The act-type theory of propositions as a theory of what is said

Abstract

I propose a version of the act-type theory of propositions, following Hanks and Soames. According to the theory, propositions are types of act of predication. The content of a sentence is the type of such act performed when that sentence is uttered. A consequence of this theory is that the structure of the content of a sentence will mirror the structure of that sentence. I defend this consequence of the theory from two important objections. I then argue that this theory is well motivated because it can be part of a theory of what is said.