Proper names and definite descriptions with the same reference: A pragmatic choice for language users

Abstract

The variety of types of noun phrase that languages provide for referring to individual persons, places and things means that the speaker often has a choice between proper noun phrases and descriptive definite common noun phrases, and sometimes additionally a hybrid of the two. The form chosen depends not only on the standpoint of the speaker but also on that of the addressee. When these are different, the speaker may be faced with a conflict, which can be resolved in different ways: in situations where a choice has to be made between a more socially distant form (e.g. Mrs. Jones) and a solidary one (e.g. Mary), a compromise form is sometimes possible ( Mary Jones); when referring to a fellow family member, however, the choice (between, say Mary, Auntie Mary and ( your) Mum(my) for the same person) is often made conventionally by reference to principles involving the relative generations of speaker, addressee and referent person. Reference to persons in families, companies and other social organizations also depends on the relative insider/outsider status of the speaker and addressee. This factor seems to play a further role in the selection between proper names and definite noun phrases referring to local places, such as towns and rivers, with insiders in some communities showing local solidarity by repeatedly using the local place name (e.g. the Rhine), and in the others using insider knowledge to permit implicit reference (e.g. The river). Which of these two modes of reference is usual in a given community seems to be a matter of sociolinguistic norm or traditional usage.