= Proper noun
A <proper noun> is a <noun> used as a name, or as a nominal part of a name, for a specific individual, place or entity. Its naming function differs from the classifying use of a <common noun>. Capitalization can be a writing convention associated with that distinction, but is not by itself a universal grammatical test.<Universal Dependencies annotation guidelines>[PROPN, Definition and scope of the proper-noun tag]{ref}
In the original example `Dara is a teacher`, `Dara` functions as a name while `teacher` classifies the person. By contrast, `Teacher arrived late` can capitalize a <common noun> merely because it begins the written sentence. A classifier using only the initial capital would confuse these roles.
The <Universal Dependencies> code `PROPN` also does not automatically apply to every component of an arbitrarily long name. The scheme retains the appropriate categories for many component words in phrase-like names. Explicit criteria therefore matter when counting names or evaluating <linguistic annotation>.
Back to article page