A framework to extract arguments in opinion text

Abstract

In this article, the authors present foundational elements related to argument extraction in opinion texts with the objective to design a model of how consumers develop argumentation in such texts. A second goal is to analyze and synthesize user preferences and therefore user value systems from these arguments. They show that (1) within the context of opinionated expressions, a number of evaluative expressions with a ‘heavy’ semantic load receive an argumentative interpretation, and (2) that the association of an evaluative expression with a discourse structure such as an elaboration, an illustration, or a reformulation must also be interpreted as an argument. The authors develop a conceptual semantics of these discourse structures and show how they are analyzed using the Dislog programming language, running on the platform, dedicated to discourse analysis.