List,
In common language the word "truth" is used for two different things: The fact and it´s representation (the truth independent of observation, and the truth as represented- correct representatrion). In philosophy it mostly is only used for the representation, and means a correct representation of a fact.
With one exception: Having looked at Wikipedia: "Truth": I would say, that the redundancy theory uses the term for the fact, otherwise "truth" would not be redundant (tautology, ok.).
I would say, that "truth" in the sense of the fact is semantically redundant, because a fact is one of the things of which there can only be one. I think, there is only one person in the world who claims that there may be "alternative facts".
Examples:
"It is the truth, that Alice and Bob have married": "Truth" means the fact, and is redundant as a term, because you might as well just say: "Alice and Bob have married".
"Paul told the truth when he said that Alice and Bob had married": Fact, redundant, because to tell means to speak about. "About" is the bridge between representation and fact, adresses the fact. The sentence can be said like: "Alice and Bob have married, and Paul has told that".
Though the redundancy is not complete regarding the connotations: The first version of the statement implies the suggestion, that Paul does not always adress facts correctly (tell the truth), which the second version does not imply.
"Paul spoke the truth when he said that Alice and Bob had married": representation, not redundant. The truth here is not the fact, but what Paul spoke.
Anyway, I guess it is very dangerous, that there are two completely different things which may so easily be conflated and confused, because they share the same term. Eg. the said person who claims alternative facts is a danger.
I guess, that language in general is somewhat blurry about the distinction between representation and the represented. But in the case of the term "truth" it is a major problem, leading to confusion and misconceptions, even ideologies: Ideologies work with forged "facts", and are only able to do so, because the term "truth" is not clear. If there were two words for the two things (representation and represented), then it would be much more difficult to establish myths and conspiracy theories, which both are necessary for ideologies.
I had thought about proposing to call the two types of "truth" dynamical and immediate truth, but this is confusing, I guess, because a dynamical object may be an immediate truth. Or "trueness" and "truth"? I dont know.
Best,
helmut
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