Argumentative patterns based on pragmatic argumentation at China’s diplomatic press conferences

Abstract

Within the theoretical framework of Pragma-Dialectics, this research investigates prototypical argumentative patterns based on pragmatic argumentation that manifest themselves in the spokespersons’ argumentative replies at the regular press conferences of China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs. As is shown by the research results, constrained by the institutional point of the communicative activity type (justifying China’s attitude and actions regarding controversial issues) and its institutional preconditions, argumentative patterns based on pragmatic argumentation prototypically occur in three variants, viz. the ‘solvency type’, the ‘maintenance type’, and the ‘counter-plan type’; it can be observed that in complex pragmatic argumentation each of these three variants may also occur in combination with other variants.