Lang Terms Test

Rhetorical Situtation

Speaker (who is talking), Purpose (what they are trying to say), Audience (who they are speaking to), Context (broader issues going on in the world), Exigence (why specifically they chose to talk about that)

Aristotelian Triangle

a diagram that illustrates the relationship between speaker, subject, and audience in rhetorical situation

ethos

Greek word for characters

Established of speakers in what they say and who they are; appeals to audience’s trust in the character, authority, or expertise of speaker

logos

Greek for “embodied thought”

Appeals to reason and logic by offering clear, rational ideas and using specific details, examples, facts, statistics, or expert testimony as back for claims; usually primary mode to elicit audience agreement

pathos

Greek for suffering or experience

Appeals to specific emotions like fear, patriotism, prejudices, anger, or hope; usually primary mode to elicit audience action

tone

The speaker’s attitude toward the subject as revealed by his or her choice of language

style

examining sentence structure and word choice to discover meaning, purpose and effect of a text

archaic language

using language that is antiquated (old-fashioned)

alliteration

use of words with same consonant sound close together

colloquialism

using language that reflects the way people actually speak (slang)

connotation

the implied or contextualized meaning that underlies the main meaning of a word (consider emotional or intellectual interpretation)

denotation

the literal, dictionary definition of a word

ellipsis

omitting some parts of a sentence to give the reader a chance to fill the gaps

jargon

using language that is specific to a place, period, position, or occupation

repetition

repeating words, in order to emphasize or reiterate

simple sentence structure

one independent clause

complex sentence structure

one independent clause and one dependent clause

compound sentence structure

two independent clauses joined with a conjunction

compound-complex sentence structure

more than one sentence joined by a conjunction, one of which is complex; a compound sentence with a dependent or subordiante clause

cumulative sentence sentence structure

sentence where main clause is at the beginning and then more is added on

hortative sentence structure

sentence that exhorts, urges, entreats, implores, or calls to action

imperative sentence structure

sentence that commands or demands

periodic sentence

sentence where main clause is withheld until the end

anaphora

repetition of words/phrases at the beginning of successive phrases, clauses, lines

antimetabole/chiasmus

repetition of words in reverse order

antithesis

opposition or contrast of ideas/words in parallel construction

asyndeton

omission of conjunctions between coordinate phrases, clauses, words (speeds up)

syndeton

addition of multiple conjunctions between coordinate phrases, clauses, words (slows down(

juxtaposition

placement of two things closely together to emphasize differences

parallelism

similarity of structure in a pair or series of related words, phrases, clauses

alliteration

repetition of the same sound beginning several words or syllables in sequence

allusion

reference to another source

anecdote

a usually short narrative of an interesting, amusing, or biographical incident used to explain, illustrate, or persuade

atecedent

a thing or event that existed before or logically precedes another; what pronouns refer to

assonance

repeating vowel sounds

consanance

repetition of identical or similar consonants in neighboring words

epithet

a characterizing word or phrase accompanying or occurring in place of the name; disparaging or abusive word or phrase

euphemism

the substitution of an agreeable or inoffensive expression for one that may offend

extended metaphor

a comparison between two unlike things that continues throughout a series of sentences

hyperbole

deliberate exaggeration

imagery

descriptive language appealing to all five sense, using words to paint a picture

maxim

a short, pithy statement expressing a general truth or rule of conduct

metaphor

comparison that replaces one object for another

metonymy

substitution of the name for an attribute of the thing meant

motif

repeating symbol throughout a text

oxymoron

using 2 contradictory words next to each other

paradox

a statement that seems contradictory or opposed to common sense yet is perhaps true

personification

describing an inanimate object as if it were a person

rhetorical question

posing a question for effect rather than to get an answer

simile

comparison that uses like or as

symbol

object used to represent an idea or theme

synecdoche

using one part to represent a whole

tone

author’s attitude toward a subject and/or character

zeugma

using two different meanings of the same word within a sentence/line

claims of fact

asserts that something is true or not; is arguable on basis of fact

claims of value

asserts that something is good or bad, right or wrong, or is a cause or effect; draws conclusions from claims of fact

claims of policy

suggests a course of action as a result of the claims of fact and value

first-hand evidence

based on something the writer knows from personal experience, observations, or general knowledge of events

second-hand evidence

accessed through research, reading, investigation, interviews, polls

concession

an acknowledgement that an opposing argument may be true or reasonable, usually accompanied by a refutation

refutation

denial of the validity of an opposing argument in part or in whole, usually accompanied by a concession in order to sound more reasonable

qualify (a claim)

to make a claim about qualities, or what something is, or is caused by, about what something affects, or about the nature or properties of a thing to gain an understanding of underlying reasons, opinions, and motivations. To make a qualifying claim is to provide insights into a problem or help to develop ideas or hypotheses. Words such as usually, often, frequently, many, most, or in general

quantify (a claim)

claims and information about quantities; generating numerical data or statistics. It is use to quantify attitudes, opinions, behaviors, and other defined variables, and is usually limited to how much, how many, how often, or how popular/famous

ad hominem

attacking character of speaker instead of addressing topic (relevance)

post hoc ergo propter hoc (faulty causality)

assuming that because one event or action follows another, the first causes the second (accuracy)

slippery slope (false dilema)

scare tactic that claims one action will lead to another, more extreme action presenting two extreme options as the only possibilities (accuracy)

straw man

oversimplifying an example to ridicule or refute opponent (accuracy)

bandwagon appeal

evidence boils down to everybody’s doing it, so it must be good (insufficiency)

non sequitur

claim where reason doesn’t actually connect logically (accuracy)

appeal to false authority

using someone as an expert who is not actually an expert (relevance)

faulty analogy

drawing a comparison between two things that is logically irrelevant (relevance)

red herrings

introducing new and unrelated topic before addressing argument topic (relevance)

circular reasoning

presenting the claim as if it is the evidence (insufficiency)

hasty generalization

using a single anecdote or example to make a major/larger point (insufficiency)

stack the deck

argument that shows only one side of the story and refuses to even admit the existence of counterargument

open thesis

does not list all the points the writer intends to include, is usually inductive in its claim, and suggests a more abstract or universal claim of value

closed thesis

makes a more specific, limited claim of value, includes a list of the main points to follow

counter argument

usually starts with summary of primary counterargument, is preceded by “but” or “although”, and is usually followed by the writer’s primary claim