修辞学期末复习.doc.deflate.doc

I. Blank filling 1.What is Rhetoric? Rhetoric refers to the art of expressive speech or discourse, including the study of principles and rules of composition, or the art and practice of writing or speaking as means of communication with persuasive or moving power. 2. Origin of Modern Rhetoric Rhetoric originated in speaking. Aristotle, in the 4th century BC. first defined rhetoric as the art of persuasion, equivalent to argumentation as people understand today. In Athens, the center of Western civilization, great orators, by exercising their rhetoric, gained following and support, and eventually, political power. John Locke, English philosopher of the late 17th century , described rhetoric as “the science as oratory”, or “the art of speaking with propriety elegance, and force”. All these explains why the word “rhetoric” means “speaking” in such European languages as Greek, Latin, French, Spanish and Italian At present, however, with the quickened tempo of life, the increased stress on efficiency, and the ascendance of the idea that languages are means of communication, more and more people have come to regard rhetoric as the art of effective communication. Furthermore, rhetoric tends to be connected more with writing than with speech, and more with prose writing than with verse. 3. Contents of Modern Rhetoric 1) Stylistics and Rhetoric Generally speaking, there are two rhetorical trends in contemporary western culture. One is stylistics , and the other is rhetoric. ① Stylistics Stylistics is associated with two aspects of writing : First , the various registers, e.g, scientific and technical writing, business writing and journalism. Second, the stylistic variants literary language and style, including personal style, and styles of different times and schools ② Rhetoric Rhetoric is chiefly concerned with techniques of how to influence the audience, the functions and effects of different language symbols in communication activiti