INVESTIGATING ARGUMENT AS PRODUCT IN THE AMERICAN PRESIDENTIAL DEBATES

Constructing a logical argument is the key to success in verbal communication. Yet, such an academic topic has not been satisfactorily dealt with in details. Therefore, the purpose of the study is to investigate the most prominent components utilized in the determination of an argument as product. This paper shows how the components of an argument can be critically manipulated to convey pragmatic messages. In this study, an extract of three arguments taken form the 2020 American presidential debates are allotted to be investigated in terms of the types of claims, of evidence and of reasoning strategies which are all put together logically to construct a persuasive argument as apparently intended by the debater. It has been shown that argument as product is tied to certain types of components that are advanced through particular strategies of reasoning. Furthermore, all of the arguments under study are put forward to satisfy pragmatic meanings.