Two studies on the internal syntax of complex names

• Autores: Paolo Acquaviva
• Localización: Italian journal of linguistics, ISSN 1120-2726, Vol. 31, Nº. 2, 2019, págs. 3-36
• Idioma: inglés
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• Resumen

  • Proper names can be structurally complex. A particular case of complexity involves names combined with nouns, where the latter are interpreted transpar-ently and compositionally. Two such cases are described and analyzed in detail: the types general Smith and Felix the cat, compared with their Italian counterparts (il generale Bianchi and il gatto Felix). The properties detailed in the descriptive part justify a structural analysis which not only takes into due account their syntactic and interpretive properties, but also explains the differences between the two constructions and the contrasts between English and Italian. The analy-sis crucially links the crosslinguistic alternation in the linear order of name and noun to the English-Romance contrast in the headedness of compounds, and so extends the explanation to compound names like Mickey Mouse (linearly con-trasting with Lupo Alberto). More generally, the descriptive and explanatory results of these two case studies contribute to our understanding of a neglected aspect of the grammar of names: their interaction with common nouns