Les Trente Glorieuses à l’ombre de la Tour Eiffel ― noms propres et périphrases en français contemporain

This article portrays the matter of the proper names in the French periphrasis, e.g. anthroponymy: le mot de Cambronne, toponymy: la Venise du Nord, mythological name: l’oiseau de Vénus, biblical name: la fille d’Ève, eponymy: les colonnes vespasiennes, historical proper name: la Grande Guerre. The first part includes an analysis of periphrastic structures with proper names as components of an expression. The second part presents the use of proper names in metonymical and metaphorical constructions. Our analysis considers the following problems: the frame of reference, figurative meaning, connotation of the proper names in periphrasis. We also show the role of the knowledge of the world and stereotypes in the understanding and interpreting of this kind of expressions. The conclusion indicates what type of periphrasis can become a proper name.