Naming an organisation: a (socio)linguistic perspective

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to argue for the usefulness of the sociolinguistic perspective and sociolinguistic theories for knowledge production in corporate naming research. Design/methodology/approach – Companies' naming practices have been researched from various aspects, mainly within the disciplinary frame of organisational studies, and with a focus on corporate branding. Because a company name is a sociolinguistic representation, and corporate naming a sociolinguistic process, it is logical to assume that corporate naming research can benefit significantly by embracing a sociolinguistic perspective. Findings – The paper explains how (socio)linguistics can help organisational scholars to view corporate naming practices as interacting with cognition, society and social knowledge, and as a product of defined social circumstances. Once perceived as accredited within organisational studies, (socio)linguistics, the paper suggests, will become an integral part of theorising both organisational discourse and corporate naming as a part of that discourse. Practical implications – An increased transdisciplinarity of the research into corporate naming practices will definitely contribute to the marketability and commercial value of the knowledge thus produced. Originality/value – Advocating a dialogue between corporate naming research and (socio)linguistics, this paper constitutes yet another step towards overcoming limitations the disciplinary frame of organisational studies imposes upon research into discourse‐related issues within an organisation.