Rhetoric and Language Terminology

A set of vocabulary flashcards defining key rhetorical and literary terms based on the lecture notes.

Rhetorical question

The circumstances that influence writing or speech; purpose, audience, topic, speaker, and context

Context

The circumstances that surround the act of writing or reading, and how these circumstances shape, what is communicated and how it is communicated

Exigence

The problem or concern that motivates a speaker or writer to communicate

Persona

The character or personality of the speaker/author that the audience perceives behind the text

Indignant

angry because of injustice, noun form is indignation

Kairos

The timeliness of a persuasive speech or text. There is a right time to persuade people.

Ethos

Appeals to the audience's trust (good character, good will, good sense).

Pathos

Appeals to an audience's emotions (pity, indignation, fear, etc.) in order to persuade them.

Logos

Appeals to an audience's logic or reason.

Connotations

The additional ideas and emotions that a word evokes that are not part of its definition.

Figurative Language

The use of words and phrases in a non-literal way to create a special meaning, evoke emotions, or make descriptions more vivid and impactful.

Imagery

Language that evokes a mental image or other kinds of sense impressions (visual, auditory, gustatory, olfactory, tactile, synesthetic)

Diction

The authors word choices, including their connotations and denotations (literal definitions)

Details

The facts an author choses to include ( the who, what, when , where, why, and how)

Syntax

The order of words in a sentence, sentence structure