rhetorical theory terms

rhetoric – defined by Aristotle

the discovery of the available means of persuasion

rhetoric – defined by Rostek

the use of language and other symbolic systems to make sense of our experiences, construct our personal and collective identities, produce meaning, and prompt action in the world

rhetor

person doing the communicating

rhetorical theory

theories that describe rhetorical practice

rhetorical theorist

a person who created a particular rhetorical theory

rhetorical criticism

the process of using rhetorical theory in order to understand and evaluate rhetorical practice and generate future rhetorical theory

symbols

letters, images, or gestures that are represent, or stand for, something else

pragmatic-dominant rhetorical theory

asked & answered pragmatic questions about rhetoric and see the speaker as influencing the events of the world through rhetoric; speaker is primary focus

aesthetic rhetorical theory

embellish the truth or ingratiate the rhetor to a very small audience; attention paid to the aesthetic qualities of rhetoric

pragmatic-subordinate rhetorical theory

rhetoric used to communicate what science found

social rhetorical theory

emphasis on the audience

epistemology

the study of knowledge and what is considered to be true or false

ontology

the study of the nature of human existence and how humans perceive themselves to be

ethics

the study of how people make and justify decisions about what is right and wrong

classical rhetoric

rhetorical theory of period from 400BCE to 100BCE

judicial rhetoric

rhetoric used to prove the justice or injustice of a past act

deliberative rhetoric

rhetoric used to argue that a future action would be advantageous or harmful

demonstrative/epideictic rhetoric

rhetoric used to praise or blame an individual or group that encourages the audience to accept or reject particular values

Sophists

group of teachers in ancient Greece whose subject matter included rhetoric; believed truth and morality were relative

dialectic

philosophic method of determining truth through a series of interactions

five canons of rhetoric

main components of rhetorical text: invention, arrangement, style, delivery, & memory

invention

developing the substance (subject) of the speech

stasis

a theoretical framework for identifying the points in a rhetorical dispute

ethos

proof based on rhetor’s credibility

pathos

proof based on an appeal to the audience’s emotions

logos

proof based on logical reasoning

arrangement

ordering of a rhetorical text

style

verbal ornamentation of a speech, using such techniques as rhetorical figures

delivery

vocal qualities and physical movements used by rhetor

memory

recall information for a speech

topoi (topic)

subjects of all argument

syllogism

series of 3 statements:

• proven true generalization

• applies a particular case to see if it is included or excluded from the generalization

• conclusion that logically flows from first 2 parts

enthymeme

argument that doesn’t explicitly state one premise

grand style

uses ornate words & features a smooth arrangement of the words

middle style

uses words that are more common in meaning but are not everyday speech

simple style

everyday speech

Second Sophistic

period of time following the fall of the Roman Republic in which traveling teachers of rhetoric focused attention on style & delivery

sublime + qualities

appeal to the stylistic and aesthetic faculties of the audience

natural qualities – speaker must be born w/ passion and great thoughts

artistic qualities – the proper use of figures of speech and thought

belletristic movement

a school of thought that studied a wide variety of rhetorical texts and that focused on matters of style & taste

taste

the ability to receive pleasures from nature & art

elocutionary movement

a school of thought that focused exclusively on the delivery of spoken words

language – Blair & belletristic movement

the expression of our ideas by certain articulate sounds, which are used as the signs of those ideas

foundation of the power of eloquence

perspicuity

using language in a way that clearly states the speaker’s ideas

3 qualities": purity, propriety, precision

purity

using words that are of the language which we speak and not imported from other languages

propriety

use the right word

precision

avoids superfluos words and expressions and gets to the point of the speaker’s idea

ornament

how words are pleasing & interesting for the listener

eloquence

public speaking

Blair – the art of speaking in such a manner as to attain the end for which we speak; the art of persuasion

criticism

way of evaluating beauty by using standards that have been established through experience

dramatism

Burke’s theory of rhetoric and the theories related to it; the study of how language and other symbol systems create the rhetorical world in which we lived

motion

non-symbolic

action

based on symbols/rhetoric

identification

A is not identical w/ his colleague, B, but insofar as their interests are joined, A is identified w/ B or he may identify himself w/ B even when their interests are not joined, if he assumes that they are, or is persuaded to believe so

real or perceived overlap of two individuals’ perspectives or ways of seeing the world 

pentad

a tool of analysis that lets us trace how our worlds are constructed through rhetoric

• Act: what happens/takes place

• Scene: context/background of the action

• Agent: person or persons who perform the act

• Agency: means through which the action takes place

• Purpose: reason an action took place

ratio

relationship between two pentadic terms

terms for order

humans tend to naturally seek order, given our drive for perfection & hierarchy; the stages through which tragic redemption occurs including guilt, purification, and redemption 

mortification

guilty party admits guilt & asks for forgiveness

scapegoat

the representative or vessel of certain unwanted evils, the sacrificial animal upon whose back the burden of these evils is ritualistically loaded

narrative probability

asks whether the story is consistent w/ itself

one of the standards by which receivers evaluated narrative rhetoric (includes structural, material, and characterological coherence)

narrative fidelity

evaluates the degree to which the individual components of the story ring true w/ the audience

the standard used to evaluate the validity of the individual elements of narrative rhetoric

structural coherence

whether the story contradicts itself

material coherence

how well the story accounts for facts that are known to be true

chronological coherence

questions the reliability of the characters in the story

Five concepts to understand fidelity

fact, relevance, consequence, consistency, and transcendent issue

• Question of fact: explored the values that are embedded in a story

• Question of relevance: concerns the appropriateness of the values to the nature of the decision

• Question of consequence: examines the effects of adhering to a particular value set when making a decision

• Question of consistency: asks if the values of the story confirm one’s personal experience

• Question of transcendent issue: asks if the values in question constitute the ideal basis for human conduct

fantasies

very real events that happen to people and groups; a shared experience between people; stories shared by groups of people 

fantasy theme

contents of stories that are retold by group members

shared experiences or stories retold among a group of people

fantasy types

fantasies that have similar plot outlines, scenes, and characters and that are repeated patterns of exchange

common stories told over and over again

chaining out

the process by which fantasy themes or types are spread through a group or culture

rhetorical vision

the result of fantasy sharing, in which members of a culture, community, or group share a similar way of understanding reality