What is a common noun and own?

Quite often pupils ask: "What is the common noun and own name?" Despite the simplicity of the question, not everyone knows the definition of these terms and the rules for writing such words. Let's figure it out. After all, in fact, everything is extremely simple and clear.

Name is a household name

The most significant layer of nouns are common names. They denote the names of a class of objects or phenomena that have a number of characteristics by which they can be attributed to the specified class. For example, common nouns are: a cat, a table, a corner, a river, a girl. They do not call any particular object or person, animal, but designate a whole class. Using these words, we mean any cat or dog, any table. Such nouns are written with a small letter.

In linguistics, common nouns are also called appellatives.

Proper name

Unlike common nouns, proper names make up a small layer of nouns. These words or phrases denote a specific and specific object that exists in a single copy. Names of people include names of people, nicknames of animals, names of cities, rivers, streets, countries. For example: Volga, Olga, Russia, Danube. They are always written with a capital letter and point to a specific person or single item.

The study of names proper is the science of onomastics.

Onomastics

So, what is the common name and proper name, we disassembled. Now let's talk about onomastics - a science that deals with the study of proper names. In this case, not only names, but also the history of their origin, how they changed over time are considered.

Onomast scientists distinguish several areas in this science. Thus, the study of the names of people engaged in anthroponymy, the name of peoples - ethnonym. Cosmonics and astronomy study the names of stars and planets. Animal names are explored by zoonimics. Theonymy deals with the names of the gods.

This is one of the most promising sections in linguistics. Until now, studies are underway on onomastics, articles are published, conferences are held.

The transition of the nominal names to their own, and vice versa

The name common and proper can be transferred from one group to another. Quite often it happens that the common noun becomes its own.

For example, if a person is called a name that previously belonged to a class of common nouns, it becomes its own. A vivid example of such a transformation - the names of Faith, Love, Hope. Previously, they were common.

Surnames, formed from common names, also become anthroponyms. So, you can identify the names of the Cat, Cabbage and many others.

As for the names of their own, then they quite often pass into another category. Often this concerns the names of people. Many inventions carry the names of their authors, sometimes the names of scientists are appropriated to the quantities or phenomena discovered by them. So, we know the revolver Colt, units of amperes and newtons.

The names of the heroes of works can become synonyms. So, the names of Don Quixote, Oblomov, Uncle Stepa became the designation of certain features of appearance or character peculiar to people. The names and surnames of historical personalities and celebrities can also be used as generic names, for example, Schumacher and Napoleon.

In such cases, it is necessary to specify what exactly the addressee has in mind in order to avoid errors during the recording of the word. But often it can be understood from the context. We think you understand what a name is common and your own. The examples that we have given show this quite clearly.

Rules for writing your own names

As you know, all parts of speech obey the rules of spelling. Nouns - noun and own - also did not become an exception. Remember a few simple rules that will help you avoid annoying mistakes in the future.

1. Own names are always written with a capital letter, for example: Ivan, Gogol, Catherine the Great.
2. People's nicknames are also written with a capital letter, but without using quotes.
3. Names own, used in the meaning of common nouns, are written with a small letter: quixot, donjuan.
4. If next to the proper name are official words or generic names (cape, city), then they are written with a small letter: the Volga River, Lake Baikal, Gorky Street.
5. If the proper name is the name of a newspaper, a cafe, books, then it is taken in quotation marks. In this case, the first word is written with a capital letter, the others, if they do not refer to their own names, are written with a small one: Master and Margarita, Russkaya Pravda.
6. Names are written with a small letter.

As you can see, fairly simple rules. Many of them are known to us from childhood.

Let's sum up the results

All nouns are divided into two large classes - proper names and common nouns. The first is much smaller than the second. Words can pass from one class to another, acquiring a new meaning. Proper names are always written with a capital letter. The nominal ones are with a small one.

We learned what are common and proper names. The presentation that you can compose using this material will help you share your knowledge with others.