argumentere

Argumentere is a verb used in Norwegian and other Scandinavian languages meaning to present reasons or evidence in support of a claim, or to engage in argumentation. In Norwegian, the infinitive is å argumentere; present tense jeg argumenterer; past tense argumenterte; supine argumentert. The related noun is argumentasjon, referring to the process or structure of presenting reasons, and argument can denote a specific reason or a logical argument.

Etymology: the term is derived from French argumenter and Latin argumentum, brought into Scandinavian languages during the modern period.

Usage: it is common in formal writing, debates, and legal or political discourse. It is often constructed with for or mot: å argumentere for en posisjon; å argumentere mot et forslag. In everyday language, argue and explain can be used, but argumentere emphasizes justification by reasons and evidence.

In logic and rhetoric, argumentering entails a coherent set of premises intended to justify a conclusion, with the quality of an argument judged by relevance, sufficiency, and clarity. The term contrasts with persuasion, which aims to influence belief or action, sometimes regardless of logical structure.

See also: argumentasjon, logikk, retorikk, debatt.

Note: in computing contexts, the noun argument is used for a value passed to a function; the verb argumentere is not typically used in that sense in Norwegian.