Matthew C. Perry

1 7.6

An American naval officer who led an 1854 mission that opened Japan to trade

proper noun
/ˈmæθju ˈsi ˈpɛri/

: Matthew C. Perry

The 1854 treaty negotiated by Matthew C. Perry marked a turning point in Japanese-American relations.

Examples

Many historians credit Matthew C. Perry with playing a pivotal role in opening Japan to international trade.
The famous naval officer Matthew C. Perry played a crucial role in U.S.-Japan relations.
A statue of Matthew C. Perry stands in Yokosuka, Japan, commemorating his historic visit.
Did Matthew C. Perry really open Japan to the West?
A statue of Matthew C. Perry stands in Yokosuka, Japan, commemorating his historic visit.
Many historians credit Matthew C. Perry with playing a pivotal role in opening Japan to international trade.
The 1854 treaty negotiated by Matthew C. Perry marked a turning point in Japanese-American relations.

Surface Forms

Matthew C. Perry main

Morphology

Matthew + C. + Perry

This is a proper name referring to a specific historical person; the identity and biographical information (American naval officer who opened relations with Japan) cannot be derived from the constituent tokens 'Matthew', 'C.' and 'Perry'. Proper nouns are referential/arbitrary and require encyclopedic or cultural knowledge rather than compositional decoding, so a B1 learner who only knows the component words would not infer the MWE's meaning.

Etymology

Matthew C. Perry was an American navy officer who sailed into Japanese ports in 1853-54 with big steam ships called 'black ships', and his show of power helped persuade Japan to 'open to trade' with the West. That's why his name is linked to the start of official contact between the United States and Japan.