Language Vocabulary Flashcards
Argument
A process of reasoned inquiry and rational discourse seeking common ground.
Claim
An assertion that states the argument’s main idea or position.
Claim of Fact
Assert that something is true or not true.
Claim of value
Argues that something is good or bad, right or wrong, valuable or not valuable.
Claim of policy
Any time you propose a change.
Personal Expeirence
Adds a human element and can be an effective way to appeal to pathos.
Personal observations
Things you have seen but not necessarily experienced.
Testimony
An expression of how the writer feels about a personal experience or observation.
Anecdotes
Stories about other people
Analogies
Comparisons between two unrelated things- as a way to clarify one of them.
Lines of reasoning
The connections between the claims in the writer’s argument and the evidence presented to support them.
Historical information
Verifiable facts that a writer knows from research.
Expert opinion
Backbone of an evidence-based argument.
Classical argument
A five part structure
Syllogism
A logical structure that uses the major premise and minor premise to reach a logical conclusion.
Rogerian arguments
Based on the assumption that having a full understanding of an opposing position is essential to responding to it persuasively and refuting it in a way that is accomodating rather than alienating.
Toulmin model
Six parts: claim, evidence, warrant, backing, qualifier, and reservation.
Method of development
Modes of expression to achieve their purposes.
Logical fallacies
Vunerablities in an argument caused by faulty reasoning or incorrect use of evidence.
Red herring
When a speaker skips to a new and irrelevant topic in order to avoid the topic of discussion.
Straw man fallacy
When a speaker chooses a deliberatley poor or oversimplified example in order to ridicule and refute an opponent’s viewpoint.
Post hoc fallacies
Highlights that it is incorrect to claim that something is a cause just because it happened earlier.
Either-or fallacies
The speaker presents two extreme options as the only possible choices.
Faulty generalization
Focuses on an irrelevant or inconsequential similarities between two things.
Hasty generalization
Not enough evidence to support a given conclusion.
ad hominem fallacy
The diversionary tactic of switching the argument from the issue at hand to the character of the other speaker.
