Enunciato

Enunciato is a term used in linguistics, semiotics, and logic to designate the content of an utterance: the proposition or claim that is communicated, independent of the exact linguistic form used. In many Romance-language traditions, the enunciato corresponds to what is asserted by an utterance, and can be analyzed as a unit of meaning that may be evaluated as true or false in a declarative context.

Etymology and usage: the word derives from the verb to enunciate or state, and appears in Italian, Spanish, and Portuguese with similar meanings. In these traditions, enunciato helps separate what is being said (the content) from the act of saying (the act of enunciation) and from who says it.

Distinctions: the enunciato is often contrasted with enunciación or enunciación, which refers to the act of uttering or the speech act, including situational factors such as speaker, audience, time, and place. Related concepts include enunciador (the speaker or enunciator) and destinatario or auditorio (the listener or audience). In logic, enunciato can be used to denote a proposition or statement that can be true or false, regardless of its linguistic form.

Applications: in linguistic analysis, identifying the enunciato helps in understanding how content is conveyed across different contexts and languages. In philosophy and logic, it clarifies distinctions between what is asserted and how it is expressed. Examples of enunciatos include declarative statements such as “La Tierra gira alrededor del Sol,” where the enunciato is the proposition conveyed by the utterance, separate from who says it or how it is said.