Glossary

visually pleasing or beautiful to the viewer

Symbolic methods that aim either to elicit an emotion or to engage the audience's loyalties or commitments.

Virtue, personal excellence, and the ability to manage one's personal affairs in an intelligent manner so as to succeed in public life. Contrast arete (virtuous effectiveness) with sprezzatura (studied carelessness).

Rhetorical movement in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth
centuries that emphasized considerations of style in rhetoric, expanding rhetoric into
a study of literature literacy criticism, and writing generally.

A rhetorical setting in which persuasive language is used to reach new conclusions about the future through active debate. This is commonly seen in legislative governmental bodies, such as speeches given on the floor of the United States' Congress. Contrast rhetoric that is deliberative (debate for the future) with rhetoric that is epideictic (blame or praise for people) or forensic (determination about the past).

The people living in a society, particularly the commoners. These people are often the subject of rhetorical influences by the ruling classes. Contrast demos (the people) with polis (the state).

Being laughed or mocked at

Arguments that have contradicting ideas that are both true. The goal is to reach a logical conclusion. Contrast dialectic (deductive use of language) with rhetoric (persuasive use of language).

The process of revealing or uncovering something

Plans or preparations for future events

Debating topics to find truth in religion and science.

A belief or opinion. These audience beliefs are used as a sources of manipulation through persuasion. Contrast doxa (belief about) with pistis (faith in), episteme (knowledge about), or techne (knowledge how to).

A response from someone in reaction to your own question and answer

Ideas, beliefs, or opinions that have become so widespread as to be generally accepted by an entire population. Consider as examples the French emphasis on liberty or the American ideal of independence. Contrast endoxa (population-wide shared beliefs) with doxa (common, but still individual, beliefs)

A philosophical movement that took place during the 18th century. "The actor being enlighten"

A logic/rational argument where the meaning behind the argument is not explicitly stated. Contrast an enthymeme (used in rhetoric) with a syllogism (used in dialectic).

A rhetorical setting in which persuasive language is used to praise or blame a person or group. This is commonly seen in executive governmental bodies, such as speeches given by the United States President. Contrast rhetoric that is epideictic (blame or praise for people) with rhetoric that is deliberative (debate for the future)or forensic (determination about the past).

Reasoned, certain knowledge. This kind of knowledge is gained through reasoning or education. Contrast episteme (knowledge about) with doxa (belief about), pistis (faith in), or techne (knowledge how to).

The function of discourse that points us to language's capacity itself; expresses its power to explain, interest, debate, or cause harm. Contrast eristic (insight through linguistic meaning) with heuristic (insight through investigation) or protreptic (insight through persuasion).

The beginning introduction of a speech, which sets an impression or expectation.

For Vico, the power of imagination to order the world; active when humans formulate myths.

A rhetorical setting in which persuasive language is used to reach determinations about the past through active debate. This is commonly seen in judicial governmental bodies, such as arguments given in the United States’ criminal court system. Contrast rhetoric that is forensic (determination about the past) with rhetoric that is deliberative (debate for the future) or epideictic (blame or praise for people).

The function of discourse that is of revelation from uncovered truths/information, enlightenment, or self-consciousness. Contrast heuristic (insight through investigation) with eristic (insight through linguistic meaning) or protreptic (insight through persuasion).

a creation by someone or something

A clear, and logical explanation presented with factual evidence. Contrast appeals to logos (reasoning) with ethos (credibility) and pathos (emotion).

The interchange of rhetorical ideas or arguments either verbally or in written format

Faith in a thing, particularly in the absence of evidence. This faith is personal and specific, rather than common and widely held, as with doxa. Contrast pistis (faith in) with episteme (knowledge about), doxa (belief about), or techne (knowledge how to).

In Campbell’s rhetorical theory, discourse that is instantly believable
because of its close association with an audience’s experience of their social world.

The city-state. This term specifically refers to the abstract socio-governmental system in which people live. Contrast polis (the state) with demos (the people).

The function of discourse that expresses the ability of words to change a person's thinking patterns or the language's power to persuade or dissuade in accordance to what the speaker wants. Contrast protreptic (insight through persuasion) with heuristic (insight through investigation) or eristic (insight through linguistic meaning).

Questions/Points to be debated.

A situation applying to all citizens of a state, literally a “public matter”.

Someone that uses rhetoric

The use of symbol systems to influence others. Rhetoric often involves the use of language to motivate human actions, but clothing, buildings, expressions, and sounds are also each used rhetorically. Contrast rhetoric (persuasive use of language) with dialectic (deductive use of language).

The interchange of persuasive ideas or arguments, either verbally or written.

The interchange of rhetorical ideas or arguments either verbally or in written format

Brief moral sayings (i.e. proverbs, aphorism)

According to Aristotle, the three situations in which rhetoric can be used to make discoveries. See deliberative, epideictic, and forensic for details.

Professional teachers and practitioners of rhetoric.

ancient Greek word for wise

Easy grace and casual self-confidence. When someone possesses this characteristic, they are often more easily believed because their effort to persuade is disguised. Contrast sprezzatura (studied carelessness) with arete (virtuous effectiveness).

A point of disagreement, literally meaning ‘stoppage’. The four stases at which point disagreements occur are, in order:

Questions of fact—Did a thing happen?
Questions of definition—Does that thing qualify (for instance, as a crime)?
Questions of quality—How severe was the thing?
Questions of policy—What laws should apply to this situation?

The order of stases is important, as questions at lower levels cannot be considered until agreement is reached (and thus stoppage is ended) at all levels above.

Having sound argumentation with proper use of emotions; theorized about in a treatise by Longinus.

Skill within an art or discipline. These skills are particularly specific and context-dependent; they are knowledge of how to do a thing. Trade schools, for instance, teach technē, whereas universities focus on episteme. Contrast techne (knowledge how to) with episteme (knowledge about), doxa (belief about), or pistis (faith in).

Literally, “places”. The topoi help speakers figure out the purpose of their argument by identifying their starting point.

A teacher or student who is knowledgable of classical literature and the arts.

Literally, “a good citizen who speaks well”; an accomplished rhetorician.