Philological Sciences/4. Syntax: structure, semantics,
function
Fasolko O.M.
Chernivtsi National University named after Y. Fedkovych
Semantics
of coordinate conjunctions
Coordinate conjunction are used to join two similar grammatical constructions; for instance,
two words, two phrases or two clauses. E.g. a) Then
followed the history and rise
of the ancient and respectable
family, in the
usual terms [1; 6]. b) Elizabeth had succeeded of her mother's rights and being very handsome, and
very like himself, her
influence had always been great, and they had gone on together most happily [1; 54]. c) She had, however, one very intimate
friend, a sensible, deserving woman, who had been brought, by strong attachment to herself, to
settle close by
her, in the village of Kellynch; and on
her kindness and advice, Lady
Elliot mainly relied for the best help and maintenance
of the good
principles and instruction which she had been anxiously giving her daughters [1;17].
In these examples, the
coordinate conjunction and is used
to join the two words history
and rise, ancient and respectable,
the two phrases being very
handsome and very like
himself, and the two
clauses she had,
however, one very intimate friend and Lady Elliot
mainly relied.
The most commonly used
coordinate conjunctions are and, but and or. In addition, the words nor
and yet may be used as coordinate
conjunctions. In the following table, each coordinate conjunction is followed
by its meaning and an example of its use.
|
and: in addition |
For he could plainly see how old all the rest of his
family and acquaintance were growing [1; 123]. |
|
but: however |
She was
fully satisfied of being still quite as handsome as ever, but
she felt her approach to the years of danger [1; 145]. |
|
or: alternatively |
What will
he be doing, in fact, but what very many of our first families have done, or ought to do? [1; 6] |
|
nor: and neither |
Though
better endowed than the elder sister, Mary
had not Anne's understanding nor
temper [1; 22]. |
|
yet: however |
Yet she soon began to rejoice that she had heard them [1; 38]. |
A frequently asked question
about conjunctions is whether and or but can be used at the beginning of a
sentence. This is what R.W. Burchfield has to say about this use of and: “There is a persistent belief that it
is improper to begin a sentence with And,
but this prohibition has been cheerfully ignored by standard authors from
Anglo-Saxon times onwards. An initial And
is a useful aid to writers as the narrative continues” [2; 7].
The same is true with the
conjunction but. A sentence beginning
with and or but will tend to draw attention to itself and its transitional
function. Writers should examine such sentences with two questions in mind: (1)
would the sentence and paragraph function just as well without the initial
conjunction? (2) should the sentence in question be connected to the previous
sentence? If the initial conjunction still seems appropriate, one should use
it.
Among the coordinating
conjunctions, the most common, of course, are and, but, and or. It might be helpful to explore the
uses of these three little words. The examples below by no means exhaust the
possible meanings of these conjunctions.
AND: 1.To suggest that one idea is chronologically sequential
to another: "She sent her
applications and waited by the phone for a response" [3; 17]; 2. To
suggest that one idea is the result of another: "Willie heard the weather report and promptly boarded up
his house" [3; 17]; 3. To suggest that one idea is in contrast to another
(frequently replaced by but in this
usage): "Juanita is brilliant and
Shalimar has a pleasant personality [3; 17]; 4. To suggest an
element of surprise (sometimes replaced by yet
in this usage): "
BUT: 1. To suggest a
contrast that is unexpected in light of the first clause: "Joey lost a fortune in the stock market, but he still
seems able to live quite comfortably" [3; 18]; 2. To suggest in an
affirmative sense what the first part of the sentence implied in a negative way
(sometimes replaced by on the contrary):
"The club never invested foolishly, but
used the services of a sage investment counsellor" [3; 18]; 3.To
connect two ideas with the meaning of "with the exception of" (and
then the second word takes over as subject): "Everybody but Goldenbreath is trying out for the
team" [3; 18].
OR: 1. To
suggest that only one possibility can be realized, excluding one or the other: "You can study hard for this exam or
you can fail" [3; 18]; 2. To suggest the inclusive combination of
alternatives: "We can broil chicken
on the grill tonight, or we can just eat leftovers [3; 18]; 3. To
suggest a refinement of the first clause: "
So as one may see the semantics of coordinating conjunctions is quite
diverse and only speakers are to choose which meaning is appropriate for the
gaol they want to reach by using this or that coordinate conjunction.
Bibliography
1. Austen
Jane Persuasion.// Pearson Education Limited
2001 Software/ Textware A/S/British classical literature. -
2.
Burchfield
R.W. The New Fowler's Modern English Usage.— Clarendon Press:
3.
Quirk R. A University Grammar of English. - M.: Prosveshcheniye, 1982. – P. 15-25.