Thierry Herman – författare

L’argumentation met en scène un raisonnement sous une forme langagière, mais le langage ne se limite pas à cela　: il laisse entendre, oriente, modalise. Cette série d’études en deux langues montre que la relation «　p donc q　» est d’une simplicité trompeuse. De ces contributions émerge une vision de l’argumentation beaucoup plus riche, prenant en compte, entre autres, l’évidentialité, les implicites, les normes, la subjectivité et la sémantique des mots. L’intérêt méthodologique de cet ouvrage se révèle aussi dans l’exploitation de modèles récents d’analyse d’argumentation en langue naturelle. Argumentation involves reasoning in a linguistic form, but language also implies, guides, and modulates. This collection of studies in English and French reveals how deceptive the simplicity of "p therefore q" is. It highlights the complexity of argumentation, considering evidentiality, implications, norms, and subjectivity. It also presents recent models for analyzing argumentation in natural language.

This volume focuses on the role language plays at all levels of the argumentation process. It explores the effects that specific linguistic choices may have in the production and the reception of arguments and in doing so, it moves beyond the first, necessary, descriptive stance provided by current literature on the topic. Each chapter provides an original take illuminating one or more of the following three issues: the range of linguistic resources language users draw on as they argue; how cognitive processes of meaning construction may influence argumentative practices; and which discursive devices can be used to fulfil a number of argumentative goals. The volume includes theoretical and empirical or applied stances, providing the reader both with state-of-the-art reflections on the relationship between argumentation and language, and with concrete examples of how this relationship plays out in naturally occurring argumentative practices, such as classroom interaction, and political, parliamentary or journalistic discourse.This is a very original, timely and welcome contribution to the study of argumentation conducted with the tools of the language sciences. The collection of papers relevantly tackles key linguistic, discursive and cognitive aspects of argumentative practices whose treatment is underrepresented in mainstream argumentation studies by offering new and exciting linguistically-grounded theoretical accounts. As such, the volume testifies both to the vigour of the linguistic current within the discipline and to the high standards of scholarly commitment and quality that the younger generation is pushing forward. Without question, this book marks an important milestone in the relationships between linguistics and argumentation theory. Christian Plantin, Professor Emeritus

Ce volume met l’accent sur le lien entre démarches cognitives et art du discours qui a toujours été un des enjeux de la rhétorique. Sans ajouter une nouvelle couche à l’examen critique des sophismes, les contributions de cet ouvrage n’ont pas pour but de dénoncer les effets de certains schèmes argumentatifs que d’aucuns jugeraient fallacieux, mais d’étudier leur fonctionnement et leurs effets cognitifs hic et nunc. Quels sont les mécanismes qui expliquent la « performance » des arguments réputés fallacieux ? Comment fonctionnent les stratégies rhétoriques à l’intersection entre cognition, sciences du langage et société ? This volume gathers contributions from two disciplines which have much to gain from one another – rhetoric and cognitive science – as they both have much to say in the broad realm of argumentation studies. This collection neither condemns the fallacious effects of specific argument schemes nor adds yet another layer to fallacy criticism, but studies how argumentation and fallacies work, hic et nunc. What are the linguistic and cognitive mechanisms behind the «performance » of fallacious arguments? How do rhetorical strategies work at the interface of cognition, language science and society?

This volume focuses on the role language plays at all levels of the argumentation process. It explores the effects that specific linguistic choices may have in the production and the reception of arguments and in doing so, it moves beyond the first, necessary, descriptive stance provided by current literature on the topic. Each chapter provides an original take illuminating one or more of the following three issues: the range of linguistic resources language users draw on as they argue; how cognitive processes of meaning construction may influence argumentative practices; and which discursive devices can be used to fulfil a number of argumentative goals. The volume includes theoretical and empirical or applied stances, providing the reader both with state-of-the-art reflections on the relationship between argumentation and language, and with concrete examples of how this relationship plays out in naturally occurring argumentative practices, such as classroom interaction, and political, parliamentary or journalistic discourse.This is a very original, timely and welcome contribution to the study of argumentation conducted with the tools of the language sciences. The collection of papers relevantly tackles key linguistic, discursive and cognitive aspects of argumentative practices whose treatment is underrepresented in mainstream argumentation studies by offering new and exciting linguistically-grounded theoretical accounts. As such, the volume testifies both to the vigour of the linguistic current within the discipline and to the high standards of scholarly commitment and quality that the younger generation is pushing forward. Without question, this book marks an important milestone in the relationships between linguistics and argumentation theory. Christian Plantin, Professor Emeritus