Unit 1 vocab words

audience

The listener, viewer, or reader of a text.

concession

An acknowledgment that an opposing argument may be true or reasonable

connotation

Meanings or associations that readers have with a word beyond its dictionary definition, or denotation

context

The circumstances, atmosphere, attitudes, and events surrounding a text.

counterargument

An opposing argument to the one a writer is putting forward.

ethos

Greek for “character.” - credible and trustworthy

logos

Greek for “embodied thought.” - reason, facts

occasion

The time and place a speech is given or a piece is written.

pathos

Greek for “suffering” or “experience.” - emotions

polemic

Greek for “hostile.” An aggressive argument that tries to establish the superiority of one opinion over all others

propaganda

The spread of ideas and information to further a cause

purpose

The goal the speaker wants to achieve

refutation

A denial of the validity of an opposing argument

rhetoric

As Aristotle defined the term, “the faculty of observing in any given case the available means of persuasion.” - finding how to persuade an audience

rhetoric appeals

Rhetorical techniques used to persuade an audience by emphasizing what they find most important or compelling

rhetorical triangle

A diagram that illustrates the interrelationship among the speaker, audience, and subject in determining a text.

SOAPS

Subject, Occasion, Audience, Purpose, and Speaker.

speaker

The person or group who creates a text

subject

The topic of a text. What the text is about

text

While this term generally means the written word, in the humanities it has come to mean any cultural product that can be “read” — meaning not just consumed and comprehended, but investigated

persona

Greek for “mask.” The face or character that a speaker shows to his or her audience.