identity. Names that exhibit linguistic and cultural constraints also play an important role in this identity formation. Thus the identity-denoting and building roles of proper names are closely associated with the cultural meaning of names