4. Disjunctions

4.1. Or: taking common content

4.1.0. Overview

The third connective we will study, disjunction, might be thought of as a logical mirror image conjunction; more precisely, the relation between them is another example of duality.

4.1.1. Hedging
While the components of a conjunction contribute their content to the whole, a disjunction asserts only the content its components have in common.

4.1.2. Inclusive and exclusive disjunction
The distinction between implications and implicatures is especially important when assessing the meaning of or in English.

4.1.3. Disjunction in English
Many of the other issues that arise for disjunction are like those that arise for conjunction; and one of the ways of expressing disjunction in English suggests a use of connectives to express certain numerical claims.

4.1.4. Further examples
We now have the means to give natural analyses to a wide variety of patterns in English, including a more natural analysis of sentences involving neither-nor.