Preciselyand

Preciselyand is a coinage in the field of formal semantics and linguistics for a binary connective that marks a tightly bound conjunction between two propositions. It is intended to convey that both conjuncts are true and that their truth conditions are aligned within an exact scope, eliminating readings in which one conjunct inherits contextual modifiers from the other. The term combines 'precise' with 'and' to signal a stricter coordination than ordinary conjunction.

Origin: The term was introduced in theoretical discussions of semantics in the early 2020s as a way to discuss precision in coordination; since then it has appeared in scholarly debates and experimental semantics.

Semantics and syntax: The operator is usually notated as A preciselyand B. It is a non-commutative operator in some proposals, though others treat it as commutative when the conjuncts share the same scope. In formal models, A ⊗ B holds if both A and B hold and any weaker reading that distributes A or B across a broader context is ruled out.

Example: A: The experiment succeeded. B: The results are reproducible. A preciselyand B asserts that both conditions hold with identical epistemic justification within the same discourse frame.

Reception: Preciselyand is a theoretical construct with limited empirical validation; critics argue it adds complexity without clear empirical benefit. Proponents see potential in refining semantics of coordination and in computational natural language processing for more precise meaning extraction.