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There's a famous Taz (quoted in Kitzur 6:3) which says that one isn't allowed to say the name of Hashem in foreign languages (So saying/writing B-ga or G-d in vain would be forbidden).

Why would Hashem or Rachamana (in the time of the Gemara) stay permitted? The classical answer is that it's not a name but a reference (When blogging/emailing/etc., do I use "God" or "G-d"?).

Practically, the word Hashem/Rachamana colloquially refers only to "Hashem" so why is it permitted to be pronounces/written?

ertert3terte
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Hashem doesn't refer only to God, it's used in Hebrew in the literal sense, meaning the name. "האם רשמת את השם שלך?" - Haim rashamt et hashem shelach? - did you wrote your name?

The comments makes me understand I was too brief, so I'll add a clarification:
In addition to God, it is forbidden to call parents by their name. Likewise, because of Kvod Malchut, it is forbidden to call a king by his name. These restrictions are not limited to calling them, it is also forbidden to reference them by their name. Instead, we call them in referencing terms with general meaning - mod, dad, the king. When used, all those terms refers to specific identity - the speaker's father or mother, the king who's identity is understood by the context. But while the reference in any specific use (speech act) refers to a specific identity, the meaning of the term is general.
Sometimes a term may change a meaning, like the term אל, El, which initially meant any god and so saying it was fine. Nowadays, the referencing of other gods is done almost exclusively by the term אליל and so it became forbidden to say אל when referring to God.

Regarding rachmana, I'm not sure. The word does literally mean something different in Aramic and I guess it was used in the past in the literal sense but it isn't anymore. I don't see it used to refer to God either, except within prayers.

Dave's tux
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    The word "אל" also has two meaning in Hebrew - one for God, one meaning "to". – Scimonster Oct 26 '14 at 13:00
  • The word אל have two different meanings. But Hashem doesn't mean something different, it refers to God's name. Similarly, rachmana doesn't mean something different when referring to God. – Dave's tux Oct 26 '14 at 13:02
  • Sure it does, that's exactly what your answer says - it refers to God, as well as simply meaning "the name". – Scimonster Oct 26 '14 at 13:03
  • It refers to God, but it means the name. Reference and meaning are not the same thing. – Dave's tux Oct 26 '14 at 13:06
  • @Dave'stux And what about אִם לֹא תִשְׁמֹר לַעֲשׂוֹת אֶת כָּל דִּבְרֵי הַתּוֹרָה הַזֹּאת הַכְּתוּבִים בַּסֵּפֶר הַזֶּה לְיִרְאָה אֶת הַשֵּׁם הַנִּכְבָּד וְהַנּוֹרָא הַזֶּה - clearly refering to Hashem. (Devorim 28:58). Or not? – Danny Schoemann Oct 26 '14 at 15:30
  • It refers to God, but doesn't mean God. To illustrate my point, think about the term "The US president". It refers to Obama, but it doesn't mean Obama. More closely, one doesn't call his father or mother by their names, out of respect, but calling them by the referencing word dad or mom is perfectly fine. – Dave's tux Oct 26 '14 at 15:59
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    What is a word's meaning if not its referent? – Double AA Oct 26 '14 at 16:58
  • I think the examples I provided are showing that a word's meaning and it's reference are not the same thing. – Dave's tux Oct 26 '14 at 17:11
  • I think you're examples are incoherent. – Double AA Oct 26 '14 at 18:13
  • Care to elaborate? All those examples specify a term with general meaning that refers to someone when in use. Those terms meaning are not that someone, but they refer to him. – Dave's tux Oct 26 '14 at 18:17
  • @Dave'stux "The US President" could refer to another president (Such as Bush or Clinton). Hashem only refers to The One Hashem to whom we pray etc. You don't refer to "other Hashems" but you do refer to other presidents – ertert3terte Oct 26 '14 at 18:49
  • You do refer to other שמות, hashem sheli, hashem shelcha. 'The US President', when stated without context, refer to the current president, like 'the name' without context refers to the name that can't be said. "Other US Presidents", unlike "The US President", doesn't refer to specific individuals. Like 'dad' means only my father, unless I specify 'your dad'. Like people used to say the disease - המחלה - referring to cancer, although there are many other diseases. – Dave's tux Oct 26 '14 at 19:05
  • Hello Dave! Tip for you -- if you want to get someone's attention when you respond to a comment, write their username, preceded by the @ symbol. @ShmuelBrin probably wasn't notified about your earlier comment. – MTL Oct 26 '14 at 21:01
  • @Dave'stux All you have done is shown that some words have different meanings and different referents in different contexts. You have not shown that they are different except in calling the meaning/referent of the word used in some context "referent" and the meaning/referent of the word in some other context which you think is more general "meaning". Your choosing to title the concepts this way doesn't prove anything and is irrelevant to anything except the study of your terminology. How you can determine which context is more general is also ill defined. Overall, this is pretty useless stuff. – Double AA Oct 27 '14 at 03:03
  • @DoubleAA the distinction I made is between a specific object (your own dad) and the class of things (dads, in the general sense). What I meant by meaning is what Frege define sense. – Dave's tux Oct 27 '14 at 03:16