What does it mean to argue something?
You will be asked to take a stand on a topic. In this case, you will need to argue, but what does that mean?
In argumentative texts, you use arguments to state your opinion on a case. You must be able to back up your thoughts with background sources.
Open or closed argumentation
In an open argument, the argument is based on facts or other data. These types of arguments are called ‘logos’ in rhetoric.
Arguments that apply to people’s feelings are called indirect arguments. In rhetoric, this is called ‘pathos’.
The third form of argumentation is what we call ‘ethos’. An expert is used to justify the points in the argumentation.
So, arguing something means … ?
Argumentation is part of the thinking that is made of the following three parts:
- … an opinion, a point of view or a claim that we argue for,
- … an argument, what we use to reason our case, and
- … a statement that brings together the opinion and the argument.
The statement that brings together the opinion and the argument is what makes us understand why the argument works.
Ung gutt står på en stol og roper i en megafon.
The Toulmin Method
There are different parts of the text we can look at when we look at arguments.
Part 1: Claim
What is the point of the author? What do they argue?
The author needs to build the argumentation so it can be proved to the people who read it. The overall claim can also be called the main argument.
Example of a main argument: You will get sick.
The strength of the arguments
How strong are the arguments? Look for strong words in the argument.
Words and phrases like “probably”, “maybe”, “in most cases”, and “some studies show” are words that add information to the claim. Ask questions if the argument is not strong enough.
Part 2: Grounds
What are the arguments in the text? How do they back up the claim?
The grounds for the arguments are the evidence and facts that back up the claim.
Example of an argument: The fish you ate was spoiled.
I know the fish was spoiled because it smelled bad.
Part 3: Warrant or relevance
What are arguments based on? How are they relevant to the context?
You can justify an argument by stating it clearly and linking it to the claim, showing relevance.
Example of warrant: You get sick from eating spoiled fish. You ate spoiled fish, therefore you will get sick.
Irritert mann kommuniserer på et møte med hevet finger.
The quality of arguments
To see how good quality the argumentation has, we can ask ourselves:
- Are the arguments strong? Is the claim true?
- Are the arguments relevant? Are the arguments important for the case?
- How strong are the arguments?
- Have all important sides of the case been discussed?
En person bruker en ekstra stor megafon for å snakke med en annen person.
First of all, second, third…
It is important to have strong and true arguments.
In an argumentative text, you need to have several arguments that are all relevant to the main argument. You should use all your arguments to build your conclusion.
State your main points several times. If people repeat arguments, they feel more convincing and true.
Forretningsmann peker på den han diskuterer med.
- SØK & SKRIV (10.11.21): Toulmins argumentasjonsmodell
- Alnes, Jan Harald: argument i Store norske leksikon på snl.no.
Hentet 10. november 2021 fra https://snl.no/argument
- ndla.no (10.11.21): Åpen eller skjult argumentasjon?
- ndla.no (10.11.21): Hva er et godt argument?
- Wikipedia (10.11.2021): Argumentasjon
- Owl Purdue (03.06.2022): Toulmin argument