Routledge Dictionary of Language and Linguistics
Class of words whose function is to connect words, phrases, or sentences syntactically, while characterizing semantic relations between those elements. With regard to their syntactic function a distinction is drawn between co-ordinating and subordinating conjunctions: because co-ordinating conjunctions connect elements that are equally ordered with each other, they generally cannot be used sentence-initially (e.g. *For Philip was sick, he didn’t go to work); on the other hand, subordinating conjunctions introduce dependent clauses and can occur sentence initially (e.g. Because Philip was sick, he didn ‘t go to work). The following semantic relations can be expressed with co-ordinating conjunctions: (a) copulative: and, as well as, neither…nor, namely, (b) disjunctive: or, either…or; (c) adversative: but, however, on the contrary; (d) causal: for. Subordinating conjunctions introduce adverbial clauses and characterize causal (since, because), modal (by) and temporal (when, before) relations.
References
co-ordination
2 co-ordination
3 In formal logic, connection of two elementary propositions p and q by the logical particle ( logical connective) and, the resulting proposition of which is true only if both parts of the proposition (=conjuncts) p and q are true.
The compound proposition Tokyo is the capital of Japan, and Tokyo is a European city has a false truth value because the second half of the proposition is false. The following (two-value) truth table represents a definition of conjunction:
| p | q | p q |
| t | t | t |
| t | f | f |
| f | t | f |
| f | f | f |
In everyday language and is realized as a conjunction by also, as well as, besides, in addition, not only…but also, both…and. In contrast with everyday use, however, the logical conjunction and does not distinguish between and and but nor temporally between the propositions (cf. The horse stumbled and fell down in contrast to The horse fell down and stumbled, that is, p
q is equally logical as q
p). Nor do both parts of the proposition necessarily have to be semantically related, that is, be in a communicatively relevant relation. The term ‘conjunction’ refers both to the function of the two-place sentence operator and as well as to the resulting proposition defined by it. With the aid of set theory, conjunction can be characterized semantically as the intersection set of both model sets that make the connected propositions true ( set).
4 Synonym for logical connective ( also formal logic)
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