Coordinator: Jean Wagemans
This research line aims to build and analyze annotated datasets of argumentative discourse across various domains. After extraction, we annotate the data utilizing well-defined notions from the Philosophy of Argument (such as “argument form”, “statement type”, “stock issue”) and investigate the extent to which their instantiations correlate with specific linguistic markers in the construction of argumentation. In this way, we aim to shed light on the expression of arguments and other rhetorical techniques in various settings.
Projects
The ArgChecker project
Can we design a chatbot capable of understanding and evaluating arguments? In this project, John Gatev, Pouneh Kouch, Stefan Mol, and Jean Wagemans collaborate to train the UvA AI Chatbot to emulate expert classifications of arguments. The project employs an experimental paradigm that compares human expert annotation of persuasive discourse with that of AI agents operating at different levels of expertise and trained on diverse materials.
Explicating implicit information
Ameer Saadat-Yazdi and Jean Wagemans are developing PTA-based algorithmic procedures for explicating implicit information in argumentative discourse. Apart from the argument lever (“warrant” or “missing premise”) in individual arguments, they study how condensed gamma form arguments can be interpreted as a chain of individual arguments (“serial argumentation”).
Argumentation in online communities
Viktorija Kostadinova and Jean Wagemans are building and analyzing an annotated corpus of argumentative discourse in online communities. Drawing on advances in computational sociolinguistics, they examine the potential of using online communities, such as Reddit, as data sources for studying argumentation in the wild. Finally, they extend the project’s scope by applying the analysis of argument types on Reddit to the study of language attitudes and ideologies, as well as the values associated with different forms of language.
Research internships
Lamarana Barrie contributes to the project as a research intern at Elsevier, a scientific publisher and data analytics company, where she focuses on developing a theoretical model and annotation guidelines for the systematic detection of the argumentation structure and possible fallacies in scientific articles.
Julia Wędrychowska contributes to ongoing annotation projects with the Warsaw University of Technology and the University of Passau. Based on theoretical insights into complex argumentation structures, she develops guidelines for annotating statement relations in persuasive discourse, utilizing definitions, examples, and decision trees.
Emily Duckett contributes to the project by developing explicit guidelines and more efficient strategies for annotating natural argumentative discourse using the Periodic Table of Arguments (PTA). These guidelines will be used with the annotation tool to facilitate the creation of an annotated corpus of online argumentative discussion data.
Ermioni Seremeta contributed to the guidelines by providing specific instructions for annotating statement types (fact, value, policy) based on her project on linguistic models of the three types.
Activities and publications
Invited Talk – J.H.M. Wagemans (2023). LANCAR Annotation Projects. The New Ethos Lab. Warsaw University of Technology. December 18, 2023.
Invited Talk – J.H.M. Wagemans (2023). Annotating ethotic arguments. The New Ethos Lab. Warsaw University of Technology. ONLINE. October 26, 2023.
Workshop Talk – K. Welbers (2023). Presenting an annotation tool for argumentation. LANCAR Annotation Workshop. University of Amsterdam, April 6, 2023.
Workshop Talk – E. Duckett & E. Seremeta (2023). Annotation guidelines. LANCAR Annotation Workshop. University of Amsterdam, April 6, 2023.
Workshop Talk – V. Kostadinova (2023). Analyzing annotated data. LANCAR Annotation Workshop. University of Amsterdam, April 6, 2023.
Workshop Talk – D. Ceolin (2023). Information quality and crowd annotation. LANCAR Annotation Workshop. University of Amsterdam, April 6, 2023.
Seminar Talk – E. Duckett (2023). Guidelines for annotating natural argumentative discourse. LANCAR Seminar. University of Amsterdam, January 27, 2023.
Workshop Talk – V. Kostadinova & J.H.M. Wagemans (2022). Statement type annotation. Workshop “Empirical studies of discourse and argumentation in public policy: Multidisciplinary and Multilingual Perspectives”. Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Brescia. September 8, 2022.
Journal Article – Visser, J., Lawrence, J., Reed, C.A., Wagemans, J.H.M., & Walton, D.N. (2021). Annotating argument schemes. Published online May 7, 2020. Argumentation, 35, 101–139.
LANCAR 