ARGUMENTS AND ARGUMENT LENGUAGE

 

 INTRODUCTION OF AN ARGUMENT 

What is an argument??? In philosophy, an argument is a connected series of statements, including at least one premise, intended to demonstrate that another statement, the conclusion, is true. There are several kinds of arguments, which are ‘deductive’ and ‘inductive’. An argument has one or more premises but only one conclusion. An argument is a connected series of sentences, statements, or propositions (called “premises”) that are intended to give a reason of some kind for a sentence statement, or position (called “conclusion”). There are two main purposes of argument. Those are justification and explanation. Justification means give reasons to believe there conclusion. Explanation means, give reasons why their conclusions are true. 

 Justification

 “Justification” involves the reasons why someone holds a belief that one should hold based on one’s current evidence and experiences. In some cases arguments used for impersonal normative justification. It is normative because of the goal is to find a good reason. It is impersonal because of the reason should be accepted as a good reason by everyone.  

 Explanation

 An important use of argument is to provide explanations. The word explanation simply means make more sense about something. And we can explain something by using general principles, statements or by using life experiences. 

 LANGUAGE OF ARGUMENT

 Language plays a major role in expressing an argument. It is used to express our feelings and emotions. We cannot understand arguments without understanding the language. Language is mainly conventional, diverse and the meaning is often conveyed indirectly. “Language is conventional” means language is built with linguistic conversations and rules. “Language is diverse” means we are using language to express our feelings, emotions, ask questions, write poetry, perform something etc. Then what about “meaning is often conveyed indirectly”? To find the meaning of some words or phrases, we must go beyond the language and conversational usages. Not only words, but also meaningful symbols also express something. Like happy, sad, crying etc.

 Arguing is a linguistic activity. Arguing is something that we can do only by using words and other meaningful symbols.

 Language has many different kinds of conversations. They are linguistic acts, speech acts, and conversational acts.

 Linguistic acts 

Words have meanings conventionally attacked to them. It has own identity. When we get three words including subject, verb and object, with those three words we can make different kind of meaningful sentence or phrases. But sometimes the sentence can be grammatically correct but it doesn`t make any sense. Grammar doesn`t play a major role. Even there is bad grammar can represent information. Some sentences can have linguistic meaning when they seem meaningless. When we looked at the first time it can be seems nonsense. But according to language conversations and many reasons it can be some meaning. 

 Speech acts

 We use speech acts when apology, greeting, request, complaint, complement or invitation. Speech acts may contain one word or more. Recognizing explicit performatives introduces us to a kind of act distinct from linguistic act, called speech acts. Speech acts are done in saying something. As an example; if someone say “ I promise”, “I promise” is a performative, and promising is a kind of speech act.

 I resign, I apologies, sorry are also can be listed as speech acts. Speech acts also be accomplished without any performative verb. Someone can deny something by “I deny that” or “no way”. These phrases a speech acts of denying. 

Conversational Acts

 Conversational acts are normally a practical activity with certain goals. Using language in order to inform people of things, get them to do things, amuse them, and clam down and so on. We can express warn, urge, and assure, apologies by conversational acts. When we say “sit down” it is act of warning or order.

 What is the relationship between conversational act and speech act? When someone say “You are invited to my party”, it performs linguistic act. And since this is an invitation, this also a speech act. And also this is a conversational act. That small sentence is performs those three acts at once.

THANK YOU !!!

K. K. D. Sudeshika. (DS1254)

dilshinisudeshika@gmail.com