Full Idea
It is inconceivable that one should be able to explain the relationship between 'Kilimanjiro' and Kilimanjiro without first explaining the role of the word in sentences; hence there is no chance of explaining reference directly in nonlinguistic terms.
Gist of Idea
To explain the reference of a name, you must explain its sentence-role, so reference can't be defined nonlinguistically
Source
Donald Davidson (Reality without Reference [1977], p.135)
Book Reference
'Reference, Truth and Reality', ed/tr. Platts,Mark [RKP 1980], p.135
A Reaction
I point at the mountain, and a local says 'Kilimanjiro'? There is a 'gavagai'-type problem with that. The prior question might be 'what is it about this word that enables it to have a role in sentences?' Unlike whimpering or belching.