What is a dismissive relation?

Definition
	A dismissive relation is an interpropositional relation which communicates the irrelevancy of some proposition(s) to some other(s) without communicating contraexpectation.

Discussion
	A dismissive relation is sometimes similar to an indefinite concessive relation.

Examples (English)
	We may be back tonight; I'm not sure; either way, just make yourselves at home. Expressions such as anyhow or at any rate, either in a context similar to the first example or when functioning as subject-changers.

Generic
	A dismissive relation is a kind of
	What is an interpropositional relation?

Source
	Halliday and Hasan 1976 254–255

Context for this page:

Concept module: dismissive relation
In overview module: Glossary (Linguistics): D
In modular book: Glossary of linguistic terms, by Eugene E. Loos (general editor), Susan Anderson (editor), Dwight H., Day, Jr. (editor), Paul C. Jordan (editor), and J. Douglas Wingate (editor)
In bookshelf: Linguistics

This page is an extract from the LinguaLinks Library, Version 5.0 published on CD-ROM by SIL International, 2003. [Ordering information.]

Page content last modified: 5 January 2004

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