There are no uninstantiated words

Kaplan ([1990]. Words. Proceedings of the Aristotelian Society 64: 93-119; [2011]. Words on Words. The Journal of Philosophy 108 (9): 504-529) argues that there are no unspoken words. Hawthorne and Lepore ([2011]. On Words. The Journal of Philosophy 108 (9): 447-485) put forward examples that purport to show that there can be such words. Here, I argue that Kaplan is correct, if we grant him a minor variation. While Hawthorne and Lepore might be right that there can be unspoken words, I will argue that they fail to show that there can be uninstantiated words.

Automated summary

The paper discusses the debate between Kaplan and Hawthorne and Lepore on the existence of unspoken words. Kaplan argues that there are no unspoken words, while Hawthorne and Lepore provide examples purporting to show their existence, but the author argues that they fail to demonstrate the existence of uninstantiated words.