Contrast and Concession in French and English

The discourse markers but and although are similar but not identical in meaning. We investigate the relationship between them using data from the INTERSECT translation corpus. A collection of cases are examined where although corresponds to French mais. In order to explain the correspondences we draw on Rhetorical Structure Theory (RST). By organising RST relations in a hierarchy, and adding a new relation to the inventory of RST relations, we can give a systematic explanation of the relationship between contrast and concession.