Proper Nouns and Suffixal Derivation

The traditional position in lexicology, holding that a proper noun must be converted into a common noun as a precondition for the morphological process of derivation, is contradicted by an examination of the relation between semantics & morphology in French names & their derivatives. A distinction is made between incarnate & discarnate names; when a name is incarnate, denoting a particular person or place, it is available for a wide range of affixal derivations of which the meanings contain features proper to the named person, eg "le reaganisme" 'Reaganism'. In contrast, a discarnate name, eg "Paul" as a name available in the culture without reference to a particular person, permits only hypocoristic derivations; similarly, a discarnate city name, used without reference to a particular place, is only available for the formation of a derivation referring to inhabitants. From the semantics of the available derivations, it is clear that neither an incarnate nor a discarnate name is converted into a common noun to serve as a base of derivation. Appendixes, References. Adapted from the source document