A Construction Based on Audience: A Rhetorical Interpretation of the Toulmin Model

Abstract

Toulmin provides a structural model which is more useful than traditional logical methods for dealing with practical argumentation. However, while a hot topic in argumentation theory, the current interpretations and elaborations of the Toulmin model mainly focus on logical and dialectical features, which ignore the exploration of rhetorical concerns. This paper calls attention to the rhetorical dimension of Toulmin’s argument theory by exploring the vital concept of audience.