Rhetorical Elements Research Articles

Pragmatic force modifiers in English-medium master's thesis defenses in Taiwan universities

This corpus-based study uses quantitative and qualitative methods to analyze pragmatic force modifiers (PFMs) in seven English-medium Master's thesis defenses from four Taiwan universities. The study reveals a broad distribution of modifiers in the defense corpus, which adds to the research on the commonality of linguistic features in various academic genres and implies that academic discourse norms play a greater role than linguistic/cultural conventions in their widespread prevalence. Striking similarities in the type and frequency of the modifiers of the committee and candidate sub-corpora suggest their functions as effective rhetorical elements, and that they are used by both groups to co-structure institutionally accredited defense discourses, secure original contributions to disciplinary knowledge, and denote the acculturation of new members to the academic community. However, significant differences occur, which can be attributed to the influence of institutional duties, dynamic roles, and communicative aims in distinct interaction patterns. Role fluidity is largely a manifestation of the enhanced resourcefulness of committees in helping candidates succeed in the high-stakes event. These findings have considerable significance for awareness-raising and linguistic training activities designed to prepare students for English-medium oral defenses.

Analiza retoryczna Wywiadu z historią Oriany Fallaci

Artykuł dotyczy retoryki dziennikarskiej w wywiadzie politycznym. Cel: Wskazanie retorycznych zabiegów stosowanych przez Orianę Fallaci w zbiorze Wywiad z historią. Metoda badawcza: Artykuł jest próbą analizy retorycznej. Omawiane są elementy retoryczne występujące w przedmowie do tomu, w sylwetkach bohaterów rozmów oraz korpusach wywiadów. Wywiady Fallaci są ułożone na filarach dopełniających się strategii perswadowania – logosu, etosu, patosu. Według tego klucza opracowano materiał, co pozwoliło na omówienie wybranych retorycznych sposobów odwoływania się do rozumu, woli i emocji. Wyniki i wnioski: W odniesieniu do przedmowy wyróżniono toposy wstępu (nowości, zwięzłości i skromności, humoru), odwołania do odbiorcy, samej siebie oraz tematu jako sprawy wspólnej. W sylwetkach bohaterów i korpusach wywiadów ukazano funkcję pouczenia przypisaną do argumentacji racjonalnej, dowodzenia. Wśród technik dziennikarki należących do sfery etosu wskazano na argumentację aksjologiczną, stosowanie figur myśli (antytezy, dyskredytowanie). Sferę patosu scharakteryzowano między innymi poprzez omówienie metaforyki. Wartość poznawcza: Artykuł uzupełnia lukę w badaniach dotyczących metody Oriany Fallaci – analiza retoryczna jej rozmów nie była dotąd podejmowana. Opisane techniki mają prócz teoretycznego także wymiar praktyczny, mogą być adaptowane, rozwijane w praktyce medialnej.

Ignorance as a productive response to epistemic perturbations

This paper argues that ignorance, rather than being a result or representation of false beliefs or misinformation, is a compensatory epistemic adaptation of complex rhetoric systems. A rhetoric system is here defined as a set of interconnected rhetorical elements (beliefs, arguments, commonplaces [loci communes], meanings, and texts) that cohere into a self-organized system that is thoroughly “about” its contexts—meaning that its own boundaries and relations are both constrained and enabled by the contexts in which it exists. Ignorance, as described here, is epistemic management that preserves the boundaries and relations of a rhetoric system, and is a way of dealing with information that runs counter to one’s beliefs. Ignorance is also productive, in that it produces new knowledge that works to make rhetoric systems more resistant to potential destabilization. To elaborate these points, the paper examines discourse about the phenomenon of global climate change, which illustrates how individuals productively counter information as a way of preserving beliefs. As the paper argues, ignorance is neither a cognitive nor epistemological failure, but rather is a result of the dynamic and continuous process of enforcing epistemic and rhetorical boundaries.

ETHOS, PATHOS, LOGOS: THE VERSATILITY OF A HIJAB VIDEO ADVERTISEMENT

Advertisement is a medium of communication utilized by organizations in order to convey their intended messages to their targeted audience. It can be divided into two main groups which are digital and physical advertising. As for video advertising which is the chosen business document for this paper, it belongs in the former type. Nowadays, it can be seen that more organizations are inclined towards the utilization of video advertising as it is believed as capable in reaching to maximum number of audiences in no time. Therefore, the rhetorical elements of ethos, pathos, and logos are adapted as the instrument in analysing the selected video advertisement. These aforementioned elements are categorized as appeals which serve different functions and have the ability in helping to increase the persuasiveness level. With that, the objective of this paper is to examine how the rhetorical elements are used in the video advertisement of a hijab brand. As for the findings, it shows that ethos, pathos and logos are being used synergically as the persuasive tools to influence the audience. With the presence of this study, it is hoped that it can shed some light on the effectiveness of implementing these rhetorical elements in video advertisements. Article visualizations:

"MEKDI" SCARY DELIVERY ADS: THE ANALYSIS OF RHETORICAL ELEMENTS

Aristotle’s Rhetorical persuasive elements, namely logos, ethos, and pathos, are widely adapted in any kind of business document with the intention to hook the audience’s attention. This paper analyses one McDonald’s (also known as “MEKDI” in Malaysia) video advertisement on the application of rhetorical elements based on Aristotle’s persuasion of appeal. Identifying these three elements is the main purpose of this paper in realising the persuasive content drawn towards the audience in the advertisement, leading this paper to conclude whether the usage of rhetoric element strategies is overwhelming or not, given the author’s specific purpose and specific audience. The document studied is one video advertisement of the famous fast-food chain McDonald’s Malaysia. The rhetorical analysis was used to interpret the meaning of this assessment topic. Based on the findings, the video advertisement uses emotional content to engage with the audience rather than the rational quality of the advertisements where the logic of health and nutrition claims are not salient concerns. Further studies should include audience feedback to enable data triangulation for validation purposes as this paper is only to ascertain the rhetorical elements used in the advertisements and does not consider the rhetorical elements that appeal more to the audience. Article visualizations:

Ответ на вопрос: что такое постправда? Перспектива проблематологии

<p>В статье поднимается вопрос о том, какими могут быть основания у рациональности и духовно-нравственных ценностных установок в XXI в. в мире, отмеченном господством так называемой «политики постправды». Для ответа автор обращается к концепциям постправды теоретика риторики Брюса Маккомиски и социального эпистемолога Стива Фуллера и производит их сравнение, более подробно останавливаясь на первой.</p><p>С точки зрения Маккомиски, ситуация постправды отличается от более ранней ситуации изменением преобладающего риторического режима — если ранее «брехня» (термин Гарри Франкфурта) политических деятелей, СМИ и медиа затрагивала этос и пафос коммуникации, оставляя логос по большей части нетронутым, то в наши дни, после референдума о Брексите и избрания Дональда Трампа президентом США, логос оказался подвергнут обесцениванию. Проанализировав подход Маккомиски с учетом концепции Фуллера, автор делает вывод, что рассмотрение предмета первым недостаточно, поскольку постправда обладает не только отрицательным (как полагает Маккомиски), но и положительным измерением.</p><p>Для того чтобы описать оба данных измерения, автор прибегает к риторической теории Мишеля Мейера — проблематологии. С ее помощью он демонстрирует, что упор, который Маккомиски делает на логосе, избыточен и что «объективные факты» (якобы оказавшиеся под угрозой в мире постправды) включают в себя не только логос, но и остальные риторические компоненты.</p><p>Автор приходит к заключению, что проблематологическая парадигма с ее акцентом на вопрошании способна дать основание для рациональности и нравственных ценностей в мире, вышедшем из «состояния постмодерна».</p>

Para (re)ler “Vozes-mulheres”: Conceição Evaristo e a dialética da ancestralidade

O presente artigo tem por objetivo apresentar uma leitura para “Vozes-mulheres”, um dos mais conhecidos poemas de Conceição Evaristo, publicado originalmente no livro Poemas da recordação e outros movimentos. Por intermédio de uma leitura em profundidade, que leve em consideração também o conjunto de elementos retóricos, formais e rítmicos presentes na composição, aqui se tenciona abordar o modo como o referido poema apresenta um complexo processo dialético, protagonizado exclusivamente por figuras femininas – a saber: a bisavó, a avó, a mãe, o próprio eu lírico e sua filha –, ao longo do qual estas alcançam a determinação de sua própria liberdade. Por conseguinte, neste artigo o que se pretende é não apenas apresentar uma inovadora leitura para “Vozes-mulheres”, mas também contribuir de modo significativo para a fortuna crítica acerca da significativa produção poética de Conceição Evaristo – que, a despeito de sua importância, vem atraindo menos atenção de pesquisadores do que sua obra em prosa.

ANALISIS BERITA POLITIK PADA SURAT KABAR HARIAN (SKH) KEDAULATAN RAKYAT TENTANG PEMBERANTASAN KORUPSI DI ERA PEMERINTAHAN JOKOWI-JK

This study examines the Political News Analysis of the Sovereignty of the People's Sovereignty on Eradicating Corruption as the Independence of the Mass Media in Proclaiming the Performance of the Jokowi-JK Government which focuses on 1 year of its administration (20 October 2014 October 20 2015). This research is based on two things, namely: first, how is the analysis of the political news regarding Corruption Eradication in the local mass media (Kedaulatan Rakyat) in reporting on the performance of the Jokowi-JK government; second, how the independence of the local mass media in reporting on the performance of the Jokowi-JK government in the area of ??corruption eradication. Media independence is seen from the method of Qualitative Approach with Critical Paradigm namely Critical Discourse Analysis; using Teun A. van Dijk's Model Analysis of text production involving aspects of cognition and social context. The production of text in the political news regarding the Eradication of Corruption in Judging the Performance of the Jokowi-JK Government presented by the Kedaulatan Rakyat SKH is a strong text structure. The Kedaulatan Rakyat Daily Newspaper is able to provide detailed Semantic Structure and more coherent relationships between words / sentences. In addition, the Kedaulatan Rakyat Daily Newspaper minimizes graphics and metaphor as rhetorical elements so as to be able to present more real and factual news. starting from text, social cognition and social context. The news on SKH Kedaulatan Rakyat is able to present the factual news objectivity in accordance with the truth and relevance. Not only that, the objectivity of the news about justice is able to be fulfilled by the People's Sovereignty SKH by presenting balanced news and explaining it more neutral without the support of the mass media.
 Keywords: Political News, Independence, Mass Media, Eradication of Corruption

Speech and its dimensions. A case of the emergence, tradition and continuity of the theory of rhetoric In the contemporary digital media landscape

Less research today is interested in the contemporary place of speech as communicated contents in the contemporary media landscape, which is drastically different from historical stages of media use with speech as a phenomenon of orality or literality. Despite its foundation in rhetoric as associated theory and practice of oral speech, the theory of rhetoric has provided us since Greek antiquity with a stable and established approach for a theoretical reflection of media and speech. This article presents the main concepts of speech that are today used in different approaches to research. It describes the historical elements of rhetoric for a typological approach to speech in five dimensions (speech as the realization of language, as an utterance, as a discourse, as a genre of traditional rhetoric, and as mediated contents). Finally, it discusses and demonstrates how these dimensions are elements of the production process of persuasive rhetoric in the theory of rhetoric that is present in the current media landscape with oral communication, speech in mechanical media, legacy media, and new media.

Amores I.1: Amores'in İzdüşümü

Romalı ünlü elegeia ozanı Ovidius'un yirmili yaşlarının başlarında yazdığı ilk yapıtı Amores, üç kitapçık ve aşk elegeia'sı türünde yazılmış 49 şiirden oluşur. Bu türde yapıtlar veren Gallus, Tibullus ve Propertius'tan sonra dördüncü ve son sırada gelen Ovidius'la birlikte aşk elegeia'sı da en parlak dönemini görerek son bulur. Amores'in ilk şiiri, yapıtın tamamının genel özelliklerini barındırır. Bu bağlamda şiirde altı öge tespit edilmiştir. (Hellenistik Dönem Şiirinin etkisi, retorik ögeler içermesi, komik dil, durum ve mantık üzerine kurulmuş espriler bulunması, inanç ve mitolojinin kullanılma biçimi, Ovidius'un ozan kimliği ve sanatına verdiği değeri göstermesi ve de âşık ozan karakterini yansıtması). Bu çalışmada her bir öge, kısaca tanıtıldıktan sonra Amores'in ilk şiiri ve yapıtın tamamında Ovidius'un tutumu örneklerle açıklanacaktır. Bu sayede ilk şiirin Amores'in genel yapısını nasıl yansıttığı gösterilecektir.

Dissensus, Resistance, and Ideology: Design Thinking as a Rhetorical Methodology

Design thinking—at times described as a mind-set, practice, process, method, methodology, tool, heuristic, and more—is a productive, iterative approach used to engage divergent thinking. Often made up of stages incorporating empathy, definition, ideation, prototyping, and testing, design thinking provides a framework for identifying and approaching problems. Design thinking, however, generally lacks a critical–rhetorical–methodological structure that makes room for what Rebecca Burnett called “substantive conflict,” or “conflict that deals with critical issues of content and rhetorical elements.” This article situates design thinking across the professional and academic spaces in which it is heralded and implemented in order to explore how it can be used in collaborative contexts to support substantive, productive dissensus. The authors lean on the ways in which they engage in design thinking in their different roles to situate the good, the bad, and the ugly of design thinking. They conclude by suggesting a rhetorical methodology for cultivating design thinking that facilitates dissensus, addresses resistance, and considers ideological variables.

A metacognitive intervention for teaching fractions to students with or at-risk for learning disabilities in mathematics

Assessment data from the United States and international reports of student achievement indicate that upper elementary students are failing to meet basic levels of proficiency in fractions and writing, and that this is particularly prevalent with students with or at-risk for learning disabilities in mathematics. Proficiency with fractions has been identified as foundational for learning higher-level mathematics but remains one of the most difficult skills for students to learn. In addition, students’ difficulty with fractions is exacerbated because of increased chances of comorbidity with language learning problems, particularly difficulties constructing arguments and communicating using writing. We describe FACT + R2C2, a language-based, metacognitive instructional intervention that was designed using the Self-Regulated Strategy Development model (SRSD) for teaching foundational concepts of fractions. The results from two studies in which the intervention was administered to upper elementary students who exhibit mathematics difficulties indicated selected increases in students’ computational accuracy, quality of mathematical reasoning, number of rhetorical elements, and total words. With evidence of improved performance in these areas, FACT + R2C2 holds promise for helping these students become proficient self-regulated learners.

Penyalahgunaan Media Sosial Sebagai Alat Propaganda

Changes in the communication of information continue to occur along with the advancement of technology in the digital era. Nowadays everyone can work as a journalist even though he or she has never learned the basics of journalism. The public also frequently receive information or news that raise the eyebrows — ranging from disaster threats to information about the political world. The finding of this research is that often information that circulates in the hands of Warganet is a hoax and even hate speech, despite the government efforts to reduce the spread of hoax and hate speech. With this paper, the author aims at disclosing the propaganda elements in the hoax and hate speech in the social media as in the digital era the social media is the most vulnerable in spreading of hoax news and hate speech. By utilising qualitative content analysis, the author discusses five hoax news and hate speeches which are dissected using nine propaganda practices. The conclusion obtained by the author is that the hoax news and hate speech comprise of elements of exaggeration, rhetoric, recognition and influence on a variety of parties, as well as prejudices supplemented by emotions.

Vocabulary, Story and Ideology in the Rhetoric of Persuasive Speech

Taking the theories of classical rhetoric as a starting point, we deal with inventio, dispositio, elocutio, memory and actio, common in every communicative act, and we will focus on two essential elements of persuasive rhetoric: one that is related to elocutio, that is, the selected vocabulary that determines the intention that the source has at the time of making the speech, and the other related to the inventio, that is, the type of discourse selected: the story or the narration as a format in which the discourse is framed to reach the recipient with the least amount of effort, and the greatest possible effectiveness. So, from this approach, we will study the word and the “mold” through which the discourse arrives to obtain an emotional response in the recipients.

Arbor Praedicandi. Some Remarks on Dispositio in Mediaeval Sermons (on the Example of Sermo 39 “Semen Est Verbum Dei” by Mikołaj of Błonie)

The main aim of this paper is to present the motif of a tree-shaped compositional scheme called arbor picta (arbor praedicandi) and to show it against the field of rhetorical elements such as dispositio and memoria as found in mediaeval sermons. The basic sources for the analysis of this question are two fourteenth-century theoretical treatises on the art of preaching (manuals: Libellus artis preadicatorie by Jacobus de Fusignano and Tractatulus solennis de arte et vero modo praedicandi by Pseudo-Thomas Aquinas), and one of the sermons from the collection de tempore of a fifteenth-century Polish preacher, Mikołaj of Błonie (Dominica sexagesime: sermo 39 “Semen est verbum Dei”). The problems of arbor praedicandi, which are part of a broader field of study on the structure of sermons, editorial methods of texts and mnemonics, were the subject of interest of many researchers such as H. Caplan, O.A. Dieter, S. Khan, S. Wenzel. In Poland, this issue has not yet become a subject of proper study. In order to analyse this scheme in the treatises of Jacobus de Fusignano and Pseudo-Thomas Aquinas, as well as in the exemplary sermon, the paper briefly outlines the existence of topics and images of the tree in the writings of the Middle Ages (e.g. lignum vitae, arbor sapientiae, arbor amoris). Then fragments from the manuals of Jacobus de Fusignano and Pseudo-Thomas Aquinas are presented in which the authors discussed the scheme in question and explained its importance for the practice of preaching. An analysis of a practical example—here: sermo 39 from Mikołaj of Błonie’s collection de tempore—shows the creative use of the tree scheme in the sermon by the Polish preacher (with the speculative assumption that Mikołaj of Błonie knew Jacobus’s theory of preaching). Particular attention is also paid to the circumstances of the development of the art of preaching in the late Middle Ages in Poland. Finally, the importance of the concept of the sermon as a tree for the elements of rhetoric such as dispositio/divisio/partito and memoria is emphasised. In this study, it is shown that the use of the tree scheme in presenting abstract concepts and structuring texts allowed preachers and their audiences to visualise vague and often difficult ideas, as well as to describe their relationship within the subjects of the sermons. Therefore, the use of the scheme in the Middle Ages had great significance for ars memorativa and the didactic dimensions.

Ecological Civilisation and the Political Limits of a Chinese Concept of Sustainability

Since it was first endorsed by President Hu Jintao in 2007, ecological civilisation (EC) has developed into a central element of the green rhetoric of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). The political promotion of EC by the Chinese leadership has been supported by a theoretical argument, according to which EC could provide an alternative development theory capable of revolutionising the ecocidal global economic order and bring about a global ecological transition. Does EC present a new theory of development enabling Chinese scholars to contribute meaningfully to the global discussion on sustainable development? What does the circulation of EC between the political and academic spheres tell us about the ability of “social sciences with Chinese characteristics” to produce innovative concepts and theories of sustainability? This article analyses what ecological civilisation brings to the study of sustainability in China as well as globally, through an analysis of the relationship between knowledge and power that has underpinned its development. Based on a qualitative analysis of political documents and a comprehensive review of Chinese academic publications on EC, it unpacks the different layers of political and theoretical meanings that have been invested in the concept of EC over time by CCP ideologues and by scholars; and then analyses the influence that EC has had on China’s sustainability research. It argues that the political discourse of EC has increasingly limited the way in which scholars engage critically with capitalism, democracy, and other elements of green political theory. However, it also shows that many Chinese scholars, while subscribing to the EC discourse, have continued to press for the development of their disciplinary contribution to the global scientific discussion on sustainability.

‘Do not expect me to stay quiet’: Challenges in managing a historical strategic resource

In this paper we explore how a historical strategic resource (HSR) could be used by an organization. We propose that within an organization, HSR is both an asset and an arena for power struggle. Our contributions stand at several levels at the crossroads of strategic management and organizational studies. First, we show the importance of various stakeholders in constructing a HSR. Second, we highlight its complexity due to its embeddedness with history. The fact that a HSR could be akin to a public good implies that its rents are difficult to control for organizations. To uncover what is meant by a historical resource, we first present a review of the resource-based theory and the uses of the past in organizations from the perspective of organization theory and organizational history. We then present our fieldwork, which focuses on Emmaus, a major charity organization in France, and its founder, Abbé Pierre. Based on a historical study covering the period 1949 to 2017 drawing on the organization’s archives, online publications and data from the French national audiovisual archives, we identify visual and rhetorical elements that constitute Abbé Pierre and his past as HSR for the Emmaus organization. Eventually, our paper contributes to the literature by offering a four-dimensional management framework for HSR with appropriation, ownership, maintenance and distancing.

The Semiotics of Contemporary Visual Texts: A Study in New Rhetorical Analysis

This paper explores the semiotics of selected typical visual texts of our time and their implicatures. Some theoretical and conceptual tools for textual interpretation with regards to textual elements exist. However, contemporary visual texts are still prospective area of study. Considering such gap, I have chosen the visual texts that we encounter in our day to day and professional life. For delimitation purposes, only three types of visual communication events have been discussed, selected brochures of academic institutions, selected printed advertisements, and selected billboard advertisements. The analytical tools are predominantly critical discourse of the various motifs, images, structures and persuasive strategies used in the texts. The basic architecture of the discussion part is based on thick descriptions of the textual contents highlighting the semiotics of each. Findings of the study focus on semiotic implications and connotations of the key rhetorical elements. The major finding of the study is most of the visual texts principally try to glorify, glamorize and even exoticize the product or service. The conclusion derived is nothing like absolute conclusion. It is just an array of possible interpretations that pave path for a new discourse like– should we take them for granted? All in all, this is a new rhetorical analysis by outlook.

Między Konstytucją 3 Maja a Targowicą. Poglądy polskich republikantów w latach 1791-1793

The paper aims to present the political aspect of the Republican opposition to the succession to the throne between 1791 and 1793, an uneasy period for the politically divided Polish Republicans. The main focus of the paper is on the political aspects of selected examples that illustrate the dilemmas and contradicting ideas of the Republican thought towards the end of the Republican movement, represented by Polish gentry. The pro-constitutional option adopted by the former opponents of the succession is illustrated by the most famous statements declared by its ardent supporters: Adam Wawrzyniec Rzewuski and Wojciech Turski. Their writings confirm that the earlier criticism of the succession they showed, had not determined the later criticism of the Constitution, although they still a much more serious task, having to justify and explain their former attitudes and motives that governed their earlier actions. As it can be seen, public support of the Constitution did not necessarily demand changing one’s opinions completely, or, in particular, it did not mean that all elements of the former rhetoric had to be abandoned. Later in the paper, two other opposing views are presented, one of Leonard Olizar and one of Szczêsny Potocki. Both were articulated after the victory of the Targowica Confederation, but still before the unexpected second partition. Those opinions, although critical in general, are not void of elements suggesting other concerns and political dilemmas their authors and other Republicans shared in the face of the dramatic developments in Poland.

Visualising Paul's Appeal: A Performance Critical Analysis of the Letter to Philemon

Scholars have long noted the passionate rhetoric that Paul employs in his letter to Philemon. In appealing for mercy for the slave, Paul pulls all the stops as he attempts to change the mind of a wronged slave owner and secure Onesimus’ safe return and reconciliation with Philemon. Previous studies have demonstrated the manner in which Paul’s language would pull at the heart strings of Philemon, and through emotional appeal, attempt to move Philemon to a favourable decision. Yet, few if any of these studies have paid close attention to the occasion of the first reading of the letter—what actually took place when this letter was delivered to, not only Philemon, but the Christian community gathered in his house? How was it performed by the lector, whose task it was to animate Paul’s request? What was the atmosphere like in the room where Philemon was now face to face with the slave seeking mercy and the rest of the community looking on at this response? This article will analyse the letter of Philemon through the lens of Performance Criticism. It will seek to recreate its first reading/hearing and highlight the rhetorical elements that can only be fully appreciated when one considers them in a performance setting