Discussion Note: Definiteness and Proper Names: Some Bad News for the Description Theory

Abstract

This paper addresses some data put forward by Geurts (1997) in support of his metalinguistic or quotation theory of proper names, according to which a name N means ‘the individual named N’. The data illustrate ten linguistic behaviours claimed to be shared by proper names and definite descriptions. I argue that in some cases the behaviours have a common explanation which is based on a property independent of Geurts' analysis, and that in the remaining cases the behaviours are not actually shared. Thus these behaviours do not actually support the metalinguistic theory.