enunciatas

Enunciata is a term used in linguistics, philosophy, and rhetoric to denote the content of utterances—i.e., the propositions or statements conveyed by speech. The word derives from Latin enuntiare, “to state” or “to declare,” and the form enunciata is commonly encountered in scholarly discussions that adopt Latin terminology to describe parts of discourse. In modern usage, enunciata are typically equated with declarative statements that express a proposition and can bear truth conditions.

Enunciata contrast with acts of speaking or illocutionary force. An enunciata is the propositional content of an utterance; the same enunciata can be expressed in different ways, in different languages, or with different illocutionary pressures. Language types: declarative sentences primarily yield enunciata; interrogatives and imperatives are often treated as expressing different types of illocutionary force, though they may also carry an enunciated proposition in their content. In logic and semantics, enunciata are used to discuss truth-conditions: a proposition is true if its enuntiated content corresponds to reality.

Use and examples: “The earth orbits the sun” and “2+2=4” are enunciata when offered as declarative statements. The term is especially common in historical or philological works on rhetoric and logic; in contemporary linguistics and philosophy of language, terms like utterance, proposition, or statement are more common. The notion helps separate what is said (the content) from how it is said (the manner of speech) and the speaker's intention.