Peter,

Here's my take on it:

They are adverbs in that they can move about within their clauses without requiring any alteration to the existing structure.
They are conjunctions in that they indicate a relationship between the clause in which they occur and another clause, usually preceding it.

To use one of your example sentences:

Ed believes in innate knowledge, and Phil, therefore, agrees with him.

The word "and" is a conjunction signaling a plus relationship to the previous clause. It is not, however adverbial: it cannot be moved.
The word "therefore" is also a conjunction signaling a cause / effect relationship to the previous clause. It differs from "and" (and other coordinate or subordinate conjunctions) in that it is movable, so it's called adverbial.

I agree with Geoff, however: it's a term that I do not use with my students because it is so meaningless to them.

John

On 9/10/06, Peter Adams <[log in to unmask]> wrote:

Everyone seems to agree, even Martha Kolln and the Cambridge Grammar, that conjunctive adverbs are, indeed, conjunctions. I still don't see why they are not just considered adverbs. Does anyone see it my way?

Peter Adams
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