Putting the Argumentative Perspective Under Discussion – QUD vs. Argumentative Goals

We discuss some properties of the theory of argumentation within language (AwL), comparing it to QUD-based models of discourse interpretation. We begin by introducing the theory of AwL, its motivations and its main features. We then discuss the similarities and differences between Questions under Discussion and argumentative goals, arguing against an assimilation of the two. That discussion serves as the basis for a reevaluation of the notion of at-issueness, and its relationship to the question under which a content is said to project. We conclude with a discussion of the nature of different types of meaning, drawing on distinctions in two different domains.