What is Name/Noun In Grammar
What is Noun/or nsmr? The classification and facts are described below. The simple answer to the question is NAME. Name is an informal term for a word or phrase that designates a person, place, or thing and they can be classified in different kinds. A noun that names any one of the same kind or class (for example, queen, hamburger, or city) is called a common name. A noun that names a particular member of a class (Elizabeth II, Big Mac, Chicago) is called a proper name. Proper names are usually written with initial capital letters.
The noun is a naming word, which gives the identity for any object or things
Onomastics is the study of proper names, especially the names of people (anthroponyms) and places (toponyms).
Etymology: From the Greek, “name”
Pronunciation: NAM
Also Known As a proper name
Classification of Nouns
Common Nouns:
It names all the things or persons of ‘one kind’ or ‘same class’. Examples: Boy, cow, teacher. School, etc.
Collective Nouns:
It names a ‘group or collection of similar things, person, or places.
Examples: Team, army, bunch, audience, etc.
Proper Nouns:
It names a ‘particular person, place, or thing.
Examples: Nepal, Asia, Birgunj, Rohan, the Bagmati, etc.
Abstract Nouns:
It names the ‘quality, state, or concept of person, situation, or thing. We can’t touch but we can feel them.
Examples: anger, happiness, intelligence, difficulty, etc.
Material Nouns:
It names the ‘non-living things’ like material, substance, or ingredient for making things.
Examples: Salt, sugar, tea, paper, etc.
Further Classification
Countable Noun:
We can count in terms of numbers or numeric digits. It can be changed from SINGULAR to PLURAL number and vice versa. Examples: student, man, school, tree, etc
Uncountable Noun:
It cannot be counted in the terms of numbers or numeric digits. It is not possible to change from SINGULAR to PLURAL number and vice versa. Examples: happiness, anger, sorrow, oil, sugar, etc.
Nouns can be also classified as the following, on the basis of the gender of person, animal, or things:
Masculine Gender:
It names the male nouns of person or animals.
Examples: boy, man, lion, actor, etc.
Feminine Gender:
It names the female nouns of persons and animals:
Examples: girl, woman, lioness, actress, etc.
Common Gender:
It names the nouns that are common for both the male and female.
Examples: teacher, child, baby, chairperson, etc,
Neuter Gender:
It names the nouns that are neither male nor female.
Examples: pen, book, park, school, etc.
Thank You!
History of Noun
Examples and Observations
Jack: I haven’t met your boyfriend.
Liz Lemon: His name‘s Floyd.
Jack: That’s unfortunate.
(Alec Baldwin and Tina Fey in “Corporate Crush.” 30 Rock, 2007)
The facts about noun/name
The Sounds of Names
“It’s interesting how some names sound good and some sound bad. Names with soft consonants such as [m], [n], and [l] tend to sound nicer than names with hard consonants such as [k] and [g]. Imagine we’re approaching a planet, where two alien races live. One of the is the Lamonians. The other is Grataks. Which sounds like the friendlier race? Most people opt for the Lamonians because the name sounds friendlier. Grataks sounds nasty.” (David Crystal, A Little Book of Language. Yale University Press, 2010)
English Place-Names
“Who could resist the lure of the extraordinary names of England’s villages? High Easter, New Delight, Kingston Bagpuize, Sleeping Green, Tiptoe, Nether Wallop, Nymphsfield, Christmas Common, Samlesbury Bottoms, Thyme Intrinseca, Huish Champflower, Buckland-tout-Saints, Wyre Piddle, Martin Husingtree, Norton-Juxta-Twycross and so on, a gazetteer of dreams.” (Jeremy Paxman, The English: A Portrait of a People. Overlook, 2000)
American Names
“I have fallen in love with American names,
The sharp names that never get fat,
The snakeskin titles of mining claims,
The plumed war-bonnet of Medicine Hat,
Tucson and Deadwood and Lost Mule Flat. . . .”(Stephen Vincent Benét, “American Names,” 1927)
Common Words and Proper Names
“There is no sharp dividing line between common words and proper names. They feed off each other. Many medieval surnames began as common nouns, especially those associated with occupations: Archer, Baker, Barber, Brewer, Butcher, Carpenter, Cook, Farmer, Fisher, Goldsmith, Mason, Miller, Parson, Shepherd, Smith, Taylor, Thatcher, Weaver Some are less obvious today. Trinder? A wheelmaker. Fletcher? An arrow-maker. Lorimer? A spur-maker. . .
“Everyday words can turn into a place name as circumstances require. The exploration routes of the world are full of such names as Cape Catastrophe, Skull Creek, and Mount Pleasant, plus hopeful names like Concord, Fame, and Niceville. The same trend affects streets, parks, promenades, quaysides, markets, and all the other places where we live.” (David Crystal, Words, Words, Words. Oxford University Press, 2006)
Name Magic
“The mythical view of language which everywhere precedes the philosophical view of it always characterize in terms of this indifference of word and thing. Here the essence of everything is contained in its name. Magical powers attach directly to the word. He who gains possession of the name and knows how to make use of it, has gained power over the object itself; he has made it his own with all its energies. All word magic and name magic is based on the assumption that the world of things and the world of names form a single undifferentiated chain of causality and hence a single reality.” (Ernst Cassirer, The Philosophy of Symbolic Forms: Language. Yale University Press, 1953)
Naming Things in Britain
“People do like to name things. I don’t mean just public transport objects, such as locomotives, ships, and planes, or the names given to commercial objects by their manufacturers. I mean personal, private names for everyday objects, such as fridges, lawnmowers, and wheelbarrows . . .. Back in the 1980s, in a program for the English Now series I presented on Radio 4, I asked listeners to send in examples of objects they had named. I was expecting a few dozen letters. I got hundreds.
Story of Noun
“A man wrote to say his wheelbarrow was called Wilberforce. A woman said her hoover [vacuum cleaner] was known as J. Edgar. At least two garden sheds were called Tardis. There was in the kingdom a waste-disposal unit called Wally, a teapot called Herbie, an ashtray called Cedric, and a butter knife called Marlon. Maybe there still is. . . .
“The principle is evidently that, if you have an object which is of particular functional or emotional significance to you, you give it a name. Often it’s a name know only to members of your family. It’s part of the ‘house dialect‘ – or ‘familect’–which every family has.” (David Crystal, By Hook or by Crook: A Journey in Search of English. Overlook Press, 2008)
Nouns or Name; Classification and Facts
“The effect was a little like that produced by people who in conversation constantly use the first name of the person they are speaking: you can go years without noticing this but once you do it is hard not to become distracted by it–hard, in fact, not to feel that it is specifically intended to drive you mad.” (John Lanchester, Capital. W.W. Norton, 2012)
Name Taboos
“Taboos on using personal names are reported in a wide variety of cultures. The details vary from language to language, but it is common for people to be reluctant to reveal their own real names. In many small-scale societies, names are not much used. Instead, people are often addressed or referred to by kin terms such as ‘son’ or ‘father’s sister.’ In some societies, people have two names, a ‘real name, which they keep secret, and an extra name or nickname which is disclosed to outsiders. In other societies, people will turn to a third party to announce their name when someone asks, because there is a taboo on uttering one’s own name (Frazer 1911b: 244-6).” (Barry J. Blake, Secret Language. Oxford University Press, 2010)
George Carlin on the Lighter Side of Names
“Why don’t these guys named Allen, Allyn, and Alan get together and decide how . . . to spell their name?b The same with Sean, Shaun, and Shawn. Stop with all these cute attempts to be different. If you wanna be different, call yourself Margaret Mary.” (George Carlin, When Will Jesus Bring the Pork Chops? Hyperion, 2004)
Possessive Case of Nouns
When a noun belongs to the other noun, its belongingness is expressed in possessive cases. Possessive case a noun is denoted by the use of an apostrophe (‘)
Formation of Possessive Case
For a noun of the singular number, the possessive case is formed by adding -s after the apostrophe, at the final position of a noun.
Examples: 1. Father’s wallet was lost.
- Boy’s shoes were dirty.
- Bird’s wings were injured.
For a noun of the plural number, the possessive case is formed by adding -s before the apostrophe at the final position of the noun.
Examples: 1. The students’ classroom was too noisy.
- Players’ coach is strict and disciplined.
- Stray dogs’ bark was loud.
- For a noun or plural number which does not have -s at its end position, the possessive case is formed by adding an apostrophe and -s at its final position.
Examples: 1. The shop sells men’s garments.
- Children’s uniforms are sold here.
- The women’s committee organizes a weekly meeting.
For the noun, especially the one used as the title, which consists of several words, the possessive case is formed by adding an apostrophe and -s at the final position of its last word.
Examples: 1. The Prime Minister of Nepal’s speech was aired on TV.
- The Prime Minister of Nepal’s Europe visit was covered by most of the media agencies.
- The King of Nepal’s comment on democracy was the headline of most of the national and international newspapers.
When two nouns are connected with a conjunction ‘and, the possessive case is formed by adding an apostrophe and -s at the final position of the second noun.
Examples: 1. Ramesh and Sarup’s father is a businessman.
- Pakistan and India’s cricket match is much awaited.
- Mr. Sinha and Mr. Shrestha’s house is in the same apartment.
Correct Use of Possessive Case
The possessive case of a noun is used to show the position or belongingness of living nouns and not nonliving nouns.
Examples:
- My neighbor’s house is quite big
- The crow’s cawing disturbed us.
Both neighbor and crow are living nouns so they can be expressed in the possessive case of nouns, but the nonliving nouns used in the sentences given below cannot be expressed the same way.
Examples:
Their house’s lawn is well maintained. (incorrect)
The lawn of their house is well maintained. (correct)
The table’s leg is broken. (incorrect)
The leg of the table is broken. (correct)
Possessive case of nouns is used to show the position or belongingness of nouns denoting time, space or weight, even if they are not living nouns.
Examples:
- His house is hardly a stone’s throw from my house.
- Mother brought a mattress of about a foot’s length.
- We are planning to spend our week’s holiday in our native village.
The possessive case of a noun is used to show the position or belongingness of the proper noun or noun denoting a trade, profession or relationship in order to indicate a building or place of work/profession.
Examples
- Change Narayan’s temple is a famous pilgrimage.
- Chemist’s shop is well-known in the locality.
- I study in D.A.V school but my cousin goes to Giri’s.
