This article explores Paul Ricœur’s philosophical reflections on the intersection of rhetoric and historiography, with particular attention to how narrative configuration and imagination play a central role in the representation of historical reality. Drawing primarily from La Métaphore vive, Temps et récit, and La Mémoire, l’histoire, l’oubli, the article examines how Ricœur conceives of the narrative act as a synthesis of epistemological rigor and rhetorical strategy. Ricœur argues that historical discourse cannot be reduced to mere factual reconstruction or to narrative artifice; rather, it involves a dynamic interplay between proof (documentary evidence), explanation and persuasion (rhetorical imagination, narrative configuration). The article emphasizes the ethical and cognitive function of rhetoric, especially through the concept of faire voir—the act of “making see”—which grants narrative its emotional and moral intensity. Drawing on Aristotle’s enargeia/energeia, as well as insights from Louis Marin and Hayden White, Ricœur discusses the visual and affective power of metaphor and narrative in shaping historical understanding. Particular attention is given to how historiography deals with singular, traumatic events such as the Holocaust, where the vividness and visibility afforded by narrative imagination serve both mnemonic and ethical purposes. The article ultimately contends that Ricœur offers a robust epistemological framework for understanding the unique referentiality of historical discourse—one that resists both naïve realism and radical constructivism. In times marked by post-truth and disinformation, Ricœur’s insistence on the bond between narrative, reference, and truth proves more relevant than ever. His thought warns against rhetorical closure and highlights the responsibility of historians to maintain both critical distance and ethical engagement through narrative representation.

Pragmatics is the branch of linguistics that has great importance in the field of language, which deals with contextual meaning. This paper explores how the field of pragmatics developed and became an important part of linguistics. This study traces the historical development of pragmatics, beginning with its philosophical foundations in classical rhetoric and advancing through the seminal contributions of Charles Morris, J. L. Austin, and H. P. Grice shaped the field with their theories on speech acts and implied meanings. Unlike syntax and semantics, which focus on structure and meaning, respectively, pragmatics examines how meaning is constructed and interpreted by speakers and listeners in real-life situations. The present paper focuses on the definitions, scope, principles and historical overview of pragmatics, along with its importance. Ultimately, this investigation underscores the significance of pragmatics as a field that not only explains how speakers convey meanings beyond literal expressions but also reveals how cultural norms, social relationships, and human cognition shape communication. The paper attempts to simplify the concept of pragmatics.

This study aims to integrate the analysis of metaphors in the Quran with Conceptual Metaphor Theory (CMT) introduced by Lakoff and Johnson (1980). The primary focus of the research is the analysis of four verses with legal dimensions, recommended by experts in Islamic interpretation and law for their complex metaphorical structure and legal impact. The research uses a descriptive-analytical qualitative approach that emphasizes cognitive linguistics and CMT. Corpus analysis was conducted in two stages: 1) revealing the structure of metaphors based on classical rhetoric, and 2) mapping conceptual metaphors through source and target domains. The main findings indicate that the metaphorical verses in the Quran exhibit a systematic conceptual-cognitive structure. For example, the phrase “aqimu sh-shalah” is interpreted as a metaphor for prayer as a building of faith; the phrase “wa la tas’amu an taktubuhu” represents the documentation of the contract as legally binding; the phrase “libas” is interpreted as a metaphor for the marital relationship, which can be understood across cultures; the phrase “faqtho’u aydiyahuma” represents the elimination of criminal potential. This analysis reveals that kinayah not only serves a rhetorical function but also shapes the conceptual framework of legal understanding. The impact of this research confirms that integrating classical balaghah with CMT can broaden the scope of comprehensive Quranic studies interpretation.

The study aims to identify the compositional structure and syntactic-stylistic features of Anglican ser- mons based on authentic texts within the framework of theolinguistic research, as well as to determine the functional role of linguistic means in fulfilling the communicative tasks of each structural component of the sermon. The methodology combines structural-compositional, syntactic, and quantitative-statistical analy- sis, which makes it possible to reveal consistent patterns in the use of syntactic constructions and rhetori- cal devices. The theoretical basis is theolinguistics—an interdisciplinary field of linguistics that studies the interaction between language and religion and the mechanisms of verbalising theological meanings in re- ligious discourse. The results reveal that Anglican sermons follow a four-part compositional structure: introduction, narration, interpretation, and conclusion. Each part exhibits distinct syntactic patterns: introductions typi- cally use quotations, rhetorical questions, and anaphoric repetition to engage the audience; narration em- ploys simple sentences and polysyndeton to create dynamic storytelling; interpretation develops complex logical reasoning through parallel constructions and logical connectors; and conclusions utilise parallelism, exclamatory and imperative constructions to summarise ideas and inspire action. Statistical analysis shows significant differences between sermon types, particularly in introductions and conclusions. Festive ser- mons demonstrate a higher frequency of emotional and figurative language, direct address, and exclama- tory constructions, while sacramental sermons show increased use of non-biblical quotations and person- alised addresses. Interpretation sections remain the most stable across all sermon types, indicating the universality of argumentative structures in religious preaching. The study also highlights how Anglican sermons balance traditional rhetorical models inherited from classical rhetoric with contemporary linguistic strategies to en- hance engagement and persuasion. Overall, the findings contribute to the understanding of religious dis- course as a distinct, cohesive, and pragmatically oriented communicative phenomenon, emphasising how linguistic choices shape spiritual meaning within faith communities. Future research is suggested to com- pare Anglican sermon discourse with that of other Christian denominations and explore historical chang- es in religious language use. The conclusion generalises the main content, using parallelism, repetition, imperatives, and excla- mations to motivate spiritual reflection. The stability of the interpretation and the variability of the intro- duction confirm the consistency of the logical-discursive core of the genre, while the syntax and stylistics of Anglican sermons are determined by rhetorical aims directed toward the informative, persuasive, emo- tional-expressive, and ethical functions of religious discourse.

The present article is a treatment of the ancient grammar concept vitium (vitia, grammatical mistakes) in the language of the Hisperic poetic circle. The second part of the "Hisperica famina" (lines 116–132 which are considered a separate poem and called “The twelve mistakes”) forms the research material, presumably created in Ireland in the 7th century. The poem "Twelve Errors" stands out against the backdrop of other poems in the corpus, as it represents a reflection on the correctness of poetic speech. In it, the author of the poem (the faminator) lays out his professional poetic terminology based on the tradition of Latin grammar. The author of the article explores the specific of the faminator's poetic language regarding his literary sources. To achieve this goal, the author of the article briefly summarizes the specific of grammatical terminology in the faminator's sources – Isidore of Seville's "Etymologies" and Aelius Donatus's "Ars Maior"–and then moves on to describe the influence of these concepts on the analyzed text. Methodologically, the study represents a poetic analysis aimed at describing the specific of Hisperic poetics in the mentioned poem. As the study shows, the faminator deliberately allows numerous violations of rhetoric and grammar rules (vitia), which gives the poetics of the text a satirical hue of overt polemics with the whole Latin grammatical tradition. The deliberate use of these errors (which were undesirable within the framework of classical rhetoric) such as barbarism, solecism, pleonasm, tautology, etc., allows the author to form his own poetic language, which also reveals the influence of the grammatical literature read by the faminator. The poetics of wordplay, based on triggering of the listener's (reader's) background knowledge, is an integral part of the aesthetics of "Hisperica Famina" and, likely, of the entire Hisperic circle. This study contributes to a deeper analysis of the continuity between ancient rhetoric and Latin literature in Ireland, especially within the framework of the Irish tradition of Latin rhetoric.

Pablo Neruda’s love poetry derives much of its poetic force from the deliberate use of repetition and parallelism, both of which constitute the poems’ emotional resonance and meaning. This essay examines the aesthetic, rhetorical, and affective valences of repetition and parallelism in the love poetry of Pablo Neruda, with particular attention to The Captain’s Verses. In this collection, Neruda’s iterative phrasing, syntax, and imageries act as the means through which desire, longing, and absence are intensified. These recurring patterns generate a rhythmic and musical cadence of repetition that is distinct. Guided by Roman Jakobson’s concept of poetic function, generative approaches of classical rhetoric, and stylistics based in contemporary scholarship, repetition and parallelism are analyzed as processes that assist interpretation and solicit interactivity as a reader. The strategies Neruda deploys mediate the porous boundary between private desire and communal emotion. This essay contends, through the close reading of Neruda’s emblematic poems and the integration of critical theory, that these poetic devices operate in synergistic concert as instruments of structural innovation, emotional amplification, and stylistic distinction.

The article contains a rhetorical analysis of the strategy of gaining the audience’s favour (Latin: captatio benevolentiae) in the speeches of Volodymyr Zelenskyy. The research material consists of 29 speeches the President of Ukraine delivered on the international stage during the first hundred days of the full-scale Russian–Ukrainian war. Using the tools of classical rhetoric, four methods of gaining the favour of the audience were identified: 1) referring to the speaker (creating the authority of the leader, praising Ukrainians); 2) referring to the enemy (arousing hostility towards Russians); 3) referring to the audience (complimenting, identifying and building a community) and 4) referring to the subject of the speech (defending universal values). The analysis shows that specific techniques of gaining the audience’s goodwill, originating from ancient rhetorical theory, are still used in political speeches.

Modern Stylistics and the Effect of Arabic Classical Rhetoric on Its Development

This paper analyzes essay writing in AI (ChatGPT) and high school students, focusing on their use of specific details. Discussing the writing examples from Waltzer, Cox, and Heyman’s study, we employ Aristotle’s rhetorical theory to explore how clarity is achieved through specificity in writing. The analysis reveals both ChatGPT and students commonly omit detailed content, affecting clarity and argumentative strength, which affects how humans may detect AI-generated text. The paper suggests reinstating elements of classical rhetoric pedagogy in writing courses, particularly the style device of specificity. This will, we believe, not only improve student writing but also help educators to detect AI-generated text.

This paper discusses rhetoric's historical evolution and theoretical foundations and criticism to scrutinize the significance of rhetoric criticism for oral and written discourse analysis. It emphasizes the lineage of classical rhetoric and its essential progression into contemporary rhetorical practices. These practices demonstrate the use of symbols as strategic and intentional tools for human communication, tracing their significant development from Ancient Greece through Rome to today's frameworks. Prominent figures such as Corax, Aristotle, Cicero, and Quintilian are critically examined for their pivotal contributions to rhetorical theory and its undeniable relevance to civic life. The paper effectively dissects Aristotle's framework of rhetoric, which encompasses three forms and three appeals: ethos, pathos, and logos, all vital components of persuasive language. Furthermore, the text addresses the transformative shift in communication modes during the Middle Ages and the Renaissance, wherein rhetoric became predominantly focused on philosophy, literature, and politics. In the present day, the scope of rhetoric has unequivocally expanded to include verbal, nonverbal, kinesthetic, and visual dimensions of communication. The paper also analyzes the critical methodologies employed in rhetorical criticism, highlighting the crucial role of the rhetorical critic in interpreting and evaluating rhetorical artifacts. Investigating various traditions and contemporary adaptations underscores the lasting significance of rhetoric across multiple disciplines, effectively connecting classical principles with modern communicative practices.

Abstract A standard strategy for analyzing a stylistically ungrammatical harmonic disjuncture is to argue that it ultimately can be interpreted as embraced within an overriding, logical voice-leading framework. In certain instances, however, such moments of discontinuity might be more fruitfully understood by appealing to expressive devices that have analogies with those employed by classical rhetoric for dealing with ungrammatical passages in language. This is especially so when an extreme harmonic discontinuity closely precedes a large formal/tonal return, as is proposed in a series of analyses of selected works by Joseph Haydn, C. P. E. Bach, and Ludwig van Beethoven.

Bioethics offers a transdisciplinary domain for framing ethical questions of how to move forward with cutting-edge medical technologies. The practice of Bioethics is structured in terms of a complex interrelationship between institutional facts – Law, Science, Ethics and Religion – which arise out of a specific social ontology that involves the ascription of hierarchies, status functions, rules, regulations, conventions, standards and principles. Even though within this transdisciplinary domain alternative enunciation scenes can be setted, each deriving its existence from social institutions, a form of collective intentionality is deployed through which “argumentative activity types” may take place (van Eemeren & Houtlosser, 2005). The focus of this article is on the peculiarities of arguments leading to conclusions in the contexts of decision-making on ethical questions of problematic clinical situations. Considering the fact that rhetorical possibilities within the conflicts that fuel the growth of ethics expertise in health care arise out not from an ideal of reciprocal persuasion but from irresolvable misunderstanding, it is our aim to identify the key elements of those rhetorical issues as they are developed in the field of Bioethics apart from the prime target of classical rhetoric: persuasion. The study will examine the possibilities and limits of consensus in this argumentative space where rhetorical paradigm leads to cognitive breakdowns and persuasive strategies failure rather than to intercomprehension and mutual intelligibility (Angenot, 2008)

This article examines the effectiveness of using the synergistic method during the analysis of the discourse of principled negotiations. The basic framework of the negotiation discourse encompasses the components of classical rhetoric – ethos, pathos, logos, through which the merits of principled negotiations are generally implemented. Negotiation discourse is a complex system conditioned by multi-component, intralinguistic and extralinguistic factors, the effective analysis of which implies competence in the methodology of complex systems. Thus, in order to perform such analysis, the synergistic method should be applied, which allows the researchers to conduct a multifaceted study of the negotiation discourse, considering it as a non-linear, open-system where the synergetic laws of self-organization and self-formation function.

Global advocacy is becoming increasingly crucial in the face of the escalating climate change catastrophe. Greta Thunberg's speech at the United Nations in 2019 captured the world's attention because of its message and presentation, which blended the power of Aristotelian rhetoric. Thunberg's speech included essential components of classical rhetoric, such as ethos (credibility), pathos (passion), and logos (logic), to make a compelling case for the urgency of climate change and the need for rapid action. This article examines how Thunberg's speech used these three aspects and how they might impact a worldwide audience and drive legislative change. This study demonstrates that the excellent use of rhetorical components made the address a watershed point in the history of the climate change movement, with a broad impact on global understanding of climate change.

This paper explores the intricate relationship between classical rhetoric, legal rhetoric and the inherent risks faced by advocates during courtroom speeches. It delves into the fundamental principles of persuasive communication within legal contexts and legal discourse, examining how choice of language, structure, tone and voice level can significantly influence trial outcomes and perceptions pf decision-makers and the audiences. The analysis highlights various rhetorical strategies employed by advocates while also addressing potential pitfalls, including the risk of misinterpretation, emotional overload, and the lack of trust on behalf of a judge. Through case studies and expert insights, the paper provides a comprehensive understanding of how effective rhetoric can navigate the complexities of legal discourse while mitigating associated risks. Ultimately, it aims to equip advocates with the necessary tools to enhance their representation practices within the courtroom setting.

This article takes Bede's account of the conversion of King Edwin of Northumbria as a case study in the mechanics and function of narrative. It is now recognized that Bede's sources for his Ecclesiastical History were very limited and that in composing it he relied upon his own deductions as a historian and upon his narrative skill to provide circumstantial detail and causal connections. This article shows how Bede exploited oral narratives to create his account of Edwin's conversion, harmonizing three, conflicting explanations for it. It analyses his use of oral stories, including traditional story types and folkloric stories, and argues that he combined these with additional information of his own invention to endow his History with causality and plausibility. In this, Bede was following the rules of classical rhetoric.

Goal. To describe the use of the situational task method in rhetoric classes at theUral Law Institute of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia. Methods. The article uses the following methods of scientific cognition: analysis of scientificliterature on the topic of research, the method of discursive analysis. Results. The formation of the communicative qualities of a police officer and the level offormation of a communicative culture, in general, affects the attitude of citizens to the lawenforcement system of the state. Professional communicative culture is formed during studies atthe Institute, including practical classes in rhetoric. Students study topics that introduce them toprofessional communications of employees of internal affairs bodies, perform tasks related to theuse of practice-oriented situational tasks. Solving situational problems in practical classes inrhetoric forms communicative competence, increases motivation to study the discipline and ensuresthe effectiveness of the entire educational process. Scientific novelty. The article demonstrates an element of the methodology of teaching rhetoricin educational institutions of the Ministry of Internal Affairs. Unlike teaching classical rhetoric,rhetoric for law enforcement officers is aimed at the realization of their professional tasks.

In the poem “Réponse à un acte d’accusation” (1856), Victor Hugo synthesized his poetic principles with the image of a wind blown from “a tempest at the bottom of the inkwell” on the tradition of fixed forms and classical rhetoric and about the state of the French language in general, divided, according to him, by a conservative and class perspective. Our objective here is to return to this “rhythmic” of Hugo’s pen, as Georges Didi-Huberman describes it, and comment on it from another “tempest” produced by poetry, the one, perhaps less romantic, or more serene, of Mallarmé, for whom writing must abandon the “inkwell without Night” to allow its readers to rediscover and recognize their own part of “darkness”. The essay aims, finally, to show to what extent the two French poets decisively contribute to the definitive desegregation between prose and poetry, between poetic gesture and revolutionary gesture.

Augustine, Martyrdom, and Classical Rhetoric by Adam Ployd (review)

Abstract This paper reconstructs and discusses a shift in meaning that has taken place in the modern history of the concealment of art, a history that begins in classical rhetoric. It first shows how the ars-est-celare-artem doctrine was taken up in the early modern period by authors such as Accetto, Castiglione and Gracián and translated into a concept of sprezzatura, an art of disguising that has both aesthetic and political implications. The authors in question emphasize the difference between manipulative deception (simulazione) and an ethically acceptable disguise (dissimulazione), a deliberate concealment of one’s own arts, skills and abilities, which on the one hand provides protection in a power-dominated courtly culture, and on the other is linked to the aesthetic ideals of grace and naturalness. The distinction between simulazione and dissimulazione, which was very common in the Baroque period in particular, faded into oblivion in the 18th century. Dissimulation now tended to be fully integrated into the concept of simulation.