What is the difference between denominations (i.e. lexicalised referring expressions), designations (i.e. non-lexicalised referring sequences) and nominations (i.e. newly minted referring expressions and the process of minting them) ? In this paper we mean to show the importance of lexicalisation and the links between denominations, reference and corpora. Our theory is set against the backdrop of an anthropological rather than cognitive view of our being, in which individual language and thought are essentially viewed as a product of the linguistic communities where people live.