[英语学习]Modern English Rhetoric 1st - 语言学版.pptVIP

Modern English Rhetoric By Li Danqian A figure of speech (such as simile, metaphor, personification,…) ; An effective and artistic device in expression; Can we say the choice of words is rhetoric? Can we say the choice of sentences is rhetoric? 1. Definitions of Rhetoric 1) ‘‘The art of science of communication in words; this art or science practiced or taught as a formal discipline, esp. the doctrine formulated by Aristotle and taught throughout the Middle Ages; overornate or ostentatious language.’’ --Longman Modern English Dictionary 1. Definitions of Rhetoric 1. Definitions of Rhetoric In addition, other miscellaneous definitions of rhetoric are listed below: The faculty of observing in any given case the available means of persuasion. (by Aristotle) The art of effectively joining words together. (from Encyclopedia of English, 1978) Traditionally a discipline concerned with the effective use of language, to persuade, give pleasure, and so on. (from Oxford Concise Dictionary of Linguistics, 1997) From all the definitions above, we find that in Aristotle’s time, rhetoric was considered to be the science of oratory and the art of persuasion. Today, rhetoric is regarded as a science of heightening linguistic effective expressions, and the art of effective communication. Furthermore, rhetoric tends to be connected more with writing than with speech. 2. Purpose of Rhetoric To express oneself well; To communicate effectively in order to secure a desired result. Rhetoric involves choices of words, sentence patterns, figures of speech, organization of paragraphs and composition. This process can be broken down into three basic levels. Level One: words and phrases Level Two: sentence variety Level Three: organizing paragraphs into a complete text. 3. Contents of modern rhetoric 1). There are two main rhetorical trends: Stylistics(文体修辞), which is associated with two aspects of writing: First, the various registers, i.e. ways