The Evidential Basis of Linguistic Argumentation

Chapter 2. The p-model of data and evidence in linguistics

1. The problem

2. A possible solution to (P)(a): The p-model

2.1 Introductory remarks

2.2 The uncertainty of information: Plausible statements

2.3 Obtaining new information from uncertain information: Plausible inferences

2.4 The p-context and the p-context-dependency of plausible inferences

2.5 Problems, their solution and their resolution

2.6 The problem solving process

2.6.1 Plausible argumentation

2.6.2 Problem-solving strategies

2.7 The solution to (P)(a)

3. A possible solution to (P)(b): The p-model’s concepts of ‘data’ and ‘evidence’

3.1 Data

3.2 Evidence

4. Conclusions

Acknowledgements

References

Part II. Object-theoretical applications

Chapter 3. The plausibility of approaches to syntactic alternation of Hungarian verbs

Chapter 4. Methods and argumentation in historical linguistics

1. Introduction

2. Argumentation in historical linguistics

2.1 Quantitative and qualitative data in historical research

2.2 Frequency

2.3 Analogy

2.4 Summary

3. A case study

3.1 The starting p-context: Three accounts of the morphological development of the Catalan periphrastic perfective past

3.1.1 Colon (1978a, b)

3.1.2 Detges (2004)

3.1.3 Juge (2006)

3.2 Extension of the starting p-context: The historical present

3.3 Coordination of the extended p-context

4. Modification of the p-context and comparison of the rival solutions

5. Conclusions

Acknowledgements

Historical sources

References

Chapter 5. Hungarian verbs of natural phenomena with explicit and implicit subject arguments

1. Introduction: Aims and the organisation of the chapter

2. The rivalling approaches in the starting p-context: On the subjectlessness of verbs of natural phenomena in Hungarian

2.1 Magyar Értelmező Kéziszótár (Concise Explanatory Dictionary of Hungarian) (Pusztai 2003)

2.2 Magyar Grammatika (Hungarian grammar) (Keszler 2000)

2.3 Lexical-functional grammar (Komlósy 1994)

2.4 A generative syntactic analysis (Tóth 2001)

2.5 The evaluation of the starting p-context

3. Extending the starting p-context with new data

4. Extending the p-context with results of previous research into implicit arguments in Hungarian

4.1 Definition of implicit arguments and their occurrence in Hungarian

4.2 Compatible rivalling proposals

4.3 Non-compatible rivalling approaches

5. Modification of the p-context: The occurrence of verbs of natural phenomena with implicit subject arguments in Hungarian

6. The resolution of the starting p-problem in the modified p-context: The advantages of the analysis of verbs of natural phenomena with implicit and explicit subject arguments

Acknowledgements

References

Chapter 6. The development of a taxonomy of verbal disagreements in the light of the p-model

1. Introduction: The goal and structure of the chapter

2. The starting p-context: Rival frameworks of disagreement

2.1 P-context version 1: Muntigl & Turnbull’s model (1998)

2.2 P-context version 2: Rees-Miller’s (1995, 2000) taxonomy

2.3 P-context version 3: Locher’s (2004) model

2.4 P-context version 4: Bándli’s (2009) framework

2.5 Evaluation of the starting p-context

3. Argumentation cycle 1

3.1 Setting up a new p-context

3.2 The elaboration of the p-context

3.2.1 Softened disagreement strategies

3.2.2 Neutral disagreement strategies

3.2.3 Strengthened disagreement strategies

3.2.4 Odd-one-outs

3.3 Comparison to other solutions

4. Argumentation cycle 2

4.1 Setting up a new p-context

4.2 Elaboration of the p-context

4.2.1 Extension of the p-context: Research on the intuitions of native speakers

4.2.2 Coordination of the p-context

4.2.3 Modification of p-context

Disagreement strategies:

Pragmatic force modifiers:

Mitigators

Aggravators:

4.3 Comparison to other solutions

5. The final p-context

6. Conclusion

Acknowledgements

References

Chapter 7. A case of disagreement

1. Introduction

2. The descriptive background

3. Setting up the p-context: The literature on agreeing RPVCs

3.1 The naysayers

3.2 The yea-sayers

3.3 The initial p-context

3.4 Further remarks on the initial p-context

4. Elaborating the p-context: The differential analysis of agreeing and non-agreeing RPVCs

4.1 The background to a new direction

4.2 Evidence 1: Binding data

4.3 Evidence 2: The verbless construction

4.4 Evidence 3: On the +human restriction

4.5 Interim conclusions

5. By way of summary: The final p-context

Acknowledgments

References

Chapter 8. A plausibility-based model of shifted indexicals

1. Indexicals in the scope of sentential operators

2. Introducing plausibility considerations

3. A conflict between different sources of plausibility

4. A proposal for the resolution of the conflict

5. Conclusion

Acknowledgements

References

Part III. Metatheoretical applications

Chapter 9. Thought experiments and real experiments as converging data sources in pragmatics

1. Introduction

2. On the state of the art

2.1 Current views on thought experiments in science

2.2 Points of departure for the solution of (P)

3. Case study 1: Thought experimental report in Searle (1969)

3.1 Setting up the starting p-context

3.2 The elaboration of the starting p-context

3.2.1 Subcycle 1: Analysis of Wittgenstein’s thought experiment

3.2.2 The continuation of the argumentation cycle: Further elaboration of a rival hypothesis

3.3 The comparison of the solutions to the problem raised in (1)

3.4 The final p-context

4. Case study 2: Real experimental reports in Holtgraves & Ashley (2001)

4.1 Setting up the starting p-context

4.2 The elaboration of the starting p-context

4.2.1 Experiment 1

4.2.2 Subcycle 1: Experiment 2

4.2.3 Subcycle 2: Experiment 3

4.2.4 Subcycle 4: Experiment 4

4.3 The comparison with other solutions

4.4 The final p-context

5. The relationship between thought experiments and real experiments

5.1 Introductory remarks

5.2 Step 1: The continuity between thought experiments and real experiments

5.3 Step 2: Analogies between the thought experimental reports and experimental reports

5.4 Step 3: Analogies between real and thought experiments

5.4.1 The structure of real experiments

5.4.2 The structure of thought experiments

6. The solution to (P)

Acknowledgements

References

Chapter 10. Data and the resolution of inconsistency in Optimality Theory

1. Introduction

2. Basic ideas of Optimality Theory

3. On (P)(a): Emergence of inconsistencies in Kager (1999)’s argumentation

3.1 Inconsistency No. 1: Satisfying a constraint leads to conflicts with another constraint

3.2 Inconsistency No. 2: A constraint ranking fails to rule out certain incorrect output forms belonging to the given input form

3.3 Inconsistency No. 3: A constraint ranking fails to produce the correct output form in the case of input forms having a certain characteristic

3.4 Inconsistency No. 4: Constraint hierarchies contradict each other within a language

3.5 The solution to (P)(a)

4. On (P)(b): Analysis and evaluation of the strategies applied by Kager (1999)

4.1 Treatment of Inconsistency No. 1: Joint application of the Contrastive and the Combinative Strategies

Step 3: Simulation of functioning of EVAL 2: The decision procedure

Thought Experiment 2