On the relation between antecedent and consequence in proposals with conditional operators

Abstract

The existence of meaning in a relation between the antecedent and the consequent terms in a proposition with a conditional operator (such as if… them) seems mandatory in natural language. This relation is not inherently derived from the logic form of the conditional operator, P  Q (if P, then Q), nor from its syntax. But we always force a natural relation between the two terms. When we have trouble to establish such relation, we believe we are facing ill-formed sentences in pragmatic terms. Thus, we believe that the interpretation of a conditional operator in natural language, when understood in an interface linguistics x communication, depends on elements that extrapolate formal analysis. The structure of a sentence with a conditional operator is determined by its syntax; the semantics of the proposition guarantees that the conditional triggers a relation inference between P and Q; and, via pragmatics, we can determine, in a situation context, the nature of such relation.