Proposition
A proposition is that part of the meaning of a clause or sentence that is constant, despite changes in such things as the voice or illocutionary force of the clause.
A proposition may be related to other units of its kind through interpropositional relations, such as temporal relations and logical relations.
The meaning of the term proposition is extended by some analysts to include the meaning content of units within the clause.
Example: The tall, stately building fell is said to express propositions corresponding to the following:
- "The building is tall."
- "The building is stately."
- "The building fell."
(English)
The common content of each of the the following utterances is a proposition:
- Alec ate the banana.
- The banana was eaten by Alec.
- Did Alec eat the banana?
- Alec, eat the banana.
All these utterances may be analyzed as consisting of a predicate naming an event or state and one or more arguments naming referents that participate in that event or state.
- The activity is eat.
- The agent is Alec.
- The patient is a banana.
Searle, John, and Daniel Vanderveken. 1985.Foundations of illocutionary logic. Cambridge, England: Cambridge University.
Mish, Frederick (editor). 1991.Webster's ninth new collegiate dictionary. Springfield, MA: Merriam-Webster. 1,564 pages. 0877795088; indexed 0877795096; deluxe 087779510X.
Hollenbach, Bruce. 1975. "Discourse structure, interpropositional relations, and translation." NOT 1962–2002.
Fleming, Ilah. 1988.Communication analysis: A stratificational approach. A field guide for communication situation, semantic, and morphemic analysis. Volume 2. Dallas, TX: Summer Institute of Linguistics.
Crystal, David. 1985.A dictionary of linguistics and phonetics. 2nd edition. New York: Basil Blackwell.
Beekman, John, and John Callow. 1974.Translating the Word of God. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan.
More specific terms
- NT1 ↓ Relational Proposition
Related terms
- RT⇆ Additive Relation
- RT⇆ Alethic Modality
- RT⇆ Alternative Relation
- RT⇆ Amplification Relation
- RT⇆ Antithesis Relation
- RT⇆ Ascertainment Relation
- RT⇆ Assertive Illocutionary Point
- RT⇆ Attribution Relation
- RT⇆ Background Relation
- RT⇆ Biconditional Relation
- RT⇆ Causal Relation
- RT⇆ Clausal Implicature
- RT⇆ Clause
- RT⇆ Commissive Illocutionary Point
- RT⇆ Commissive Modality
- RT⇆ Concession Relation
- RT⇆ Conditional Relation
- RT⇆ Contrast Relation
- RT⇆ Correction Relation
- RT⇆ Declarative Illocutionary Point
- RT⇆ Declarative Mood
- RT⇆ Deductive Mood
- RT⇆ Deontic Modality
- RT⇆ Description Relation
- RT⇆ Direct Illocution
- RT⇆ Directive Illocutionary Point
- RT⇆ Dismissive Relation
- RT⇆ Elaboration Relation
- RT⇆ Emphatic Additive Relation
- RT⇆ Enablement Relation
- RT⇆ Epistemic Modality
- RT⇆ Epistemic Qualification
- RT⇆ Evaluation Relation
- RT⇆ Evidence Relation
- RT⇆ Exclusive Alternative Relation
- RT⇆ Expository Discourse
- RT⇆ Expressive Illocutionary Point
- RT⇆ External Relation
- RT⇆ Failure Of Fit
- RT⇆ Fit
- RT⇆ Hypothetical Mood
- RT⇆ Identity Of Illocutionary Forces
- RT⇆ Illocutionary Force
- RT⇆ Implicational Scale
- RT⇆ Imprecative Mood
- RT⇆ Inclusive Alternative Relation
- RT⇆ Internal Relation
- RT⇆ Interpretation Relation
- RT⇆ Interpropositional Relation
- RT⇆ Irrealis Modality
- RT⇆ Judgment Modality
- RT⇆ Jussive Mood
- RT⇆ Justification Relation
- RT⇆ Logical Relation
- RT⇆ Means-Purpose Relation
- RT⇆ Mood And Modality
- RT⇆ Motivation Relation
- RT⇆ Obligative Mood
- RT⇆ Paradox
- RT⇆ Parenthesis Relation
- RT⇆ Predicate
- RT⇆ Previousness Relation
- RT⇆ Propositional Content Condition
- RT⇆ Realis Modality
- RT⇆ Reason-Result Relation
- RT⇆ Referent
- RT⇆ Restatement Relation
- RT⇆ Sentence
- RT⇆ Sequential Relation
- RT⇆ Similarity Relation
- RT⇆ Simultaneous Relation
- RT⇆ Sincerity Condition
- RT⇆ Solutionhood Relation
- RT⇆ Specification Relation
- RT⇆ Speculative Mood
- RT⇆ Strength Of Illocutionary Point
- RT⇆ Success Of Fit
- RT⇆ Summary Relation
- RT⇆ Temporal Relation
- RT⇆ Utterance
- RT⇆ Voice
- RT⇆ Volitive Modality
- ExactMatch: https://glossary.sil.org/term/proposition
