Glossary
From RhetorClick
This page is dedicated to key terms from the readings.
Contents |
A
- Affective Fallacy: Wimsatt and Berdsley claimed that evaluating literature by the way it affects the reader is uselessly subjective. Again, literature should be evaluated through its use of language, not outside factors (see "How to Read a Page" by I. A. Richards)
- Aleatoric: according to chance (see "On Distinctions between Classical and Modern Rhetoric" by Andrea A. Lunsford and Lisa S. Ede)
- Ambiguity: Richards showed how under-examined ambiguities can lead to misinterpretation of an entire work (see "How to Read a Page" by I. A. Richards)
- Animism: according to Aristotle, all objects have souls (see "On Distinctions between Classical and Modern Rhetoric" by Andrea A. Lunsford and Lisa S. Ede)
- Antistrophos: counterpart, companion (see "On Distinctions between Classical and Modern Rhetoric" by Andrea A. Lunsford and Lisa S. Ede)
- Antithetical: being in direct and unequivocal opposition "Nature of the Linguistic Sign" by Ferdinand de Saussure
B
- Bricolage: (in art or literature) construction or creation from a diverse range of available things (see April 5 Class Notes)
C
- Chariot allegory: Socrates compares the soul to chariot horses and their rider. He believes the soul (chariot rider) is immortal and consists of one good horse and one bad horse. The soul is in constant struggle balancing and choosing between the two horses. Through the good soul only, the chariot can make it to eternity or heaven. (Weaver February 15 Class Notes)
- Classical Rhetoric: theory of persuasive discourse (Perelman February 10 Class Notes)
- Close Reading: Richards shifted the focus from general analysis to a meticulous, word-level method of interpretation, which has greatly influenced modern criticism. (Richards February 1 Class Notes)
- Compendia: a brief summary of a larger work or of a field of knowledge; a list of number items "On Distinctions between Classical and Modern Rhetoric" by Andrea A. Lunsford and Lisa S. Ede
D
- Death of the Author: Roland Barthe's essay argues that the author must be disentangled from the text (Richards February 1 Class Notes)
- Dialectic: two-sided dialogue, formal argumentation system, conversation "On Distinctions between Classical and Modern Rhetoric" by Andrea A. Lunsford and Lisa S. Ede
- Doxa: social knowledge (see "On Distinctions between Classical and Modern Rhetoric" by Andrea A. Lunsford and Lisa S. Ede)
- Diachronic: of, relating to, or dealing with phenomena (as of language or culture) as they occur or change over a period of time (see "Nature of the Linguistic Sign" by Ferdinand de Saussure)
- Dispositio: the system used for the organization of arguments in Western classical rhetoric "On Distinctions between Classical and Modern Rhetoric" by Andrea A. Lunsford and Lisa S. Ede
E
- Emthymeme: uses audience's assumptions, only use 1 premise "On Distinctions between Classical and Modern Rhetoric" by Andrea A. Lunsford and Lisa S. Ede
- Entelechy: the actualization of form-giving cause as contrasted with potential existence. (Burke January 27 Class Notes)
- Episteme: core, truths of the earth knowledge "On Distinctions between Classical and Modern Rhetoric" by Andrea A. Lunsford and Lisa S. Ede
- Esperanto: an artificial international language based as far as possible on words common to the chief European languages (see "Nature of the Linguistic Sign" by Ferdinand de Saussure)
- Ethos: The persuasive appeal of one's character, especially how this character is established by means of speech or discourse. Ethotic appeals rely on the trustworthiness of the speaker or writer. Ethos is an effective appeal because when the audience believes that the speaker does not intend to do them harm, they are more likely to trust what is being said. (Persuasive appeals: see "On Distinctions between Classical and Modern Rhetoric" by Andrea A. Lunsford and Lisa S. Ede
- Etymologically (Burke January 27 Class Notes)
F
G
H
- Hypertext: Ted Nelson, who coined the term hypertext, defines it as non-sequential writing. "This means writing in which the logical connections between elements are primarily associative rather than syllogistic, as in conventional text" (Slatin 171). (Slatin March 22 Class Notes)
I
- Imbued: to permeate or influence as if by dyeing (see "Nature of the Linguistic Sign" by Ferdinand de Saussure)
- Inventio: the system or method used for the discovery of arguments in Western rhetoric (see "On Distinctions between Classical and Modern Rhetoric" by Andrea A. Lunsford and Lisa S. Ede)
- Intentional Fallacy: William K. Wimsatt and Monroe Beardsley asserted that the author's words, not his intent, should be studied. Richards argued that since an authors mind can never be known, we can only examine her words (Richards February 1 Class Notes)
- Interpretant: how you perceive the representamen (Peirce January 25 Class Notes)
- Inter-Textual Variations: On the inter-textual level, text is structured through alphanumeric cues (headings, numbers), spatial cues (horizontal and vertical distribution of text on a page) and graphic cues (bullets, arrows, lines on tables) (see Rhetoric of Text).
- Intra-Textual Variations: local changes in typography, such as boldfacing, upper case, italics, etc (see Rhetoric of Text).
- Inventio: the system or method used for the discovery of arguments in Western rhetoric (see "On Distinctions between Classical and Modern Rhetoric" by Andrea A. Lunsford and Lisa S. Ede)
- Isomorphous: being of identical or similar form, shape, or structure (see "Toward a Methodology for the Human Sciences" by Mikhail Bakhtin)
J
K
- Krisis: point of judgment, moment of decision "On Distinctions between Classical and Modern Rhetoric" by Andrea A. Lunsford and Lisa S. Ede
L
- Logology: study of language and symbols (Burke January 27 Class Notes)
- Logos: the appeal to reason. Logical appeals attempt to persuade the audience using intellect. Most academic arguments rely mainly on logos. (Persuasive appeals: "On Distinctions between Classical and Modern Rhetoric" by Andrea A. Lunsford and Lisa S. Ede
M
N
- New Criticism: Richards' ideas helped establish this movement, which viewed texts as completely autonomous (Richards February 1 Class Notes)
- New Rhetoric: theory of argumentation (Perelman February 10 Class Notes)
- Node: Any object which is linked to another object (Slatin March 22 Class Notes)
O
- Object: the action you take (Peirce January 25 Class Notes)
- Organon: an instrument for acquiring knowledge; specifically: a body of principles of scientific or philosophic investigation (see "On Distinctions between Classical and Modern Rhetoric" by Andrea A. Lunsford and Lisa S. Ede)
- Orthographic: projection of a single view of an object (as a view of the front) onto a drawing surface in which the lines of projection are perpendicular to the drawing surface (see "Nature of the Linguistic Sign" by Ferdinand de Saussure)
P
- Paradeigma: use of example or evidence to prove a point "On Distinctions between Classical and Modern Rhetoric" by Andrea A. Lunsford and Lisa S. Ede
- Pathos: the appeal to emotion. When people accept a claim based on how it makes them feels=, they are acting on pathos. A majority of advertisements and arguments in the popular press rely heavily on pathetic appeals. Although the pathetic appeal can be manipulative, it is the cornerstone of moving people to action. (Persuasive appeals: "On Distinctions between Classical and Modern Rhetoric" by Andrea A. Lunsford and Lisa S. Ede
- Pisteis: proofs, persuasive appeals (logos, ethos, pathos); artistic (logical, logos, nonlogical, ethos and pathos) and inartistic (tangible evidence) proofs "On Distinctions between Classical and Modern Rhetoric" by Andrea A. Lunsford and Lisa S. Ede
- Poeis: fine arts "On Distinctions between Classical and Modern Rhetoric" by Andrea A. Lunsford and Lisa S. Ede
- Proofs: Justification, reasoning, argumentation. (Perelman February 10 Class Notes)
Q
R
- Rationalism: truth is not sensory, but intellectual and deductive. You only know thought through deductive reasoning. (Perelman February 10 Class Notes)
- Representamen: what something represents to you personally (creates in the mind of that person an equivalent sign, or perhaps a more developed sign) (Peirce January 25 Class Notes)
- Rhetoric: (see Definitions of Rhetoric)
S
- Signified: concept in the mind (not a thing but the notion of a thing) ("Nature of the Linguistic Sign" by Ferdinand de Saussure)
- Signifier: the material (or physical form) of the sign ("Nature of the Linguistic Sign" by Ferdinand de Saussure)
- Syllogism: logical/deductive, conclusion resting on 2 premises (major, minor, conclusion) "On Distinctions between Classical and Modern Rhetoric" by Andrea A. Lunsford and Lisa S. Ede
- Supra-Textual Structuring: affects the document globally, with section titles, page headers, tabs, page size, orientation, the placement of extra-textual elements (e.g. data display and pictures), icons, page color, and various line, textures, and marks. Supra-textual cues create visual coherence among units in a document (see Rhetoric of Text)
T
- Techne: art, craft ("On Distinctions between Classical and Modern Rhetoric" by Andrea A. Lunsford and Lisa S. Ede)
- Telos: an ultimate end. (Burke January 27 Class Notes)
- Tropism: growth toward or away from external stimulus (Burke January 27 Class Notes)
