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Toulmin Model

The Toulmin Model outlines the key components of an argument: 1. The claim is the central statement or conclusion of the argument. 2. Warrants are the implicit assumptions or beliefs that link the claim and evidence. 3. Data provides facts, statistics, or anecdotes to support the claim. The rebuttal acknowledges exceptions to the claim, and the qualifier recognizes the rebuttal and signifies limitations of the argument. The model helps analyze and strengthen arguments.

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163 views3 pages

Toulmin Model

The Toulmin Model outlines the key components of an argument: 1. The claim is the central statement or conclusion of the argument. 2. Warrants are the implicit assumptions or beliefs that link the claim and evidence. 3. Data provides facts, statistics, or anecdotes to support the claim. The rebuttal acknowledges exceptions to the claim, and the qualifier recognizes the rebuttal and signifies limitations of the argument. The model helps analyze and strengthen arguments.

Uploaded by

JohnConnor
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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The Toulmin Model

Claim
Think of the claim in an argument as the most general statement in the argument. It may not
be a particularly general statement all by itself, and some claims for arguments are very
narrow. But the claim in an argument is like the umbrella statement that all other parts of an
argument have to fall under. If a reason (or evidence) doesn't fall under the umbrella of the
claim, then it’s irrelevant.

Warrants
These are the assumptions or presuppositions underlying the argument. Warrants are
generally accepted beliefs and values, common ways our culture or society views things;
because they are so commonplace, warrants are almost always unstated and implied. The
author and audience may either share these beliefs, or the author’s warrants may be in
conflict with audience’s generally held beliefs and cultural norms and values. Warrants are
important because they are the "common ground" of author and audience; shared warrants
invite the audience to participate by unconsciously supplying part of the argument. Warrants
are also important because they provide the underlying reasons linking the claim and the
support. You can infer the warrants by asking, "What’s causing the author to say the things
s/he does?" or "Where’s the author coming from?"

Data
Data is the information that generates the claim in theory. More often, it is searched for after
the claim is provided.

 “the evidence, facts, data, and information that are the reason for the claim in the first
place- a reasoned beginning” (Ross, 1985).
 Data is significant because it establishes the basis of the argument. In effect, the data
is the starting point from which all sound arguments must begin.
 Types of Data: Anecdotal, Testimony, Statistics

Rebuttal
The Rebuttal (or Reservation) is an exception to the claim presented by the arguer. In Toulmin’s
model, arguments are not considered to be true without analysis. The rebuttal demonstrates how
arguments can be strengthened (and made more correct) by acknowledging the limits of the
argument.

Qualifier
The Qualifier is recognition of the rebuttal. After analyzing one’s argument and
acknowledging its limits, the rhetor should signify his/her new statement with the qualifier
statement. Qualifiers are often words like

 Except
 Unless
 Other than

The Toulmin model is both a method of analyzing the argument of others and developing the
soundness of one’s own argument. A useful technique to develop sound argument is to run
one’s argument through the model until the claim is true.

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