AP LANG UNIT 2 VOCAB (copy)

Argument

A process of resumed inquiry and rational discourse seeking common ground

Claim

An assertion that states the arguments main idea or position

Claims 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, desirable or undesirable

Claim of policy

Proposing a change

Evidence

Support for a claim or argument

Personal experience

Evidence drawn from the writer’s own experience

Personal observations

Evidence the writer has seen but not necessarily experienced

Testimony

An expression of how the writer, or spoken the writer is citing, feels about a personal experience or personal observation

Anecdotes

Stories about other people that you’ve either oversees, been told about, or researched

Analogy

Comparison between two unrelated things

Historical information

Verifiable facts that a writer know from research

Expert opinion

Specialized, credible knowledge

Quantitive evidence

Include things that can be represented in numbers (statistics, surveys, polls, experiment results) and many be presented through verbal explanation or, more paternal in illustrating such as graphs, charts, or tables

Lines of reasoning

The connections between the canons in the writer’s argument and the evidence presented to support them

Thesis

The overarching claim that clearly states the writer’s position

Induction

Arranging an argument so that is leads from particulars to universals, using species cases to draw a conclusion

Deduction

Moves in the opposite direction, from a general statement to a specific conclusion

Syllogism

Logical structure that uses the major premise and minor premise to reach a logical conclusion

Classical argument

Five-part argument structure used by classical rhetoricians

Introduction (exordium)

Introduces the reader to the subject under discussion

Narration (narration)

Provides factual information and background material on the subject at hand, thus beginning the developmental paragraphs, or establishes why the subject is a problem that needs addressing

Confirmation (confirmatio)

Usually the major part of the text, included the development or the proof needed to make the writer’s case, containing the most specific and concrete detail in the text

Refutation (refutatio)

Address the counterargument, is in many ways a bridge between the writer’s proof and conclusion

Conclusion (peroratio)

Brings the essay to a satisfying close

Rogerian arguments

Based on the assumption that having a full understand of an opposing position is essential to responding to it persuasively and refuting it in a way that is accommodating rather than alienating

Toulmin model

Approach to analyzing and constructing arguments

Warrant

Expresses the assumption shared by the speaker and the audience

Backing

Consists of further assurances or data without which the assumption lacks authority

Qualifier

Tempers the claim a but, making it less absolute

Reservation

Explains the terms and conditions necessitated by the qualifier

Rebuttal

Gives voice to objections

Method of development

Narration, cause and effect, comparison and contrast, definition, and description

Narration

Refers to telling a story or recounting a series of real-life events

Cause-and-effect

Relies on an analysis of the cause that lead to a certain effect or, conversely, the effects

Comparison and Contrast

Juxtaposing two things to highlight their similarities and differences

Definition

Writers convey details about a concept, an event, or an object to advance their argument

Description

Includes specific details; evokes the senses by painting a picture of hour something looks, sounds, smells, tastes, or feels

Logical fallacies

Vulnerabilities in an argument caused by faulty reasoning or incorrect use of evidence

Red herring

Occurs when a speaker skips to a new and irrelevant topic in order to avoid the topic of discussion

Ad hominem fallacy

Refers to the diversionary tactic of switching the argument from the issue at hand to the character of the other speaker

Straw man fallacy

Occurs when a speaker chooses a deliberately poor or oversimplified example in order to ridicule and refute an opponent’s viewpoint

Either-or fallacy (false dilemma)

Speaker presents two extreme options as the only possible choices

Post hoc ergo propter hoc (after which therefore because of which)

Highlights that it is incorrect to claim that something is a cause just because it happened earlier

Faulty analogy

Focuses on irrelevant or inconsequential similarities between two things

Slippery slope

When a small initial action will Lead to a trigger chain reaction leading to extreme undesirable outcomes

Appeal to false Authority

When an argument tries to prove a claim is true by signing, someone who is not an expert and that specific matter, especially if they are famous

Begging the question (circular reasoning)

When an argument conclusion is assumed inside its own premise and pretty much repeat its own point

Bandwagon appeal (ad populum)

Assumes an idea, product or belief is true or correct, simply because it is popular or held by a majority of people