Speech Midterm Terms

Classics

stories that have universal appeal and a timeless plot

Universal appeal

the theme and characters in a selection that are compelling to most or all people

Timeless stories

stories that don't become outdated.

Psalter

a songbook of psalms set in poetic form

Poetry books in the Bible

Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Song of Solomon and Lamentations

Narrative drama

a dramatic story told with exposition, description, and dialogue

Make a cutting

select phrases, sentences, and paragraphs to include in the interpreter's script

Tag lines

identify the speaker in a line of dialogue

Delivery cues

marginal notes on a script or speaking outline reminding the speaker to use a specific element such as gesture, increase of intensity, or dramatic pause

Hyperbole

an extreme or excessive comparison used to strongly emphasize an idea

Thought unit

a few sentences or paragraphs that express one main idea

Phrases

used to enhance the beauty and clarity of a message through the use of pause, emphasis, and subordination

Pause

the space between words in spoken language

Emphasis

makes a word or phrase important and memorable through vocal variety-a change of intensity, volume, and pitch

Subordination

de-emphasizes a word or phrase through vocal variety

Subtext

connotation or underlying ideas

Intensity

expresses internal emotions and ideas

Lyric poetry

presents an emotional experience and is generally short in length

Sonnet

a 14-line poem generally written with specific rhyme schemes

Rhyme scheme

the pattern of rhyme seen in the end words of lines of poetry

Figurative language

words used in a nonliteral way

Figure of thought

a poetic device used to compare one idea with another

Simile

a comparison using the word like or as

Metaphor

word or expression that represents a different concept or action without asserting a comparison

Metonymy

refers to an idea or object by mentioning a related idea

Synecdoche

refers to using a part of something to signify the whole

Personification

describes an inanimate object by giving it human characteristics

Figure of speech

does not try to alter the meaning of individual words for effect but arranges the words in a nonstandard manner

Apostrophe

creates direct address to either an absent person or an inanimate entity

Antithesis

creates contrast or opposition in the meanings of contiguous phrases or clauses

Parallelism

presents pairs of phrases possessing similar order or structure

Figure of sound

a device (like rhyme or alliteration) that enhances meaning by deliberate use of words with certain sounds

Rhyme

having the last syllable of one word match that of another word

Onomatopoeia

the use of words whose sounds suggest or reinforce their meaning

Alliteration

the repetition of phonetic sounds in a phrase or sentence

Consonance

the repetition of a sequence of two or more consonants from one vowel to another

Assonance

the repetition of similar vowel sounds in a series of words

Aesthetic distance

a figurative, mental distancing, rather than a physical one-a sense of being separated from the situation to which one is responding

Visualization

a personal response to imagery so that the audience is compelled to respond as well

Word color

creates the mood, developing the meaning of a word through its sound using force, pitch, quality, and rate

Vitalization

to animate the text by concentrating on the ideas and sharing in the emotion while speaking

Significant

a topic that has immediate importance

Plagiarism

using someone else's words or ideas as if they were your own

Brainstorming

making a list of random ideas on a subject

Grouping

using your brainstorming list to search for a topic by dividing the subjects into categories based on what they have in common

Cluster diagram

a diagram that begins with one idea and then branches out to other related ideas

General purpose

describes the goal of a speech

To inform

focuses on increasing the audience's knowledge or understanding of a topic

To persuade

focuses on moving the audience to acceptance and/or action

To inspire

focuses on encouraging the audience members to deepen their appreciation or to strengthen their beliefs

Thesis

the core sentence summarizing a speech

Central idea

the thesis of an informative speech

Proposition

the thesis of a persuasive speech

Support materials

reinforce your thesis

Testimony

a statement by someone who is an expert through either experience or education

Fact

a verifiable statement of truth

Statistics

numerical data that shows relationships

Example

uses one item to represent a whole group or prove a point

Narrative

a factual or fictional story

Illustration

a detailed verbal or visual example

Specific instance

a reference to an event, item, or person

Visual aid

any object shown to the audience to help explain or reinforce a verbal message

Definition

a statement or explanation of what a word or concept means

Comparison

shows the similarities between two things

Contrast

shows the difference between two things