Abstract

This paper reports on the ongoing development of a discourse support system for legal argument named PROSUPPORT. A description is given of the system's encoding schemes with which the user can enter his or her analysis of the discourse. These schemes, which are implemented as web browser forms linked to a database, serve to capture support relations of propositions within arguments, and dialectical relations between arguments. In addition, they support the recording of relevant argumentative and procedural speech acts made with respect to these arguments, such as disputing or conceding a claim, and allocating the burden of proof. The main issue in developing these encoding schemes is how expressiveness of the schemes can be reconciled with ease of use, on a suitable theoretical basis.

Citations