Continuedand

Continuedand is a term used in linguistics to describe a hypothetical discourse connective that signals continuation of a topic or argument across adjacent clauses. It is conceived as a specialized use of the word and, whose function is to maintain topic coherence rather than to introduce an independent proposition.

In formal semantics, continuedand is treated as a binary operator that blends two propositions, A continuedand B, with a requirement that B shares the same topic or argument structure as A. The connective emphasizes continuation over addition, effectively linking A and B as a sustained line of thought. The account often includes a presupposition of topic persistence and may be reinforced by prosody, gesture, or discourse context.

Examples frequently cited in theoretical discussions illustrate the intended effect: "The committee released its findings, continued and recommended further research." or "The project faced delays, continued and shifted to a revised timeline." In these cases, the second clause appears to be a direct continuation of the same subject or project, with and serving to connect the two propositions in a way that foregrounds continuity.

Origin and reception: continuedand is a derived concept within discourse-connective typology and is not widely attested in natural language corpora. It is primarily used in theoretical discussions to model how speakers might encode continuation through a conjunction that preserves topical linkage. The idea helps distinguish mere additive conjunction from a continuation-marking operation in discourse analysis.

See also: Conjunction, Discourse marker, Topic continuity, Ellipsis, Continuation.