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conjunctions are categorized as "Temporal" or "Instrumental" or "Conditional" or many other ones , what is the category for "dass"?

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That depends. Usually when you see dass, it introduces a complement clause (Komplementsatz):

Er fürchtet/hofft/erwartet, dass sie ihn verlässt.
Er hat die Befürchtung/Hoffnung/Erwartung, dass sie ihn verlässt.

Having lost much of its semantic value, it doesn't really fall into any of your categories. However, this standard use is sometimes referred to as neutral (eg by Nübling in Duden-Grammatik, 8th edn 2009, para 942 [no longer in later editions], LingTermNet). In the linguistic literature, you can also find some more descriptive terms for dass in this use, such as "Komplementsatzeinleiter" (complement clause introducer) or "komplementsatzbildender Subordinator" (complement clause-forming subordinator) (Breindl et al, Handbuch der deutschen Konnektoren, vol 2, 2014, 17 and 1016).

Particularly in older writings, other functions of dass can also be observed. An example with final dass:

Ich gab der Magd einen Groschen, daß sie die Schweine woanders einstecke. (Heinrich von Kleist, Michael Kohlhaas [1810])

Dass can also be consecutive (also rather rare in modern use):

Da (...) nieste [der Schuhmacher] so laut und mutwillig: Hupschi! daß alle Fenster zitterten und der Buchbinder gegenüber (...) rief: Zur Gesundheit! und alle Nachbarsleute lachten. (Gottfried Keller, Die Leute von Seldwyla [1856] = HKKA 4, 19f)

(...) Erde und Himmel leuchten und schimmern und glitzern, daß es ein Vergnügen ist. (Robert Walser, Kleine Prosa [1917] = Berner Ausgabe 13, 12)

And it can be causal (also rather rare in modern use, and not always clearly distinguishable from consecutive):

Er hat offenbar die Leute nicht getroffen, daß er schon wieder zurück ist. (Behagel, Deutsche Syntax, vol 3, 1928, 140)

Wie er eines schönen Tages so seines Weges ging, fiel ihm der Kopf ab. Der mußte wohl nicht fest genug auf seinem Halse gesessen sein, daß er so mir nichts, dir nichts herunterfallen konnte. (Robert Walser, Kleine Prosa [1917] = Berner Ausgabe 13, 34)


Some further reading: Grammis – Wörterbuch der Konnektoren: dass

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  • The causal use is indeed rare, but not so much dated. May depend on regional preferences.
    – Janka
    Aug 29, 2018 at 7:15
  • Yeah, probably. Also on the precise definition of causal (which for some people would include uses that I would tend to label consecutive). I'll remove it.
    – johnl
    Aug 29, 2018 at 7:21

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