Sentence names in Lamnso

Though current literature (Chomsky 1986b:2) distinguishes syntactic categories based on feature composition, the idea that the name of a person, place or thing is a noun has persisted. Personal names are structurally NPs, which function as agents or patients in sentences. Such names are understood to be single morphemes with unique meanings. However, our findings indicate that majority of Nsoʹ personal names are sentences rather than basic NPs which have been reduced to lexemes that act as identity tags. Length restriction has constrained some Nsoʹ sentence names to be abridged into phrasal forms. Personal names captured by a lone lexical item are rather rare in Lamnsoʹ. Where a preponderance of lone word names is prevalent they are most likely to have been clipped. This paper identifies linguistic structures in Nsoʹ personal names and relates them to their primary structures and meanings within Lamnsoʹ syntax. The meaning changes that these constituents undergo, as units of personal names are remarkable. These semantic shifts are better understood within the purview of the meaning extensions that make them appropriate as names. The paper employs the basic socio-cultural principles and interpretations guiding the bestowal of Nsoʹ personal names and categorizes the various restrictions that limit the adoption of all well-formed sentences in Lamnsoʹ as personal names. Nso personal names offer clues to the systematic correlation existing between culture and linguistic behavior.