Conjunct

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Not to be confused with Conjunct (music).

In linguistics, the term conjunct has three distinct uses:

A conjunct is an adverbial that adds information to the sentence that is not considered part
of the propositional content (or at least not essential) but which connects the sentence with
previous parts of the discourse. Rare though this may be, conjuncts may also connect to the
following parts of the discourse.

It was raining. Therefore, we didnt go swimming.

It was sunny. However, we stayed inside.

You are such a dork. Still, I love you from the bottom of my heart.

A coordination structure connects two words, phrases or clauses together, usually with the
help of a coordinating conjunction:

[Gretchen and her daughter] bought [motor oil, spark plugs, and dynamite].

Take two of these and call me in the morning.

A verb form, for example the conjunct verb endings of Old Irish or the conjunct mood
(sometimes called the subjunctive mood) of the Algonquian languages.

This article discusses the first kind of conjunct.

The semantic functions of conjuncts[edit]

English conjuncts often have the following functions

Listing (indicating that what follows is a list of propositions)

To begin with, I have to tell you that I'm most displeased with your performance in the show.
I also think you did a bad job painting the house. You're a lousy cook. You smell. Your hat
is ... etc.

Enumerative (indicating items on a list of propositions)

First, we have to buy bread. Second, we need to take the car to the garage. Third, we have
to call your dentist and make an appointment.

Additive (indicating that the content of the sentence is in addition to the preceding one)

He has no money. In addition, he has no means of getting any.

Summative (summing up, or concluding, on the preceding sentence(s))

A is B. A is C. To sum up, A is several things.

Appositive (rephrasing the preceding sentence)

The French love music. In other words, music is appreciated in France.

Resultative/inferential (indicating that the content of the sentence is a result

of the events expressed in the preceding sentence)

Miss Gold lost her job. She, therefore, had no money.

Antithetic (indicating that the content of the sentence is in contrast to

the content of the preceding sentence)

It is said that water flows up hill. On the contrary, it flows downhill

Concessive (indicating that the content of the sentence "exists"

despite the content in the preceding sentence)

It is very cold. I went for my morning walk, however.

Temporal (indicating temporal relation between the content of

the sentence and the preceding sentence)

I had lunch. Meanwhile, my wife had her hair cut.

See also[edit]
Definition:
An adverb that indicates the relationship in meaning between twoindependent clauses. Also
called a conjunct, a transitional conjunctionor a cohesive conjunction.
Unlike a conventional adverb, which usually affects the meaning of only a single word or
phrase, the meaning of a conjunctive adverb affects the entire clause of which it is a part.
As shown in the list below, a conjunctive adverb may consist of more than one word.

Common Conjunctive Adverbs:

accordingly
afterward
also
anyhow
anyway
as a result
at last
at the same time
besides
certainly
consequently
conversely
earlier
eventually
finally
for example
for instance
further
furthermore
hence
however
in addition
in any case
incidentally
indeed
in fact
in short
instead
in the meantime
later
likewise
meanwhile
moreover

namely
nevertheless
next
now
on the contrary
on the other hand
otherwise
perhaps
similarly
so
still
subsequently
that is
then
therefore

conjunct (grammar)
Glossary of Grammatical and Rhetorical Terms
Ads

Sentence Worksheet

Correct My Sentence

Compound Sentence

Grammar

Sentence English Grammar

Simple Sentences
Grammar and Writing

Richard Nordquist
Grammar & Composition Expert

Definition:
(1) A phrase or clause linked to another phrase or clause through coordination. For
instance, two clauses held together by and are conjuncts. Also called a conjoin.
(2) An adverb that indicates the relationship in meaning between two independent clauses.
See conjunctive adverb.
See Examples and Observations below. Also see:

Adjunct, Disjunct, and Subjunct

Clausal Coordination and Phrasal Coordination

Compound Sentence

Conjunction and Coordinating Conjunction

Correlative Conjunctions

Etymology:
From the Latin, "join together"

Examples and Observations (Definition #1):

George and Martha dined alone at Mount Vernon.

The back of my head and the head of the bat collided.

The dog barked furiously, and the cat scampered up the tree.
"Take, for instance, the following sentences from 'The Revolutionist,'

[one] of [Ernest] Hemingway's short stories [from In Our Time]:

He was very shy and quite young and the train men passed him on from one crew to
another. He had no money, and they fed him behind the counter in railway eating houses.
(Jonathan Cape edn, p. 302)
Even in the second sentence, the two clauses which form the conjunct are linked by 'and,' and
not, as one might expect in such a discourse context, by 'so' or 'but.' The suppression of
complex connectivity in this way seems to have baffled some critics, with comments on the
famous Hemingway 'and' ranging from the vague to the nonsensical."
(Paul Simpson, Language, Ideology and Point of View. Routledge, 1993)

Coordinate Structure Constraint

"Although a wide variety of structures can be conjoined, not all coordinations are
acceptable. One of the first generalizations regarding coordination is Ross's Coordinate
Structure Constraint (1967). This constraint states that coordination does not allow for
asymmetrical constructions. For example, the sentence This is the man whom Kim likes and
Sandy hates Pat is unacceptable, because only the first conjunct is relativized. The
sentence This is the man whom Kim likes and Sandy hates is acceptable, because both

conjuncts are relativized. . . .

"Linguists are further concerned with which material is allowed as a conjunct in a coordinate
construction. The second example showed conjoined sentences, but coordination is also
possible for noun phrases as inthe apples and the pears, verb phrases like run fast or jump
high and adjectival phrases such as rich and very famous, etc. Both sentences and phrases
intuitively form meaningful units within a sentence, calledconstituents. Subject and verb do
not form a constituent in some frameworks of generative grammar. However, they can occur
together as a conjunct in the sentence Kim bought, and Sandy sold, three paintings
yesterday."

(Petra Hendriks, "Coordination." Encyclopedia of Linguistics, ed. by Philipp Strazny. Fitzroy

Dearborn, 2005)
Declaratives + Interrogatives
"Interestingly, an interrogative main clause can be co-ordinated with a declarative main
clause, as we see from sentences like (50) below:
[I am feeling thirsty], but [should I save my last Coke till later]?

In (50) we have two (bracketed) main clauses joined together by the co-ordinating
conjunction but. The second (italicised) conjunct should I save my last Coke till later? is an
interrogative CP [complementiser phrase] containing an inverted auxiliary in
the head C position of CP. Given the traditional assumption that only constituents which
belong to the same category can be co-ordinated, it follows that the first conjunct I am
feeling thirsty must also be a CP; and since it contains no overt complementiser, it must be
headed by a null complementiser . . .."
(Andrew Radford, An Introduction to English Sentence Structure. Cambridge University
Press, 2009)

Ads

Sentence Worksheet

Correct My Sentence
Compound Sentence

Grammar
Sentence English Grammar
Collective and Average Property Interpretations
"Consider sentences such as these:
The American family used less water this year than last year.
The small businessperson in Edmonton paid nearly $30 million in taxes but only made
$43,000 in profits last year.

The former sentence is ambiguous between the collective and average property interpretations.
It could be true that the average American family used less water this year than last while
the collective American family used more (due to more families); conversely, it could be true
that the average family used more but the collective family used less. As to the latter
sentence, which is admittedly somewhat strange (but might be used to further the political
interests of Edmonton businesspeople), our world [knowledge] tells us that the
first conjunct of the VP must be interpreted as a collective property, since certainly the
average businessperson, even in wealthy Edmonton, does not pay $30 million in taxes; but
our world knowledge also tells us that the second of the VP conjunctions is to be given an
average property interpretation."
(Manfred Krifka et al., "Genericity: An Introduction." The Generic Book, ed. by Gregory N.
Carlson and Francis Jeffry Pelletier. The University of Chicago Press, 1995)

Coordinate Structure Constraint

"Although a wide variety of structures can be conjoined, not all coordinations are
acceptable. One of the first generalizations regarding coordination is Ross's Coordinate
Structure Constraint (1967). This constraint states that coordination does not allow for
asymmetrical constructions. For example, the sentence This is the man whom Kim likes and
Sandy hates Pat is unacceptable, because only the first conjunct is relativized. The
sentence This is the man whom Kim likes and Sandy hates is acceptable, because both
conjuncts are relativized. . . .
"Linguists are further concerned with which material is allowed as a conjunct in a coordinate
construction. The second example showed conjoined sentences, but coordination is also
possible for noun phrases as inthe apples and the pears, verb phrases like run fast or jump
high and adjectival phrases such as rich and very famous, etc. Both sentences and phrases
intuitively form meaningful units within a sentence, calledconstituents. Subject and verb do
not form a constituent in some frameworks of generative grammar. However, they can occur
together as a conjunct in the sentence Kim bought, and Sandy sold, three paintings
yesterday."
(Petra Hendriks, "Coordination." Encyclopedia of Linguistics, ed. by Philipp Strazny. Fitzroy

Dearborn, 2005)
Declaratives + Interrogatives
"Interestingly, an interrogative main clause can be co-ordinated with a declarative main
clause, as we see from sentences like (50) below:
[I am feeling thirsty], but [should I save my last Coke till later]?

In (50) we have two (bracketed) main clauses joined together by the co-ordinating
conjunction but. The second (italicised) conjunct should I save my last Coke till later? is an
interrogative CP [complementiser phrase] containing an inverted auxiliary in
the head C position of CP. Given the traditional assumption that only constituents which
belong to the same category can be co-ordinated, it follows that the first conjunct I am
feeling thirsty must also be a CP; and since it contains no overt complementiser, it must be
headed by a null complementiser . . .."
(Andrew Radford, An Introduction to English Sentence Structure. Cambridge University
Press, 2009)

Ads

Sentence Worksheet

Correct My Sentence
Compound Sentence

Simple Sentences
Sentence English Grammar
Collective and Average Property Interpretations
"Consider sentences such as these:
The American family used less water this year than last year.
The small businessperson in Edmonton paid nearly $30 million in taxes but only made

$43,000 in profits last year.

The former sentence is ambiguous between the collective and average property interpretations.
It could be true that the average American family used less water this year than last while
the collective American family used more (due to more families); conversely, it could be true
that the average family used more but the collective family used less. As to the latter
sentence, which is admittedly somewhat strange (but might be used to further the political
interests of Edmonton businesspeople), our world [knowledge] tells us that the
first conjunct of the VP must be interpreted as a collective property, since certainly the
average businessperson, even in wealthy Edmonton, does not pay $30 million in taxes; but
our world knowledge also tells us that the second of the VP conjunctions is to be given an
average property interpretation."
(Manfred Krifka et al., "Genericity: An Introduction." The Generic Book, ed. by Gregory N.
Carlson and Francis Jeffry Pelletier. The University of Chicago Press, 1995)
http://grammar.about.com/od/c/g/conjterm.htm