Proper nouns are highly used linguistic entities in daily life, however it is not yet clear how they work, and if they work in the same way in alphabetical language and non-alphabetical ones (Chinese, Japanese, Symbolic languages). This workshop aims to develop the interaction between different fields / theories / authors, articulating  the different perspectives of lingustics, philosophy of language, semiotics, psychology, mathematical logic. 

Topics may include, but are not restricted to, the following questions:

• What is the place of proper names  in the universe of  signifiers / signs / syntagms? 

• Are  proper names translatables?

• In which sense proper names are proper?

• What is the difference between proper names in alphabetic languages and ideogramatic/symbolic languages?

•  Capitalization and proper names: in which sense e.g. Beauty is a proper name?

• Is the pair Proper names / Common names a dichotomy?

• Proper names and inviduality / individuation: in which sense the denotation of a proper name is a unity?

• Proper names and model theory: are constants proper names?

• Proper names and possible worlds: are proper names rigid designators?

• What is the relation betweem proper names and definite descriptions?

• What kind of terms are proper names?

• What is the meaning of proper names, if any? 

• Dubious cases: are Beetle, God, Sun, Dad, One, Axiom of Choice proper names?

Submit your abstract by September 30 to  jyb.unilog@gmail.com  and odat@tcd.ie