Rhetoric Terms Flashcards
accismus
feigned refusal of something desired
“oh you shouldn’t have”
(argumentum) ad hominem fallacy
attacking character
is fallacy when disregarding content of an argument
advantageous
best for everyone
all natural (appeal to nature) fallacy
Fallacy of association;
N is natural; N is good/right
U is unnatural; U is bad/wrong
Saturated fat is natural, but it is not necessarily good.
amplification
the act/method of extending thoughts for rhetorical effect
1 emphasizes
2 increases impact
3 make most of a situation/thought
anadiplosis
repetition of the last word(s) of phrase at the beginning of the next
“Sense is beaten into people by unhappiness, and that takes time, and time disfigures you.”
eloquence, chiasmus= anadiplosis, but anadiplosis doesn’t always reverse as a chiasmus does
anaphora
repeats first word in succeeding phrases
I have a dream…
anecdote
short account of event, light story
antithesis
contrasting ideas
in use, an intentional juxtaposition
appeal to popularity (argumentum ad populum)
states that because many believe/do something, it is true/good
“If it’s on the internet it must be true”]
Aristotelian mean
sweet spot; neither left or rightist; grey; non extreme
asyndeton
omission of conjunction
creates hurried rhythm
“he was a bag of bones, a floppy doll, a broken stick, a maniac”
chiasmus
Crisscross figure;
“Ask not what your country can do for you[…]”
cliché twist
Form of wit, plays on words of common saying
It was a dark and sarcastic night
code grooming
using language unique to audience
commonplace
simplified public opinion of audience
compassion
? pity for misfortune of audience
care for audience
concession
conceding to benefit from opponent’s argument
part of rebuttal or gains ethos/sweet spot
decorous
satisfying social standards/propriety
in good taste/propriety
decorum
ability to fit in with audience’s expectations of reliability
propriety of character
deductive logic (repeated)
general to specific reasoning
upsidedown triangle
deliberative
argument 4 future over choices
dialectic
purely logical debate
avoids fallacies; rhetoric doesn’t
diaogismus
dialogue figure
a quote, or conversation
dirimens copulatio
balances a contrasting idea with another
dubitatio
expression of doubt
typically of ability to speak effectively; modesty
ex Anthony’s funeral speech for Caesar
eddie Haskell Ploy
enhanced virtue through support of the inevitable
‘virtuous’ support of the inevitable
emulation
emotional response to role model
Greater ethos, more the audience imitates you
enthymeme
rhetorical syllogism with an unstated assumption
Deduction that leaves out formal order of premises, regardless of truthfulness
“Socrates is mortal because he is human”;
All humans are mortal.
Socrates is human.
Therefore, Socrates is mortal.
epergesis
a correction, often clarifies something just said; self-correction
ethos tactic
ethos
argument by character/reputation
exordium
introduction
intro should be humble, decorous, and effective
fallacy
mistaken belief, unsound argument
fallacy of antecedent
assumes this moment is identical to previous similar moments
fallacy of Ignorance
if not proven, is false; no proof, false
I can’t see angels; they don’t exist.
false choice, false dichotomy, or false dilemma
offers audience two choices when more exist
inaccurate display of choices
false comparison/analogy
similar so must be same
false dilemma, false dichotomy, or false choice
offers audience two choices when more exist
inaccurate display of choices
figure of speech
expressive use of language for special effect
forensic
argument 4 past over past actions
justice
framing
shapes the bounds of an argument
goodwill
doing the advantageous; keeping audience in mind
the halo: simplify issue & find overlap with audience’s values
harangue
? a lengthy and agressive speech
? ideally avoided..
hasty/glittering generalization
too few examples interpreted too broadly
humor
calming device, may enhance ethos
identity strategy
having audience identify with action; a choice that defines the group
I’ll donate to a homeless puppy shelter because I am a good person
idiom
inseparable words that together mean something
induction
use of inductive logic
inductive logic
specific to general point reasoning
example to truth
innuendo
debasing irony that plants an idea by denying it
invention (inventio)
first stage in the development of an effective argument
1st of 5 canons of rhetoric
inversion
reverses syntactical order for effect
shouts the policeman,
irony
saying one thing to outsiders something taken differently to insiders
kairos
timeliness/timing
litote
understatement
logic-free values
focuses on individual values and commonplaces
unifies group and gets it to identify with you
logical fallacy
logically unsound
logos (repeated once)
argument by logic
metonymy
switching of related nouns; related to metaphors
bottle for strong drink, scepter for sovereignty
minor premise
second part of a syllogism, typically supporting a former premise
in an enthymeme, goes unstated
misinterpreting the evidence
claiming the exception is the rule
narrative
story, often descriptive, activates pathos
neologism
newly minted word; made-up; poetic license
opinion switch
appearing to have supported the powers that be all along
paradigm
rule that arises from a set of examples; sort of induction
maples changing color; it must be fall
pathos
argument by emotion
periphrasis
circumlocution, vagueness by verbosity
beating around the bush
phronesis
practical wisdom
polysyndeton
repetition of conjunction
The bad news caused him to weep and cry and wail
rhythm and emphasis
post hoc ergo propter hoc
error of causation
a precedes b; a caused b
premise
a statement from which another is deduced or conclusion is based
proof
argument/evidence serving as an indicator of truth
ramification
a consequence
receptive
for speaker: open-minded, not dogmatic; disinterest tactic
audience: keep them receptive and open-minded (not ie angry, where they shutoff to compromise)
red herring fallacy
confusing/distracting irrelevance
introduces an irrelevant issue to confuse/distract audience
redefinition
controlling the language used in an argument
reductio ad absurdum
reduction to absurdity
highly improbable circumstance
refutation
disproof
of premise, conclusion, argument
relevance
relatability to claims in argument
reluctant conclusion
disinterest tactic, appearing to reach conclusion solely because of overwhelming rightness
rhetoric
the art of oratory and effective language
the art of persuasion
rhetorical question
question used to express a point, usually unanswered or answered by the speaker
simple speech
avoid fancy language when getting emotional
slippery slope fallacy
exaggerated consequence
dire result from event
stability
??? ethos tactic? firm argument? Use of voice?
TYFA references stability for voice control, (my memory is fallible) ie maintaining stamina by not straining your voice
staircase wit
thinking of a perfect reply too late
style
deliverance making speech attractive to listener
syllogism
conclusion from a necessary succession of premises
formal logic
All humans are mortal
Socrates is human
Therefore Socrates is mortal
synecdoche
figure of speech, part made to represent whole or vice versa
Cleveland won, (his baseball team)
tautology
redundancy in word meaning
widow woman
baby kitten
tense(s)
past present or future; indicates time of occurence
unit fallacy
erroneous math often confusing a part for a whole
misinterpretation of statistic
volume
underplay or gradually increase an emotion; heightened pathos effect
strawman fallacy
sets up an issue easier to argue
attacks an irrelevance
argumentum ad baculum
coercion; appeal to force; threat
also, fallacy;
if a accepts b then c
c undesirable
“If you (a) don’t believe in god(b) you will burn in hell(c)”
argument
composition intended to persuade
arete
greek for moral virtue
