Pragma-dialectical argumentation theory has been extensively applied to the study of institutionalized domains. Only very little scholarly attention has been paid to the informal contexts such as...Show morePragma-dialectical argumentation theory has been extensively applied to the study of institutionalized domains. Only very little scholarly attention has been paid to the informal contexts such as family mealtime discussions. Family mealtime discussions have long been an object of research in a wide range of fields because they play an important role in children’s development and socialization. So far, a systematic understanding of family mealtime argumentation within the pragma-dialectical framework is still lacking. By characterizing family mealtime discussions as a pragmadialectical argumentative activity type, this paper investigates the constraints imposed by this activity type on family members’ argumentative moves in mealtime discussion. The analysis suggests that the activity of family mealtime discussion is largely informal and not institutionalized. Therefore, it is impossible to find concrete and explicit constraints imposed by this activity type. Nevertheless, some general characteristics of this activity are identified: (1) the overarching goal of socialization of children, (2) the cultural variation in norms and values, and (3) the discrepancy in cognitive and language competency between parents and children. These characteristics of family mealtime discussions constrain family members’ argumentative moves in terms of making a choice from the topical potential, adapting to the audience demand, and exploiting the presentational devices. This study provides a systematic description and analysis of family mealtime argumentative discussions, adding to the extant literature on this topic and serving as a basis for the evaluation of argumentation in family contexts.Show less
