The p-model of data and evidence in linguistics

The p-model is a metatheoretical approach to linguistic theorising that has been designed to capture the nature of linguistic data and evidence in an unorthodox and novel, but well-motivated and effective way. Its starting point is the insight that the latest literature on linguistic data and evidence acknowledged the uncertainty of the latter as their key feature. Since the main characteristic of plausible inferences is that they facilitate drawing conclusions from uncertain premises, and since chains of plausible inferences constitute the main body of the process of plausible argumentation, the basic idea of the p-model is that the structure of linguistic theories is based on various techniques of plausible argumentation. This chapter summarises the main hypotheses of the p-model, which the case studies in the volume are expected to apply to various linguistic theories.