APL Rhetorical Terms Flashcards
(131 cards)
1
Q
abstract
A
refers to language that describes concepts rather than specific things, people, or places
2
Q
allegory
A
an extended narrative in prose or verse in which characters, events, and settings represent abstract qualities and in which the writer intends a second meaning to be read beneath the surface of the story
3
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anecdote
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a short, simple, narrative of an incident often used for humerous effect or to make a point
4
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annotation
A
explanatory notes added to a text to explain, cite sources, or give bibliographical data
5
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antithesis
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the presentation of two contrasting images. The ideas are balanced by word phrase, clause, or paragraphs. “To be or not to be…”
6
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aphorism
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a short, often, witty statement of a principle or a truth about life: “Early bird gets the worm.”
7
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apostrophe
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usually in poetry but sometimes in prose; the device of calling out to an imaginary, dead, or absent person or to a place, thing, or personified abstraction
8
Q
argumentation
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writing that attempts to prove the validity of a point of view or an idea by presenting reasoned arguments; persuasive writing is a form of argumentation
9
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cacophony
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harsh, awkward, or dissonant sounds used deliberately in poetry or prose; the opposite of euphony
10
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caricature
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descriptive writing that greatly exaggerates a specific feature of a person’s appearance or a facet of personality
11
Q
colloquialism
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a word of phrase (including slang) used in everyday conversation and informal writing but that is often inappropriate in formal writing (y’all, ain’t)
12
Q
coherence; unity
A
quality of a piece of writing in which all the parts contribute to the development of the central idea, theme, or organizing principle
13
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concrete language
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language that describes specific, observable things, people, or places, rather than ideas or qualities
14
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connotation
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implied or suggested meaning of a word because of it’s association in the reader’s mind
15
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consonance
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repetition of identical consonant sounds within two or more words in close proximity, as in boost/best; it can also be seen withing several compound words, such as fulfill and ping-pong
16
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conundrum
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a riddle whose answer is or involves a pun; it may also be a paradox or difficult problem
17
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deduction
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the process of moving from a general rule to a specific example
18
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denotation
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literal meaning of a word as defined
19
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description
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the picture in words of something or someone through detailed observation of color, motion, sound, taste, smell, and touch; one of the four modes of discourse
20
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diction
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word choice, an element of style; diction creates tone, attitude, and style, as well as meaning
21
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didactic
A
writing whose purpose is to instruct or to teach; usually formal and focuses on moral or ethical concerns; may be fiction or nonfiction that teaches a specific lesson or moral or provides a model of correct behaviour or thinking
22
Q
discourse
A
spoken or written language; including literary works; the four traditionally classified modes of discourse are description, exposition, narration, and persuasion
23
Q
emotional appeal- pathos
A
when a writer appeals to readers’ emotions to excite and involve them in the argument
24
Q
epigraph
A
the use of a quotation at the beginning of a work that hints at its theme
25
ethical appeal- ethos
when a writer tries to persuade the audience to respect and believe him or her based on a presentation of image of self through the text
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euphemism
a more acceptable and usually more pleasant way of saying something that might be inappropriate or uncomfortable. "He went to his final reward" -- "He died"
27
euphony
a succession of harminous sounds used in poetry or prose; the opposite of cacophony
28
example
an individual instanve taken to be representative of a general pattern. Arguing by example is considered reliable if examples are demonstrable true or factual as well as relevant
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explicant
the art of interpreting or discovering the meaning of a text. Explication usually involves close reading and special attention to figurative language
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exposition
the immediate revelation to the audience of the setting and otehr background information necessary for unserstanding the plot; also, explanation; one of the four modes of discourse
31
generalization
when a writer bases a claim upon an isolated example or asserts that a claim is certain rather than proable
32
genre
a type of literary work, such as a novel or poem; there are also subgenres, such as science fiction or sonnet, within the larger genres
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humor
anything that causes laughter or amusement; up until the end of the enaissance, humor meant a person's temperament
34
hyperbole
deliberate exaggeration in order to create humoer or emphasis
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image
a word or words, either figurative or literal, used to describe a sensory experience or an object perceived by the sense
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imagery
words or phrases that use a collection of images to appeal to one or more of the five senses in order to create a mental picture
37
induction
the process that moves from a given series of specifics to a generalization
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inference
a conclusion one can draw fom the presented details
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invective
a verbally abusive attack
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inversion
reversing the customary (subject first, then verb, then complement) order of elements in a sentence or phrase; usually, the element that appears first is emphasized more than the subject
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jargon
the special language of a profession or group
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logical appeal; logos
when a writer tries to persuade the audience based on statistics, facts, and reasons. The process of reasoning
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lyrical
song like; characterized by emotions, subjectively, and imagination
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mode
the method or form of literary work; the manner in which a work of literature is written
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mood
similar to tone, mood is the primary emotional attitude of a work
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narration
the telling of a story in fiction, nonfiction, poetry, or drama; one of the four modes of discourse
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objectively
an impersonal presentation of events and characters
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paradox
a statement that seems to contradict itself but that turns out to have a rational meaning, as in this quotation from Henry David Thoreau; "I never found the companion that was so companionable as solitude."
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parallelism
the technique of arranging words, phrases, clauses. or larger structures by placing them side by side and making them similar in form
50
parody
a work that ridicules the style of another work by imitating and exaggerating its elements
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pathetic appeal; pathos
when a writer tries to persuade the audience by appealing to their emotions
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pedantic
a term used to describe writing that borders on lecturing
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persuasion
a form of argumentation, one of the four mose of discourse
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regionalism
an element in literature that conveys a realistic portrayal of a specific geographical lacale, using the locale and its influences as a major part of the plot
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repetition
word or phrase used two or more times in close proximity
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rhetorical modes
exposition, description, narration, argumentation
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rhetorical question
one that does not ecpect an explicit answer
58
sarcasm
harsh, caustic personal remarks to or about someone; less subtle than irony
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satire
a work that reveals a critical attitude toward some element of human behaviour by portraying it in an extreme way
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speaker
the voice of a work
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sterotype
a character who represents a trait that is usually attributed to a particular social or racial group and who lacks individuality
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style
an author's characteristic manner of expression- his or her diction, syntaz, imagery, structure, and content all contribute to style
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subjectivity
a personal presentation of events and characters, influenced by the author's feelings and opinions
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syllogism
a form of reasoning in which two statements are made and a conclusion is drawn from them
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synecdoche
a figure of speech in which a part of something is used to represent a whole, such as using 'boards' to mean a stage or 'wheels to mean a car
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syntactic fluency
ability to create a variety of sentence structures, appropriately complex and/or simple and varied in length
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syntactic permutation
sentence structures that are extraordinarily complex and involved
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syntax
the grammatical structure of a sentence
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theme
the central idea or "message" of a literary work
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thesis
the main idea of a piece of writing
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tone
the characteristic emotion or attitude of an author toward the characters, subject, and audience
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transition
a word or phrase that links one idea to hte nect and carries the reader from sentence to sentence, paragraph to paragraph
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understatement
the opposite of exaggeration
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voice
refers to two different areas of writing. One refers to the relationship between a sentence's subject and verb. The second refers to the total "sound" of a writer's style.
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Fallacy
defects that weaken arguments
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Hasty Generalization
making assumptions about a whole group or range of acases nased on a sample that is inadequate
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Missing the Point
the premises of an argument do support a particular conclusion but not the conclusion the arguer actually draws
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Post Hoc
assuming that because B comes after A, A caused B. Of course, sometimes one event really does cause another one that comes later
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Slippery Slope
The arguer claims that a sort of chain reaction, usually ending in some dire consequence, will take place, but there's really not enough evidence for that assumption.
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Weak Analogy
Many arguments rely on an analogy between two or more objects, ideas, or situations. If the two things that are being compared aren't really alike in the relevant respects, the analogy is a weak one, an the argument is a weak one, and the argument that relies on it commits the fallacy of weak analogy
81
Appeal to Authority
Often we add strength to our arguments by referring to respected sources or authorities and explaining their positions on the issues we're discussing. If, however, we try to get readers to agree with us simply by impressing them with a famous name or by appealing to a supposed authority who really isn't much of an expert, we commit the fallacy of appeal to authority
82
Ad Populum
The Latin name of this fallacy means "to the people." There are several versions of the ad populum fallacy, but what they all have in common is that in them, the arguer takes advantage of the desire most people have to be liked and to fit in with others and uses that desire to try to get the audience to accept his or her argument. One of the most common versions is the bandwagon fallacy, in which the arguer tries to convince the audience to do or believe something because everyone else (supposedly) does
83
Appeal to Pity
The appeal to pity takes place when an arguer tries to get people to accept a conclusion by making them feel sorry for someone
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Appeal to Ignorance
In the appeal to ignorance, the arguer basically says, "Look, there's no conclusive evidence on the issue at hand. Therefore, you should accept my conclusion on this issue."
85
Straw Man
One way of making our own arguments stronger is to anticipate and respond in advance to the arguments that an opponent might make. In the straw man fallacy, the arguer sets up a weak version of the opponent's position and tries to score points by knocking it down. But just as being able to knock down a straw man (like a scarecrow) isn't very impressive, defeating a watered-down version of your opponent's argument isn't very impressive either
86
Red Herring
Partway through an argument, the arguer goes off on a tanget, raising a side issue that distracts the audience from what's really at stake. Often, the arguer never returns to the original issue.
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False Dichotomy
In false dichotomy, the arguer sets up the situation so it looks like there are only two choices. The arguer then eliminates one of the choices, so it seems that we are left with only one option: the one the arguer wanted us to pick in the first place. But often there are really many different options, not just two- and if we thought about them all, we might not be so quick to pick the one the arguer recommends.
88
alliteration
the repetition of sounds, especially initial consonant sounds in two or more neighboring words
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allusion
a direct or indirect reference to something which is presumably commonly known, such as an event, book, myth, place, or work of art
90
ambiguity
the multiple meanings, either intentional or unintentional, of a word, phrase, sentence, or passage
91
analogy
a similarity or comparison between two different things or the relationship between them
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antecedent
the word, phrase, or clause referred to by a pronoun
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atmosphere
the emotional mood created by the entirety of a literary work, established partly by the setting
94
clause
a grammatical unit that contains both a subject and a verb
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conceit
a fanciful expression, usually in the form of an extended metaphor or surprising analogy between seemingly dissimilar objects
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connotation
the nonliteral, associative meaning of a word; the implied, suggested meaning
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extended metaphor
a metaphor developed at great length, occurring frequently in or throughout a work
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figurative language
writing or speech that is not intended to carry literary meaning and is usually meant to
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figure of speech
a device used to produce figurative language
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generic conventions
refers to traditions for each genre
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homily
literally "sermon", or any serious tale, speech. or lecture providing moral or spiritual advice
102
irony
the contrast between what is stated explicitly and what is really meant
verbal- words literally state the opposite of speaker's true meaning
situational- events turn out the opposite of what was expected
dramatic- facts or events are unknown to a character but known to the reader or audience or other characters in work
103
loose sentence
a type of sentence in which the main idea comes first, followed by dependent grammatical units
104
metaphor
a figure of speech using implied comparison of seemingly unlike things or the substitution of one for the other, suggesting some similarity
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metonymy
from the Greek "changed label", the name of one object is substituted for that of another closely associated with it (White House for President)
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onomatopoeia
natural sounds are imitated in the sounds of words
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oxymoron
from the Greek for "pointedly foolish," author groups apparently contradictory terms to suggest a paradox
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periodic sentences
a sentence that present its central meaning in a main clause at the end
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personification
a figure of speech in which the author presents or describes concepts, animals, or inanimate objects by endowing them with human attributes
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point of view
the perspective from which a story is told
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predicate adjective
one type of subject complement, an adjective, group of adjectives, or adjective clause that follows a linking verb
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predicate nominative
another type of subject complement, a noun, group of nouns, or noun clause that renames the subject
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prose
genre including fiction, nonfiction, written in ordinary language repetition - the duplication, wither exact or approximate, of any element of language
114
semantics
the branch of linguistics which studies the meaning of words, their historical and psychological development (etymology), their connotations, and their relation to one another
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subject complement
the word or clause that follows a linking verb and complements, or completes, the subject of the sentence by either renaming it or describing it
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subordinate clause
contains a subject and verb but cannot stand alone; does not express complete thought
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symbolism
anything that represents or stands for something else (natural, conventional, literary)
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wit
intellectually amusing language that surprises and delights
119
Appeal to Force
this argument uses force, the threat of force, or some other unpleasant backlash to make the audience accept a conclusion.
120
Genetic Fallacy
the genetic fallacy is the claim that an idea, product, or person must be untrustworthy because of its racial, geographic, or ethnic origin.
121
Personal Attack
attacking or praising the people who make an argument, rather than discussing the argument itself.
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Abusive
to argue that proposals, assertions, or arguments must be false or dangerous because they originate with atheists, Christians, Muslims, communists, capitalists, the John Birch Society, Catholics, anti-Catholics, racist, anti-racists, feminists, misogynist (or any other group_ is fallacious.
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Circumstantial
to argue that an opponent should accept or reject an argument because of circumstances in his or her life
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Argumentum and Populum
using an appeal to popular assent, often by arousing the feelings and enthusiasm of the multitude rather than building an argument.
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Patriotic Approach
this argument asserts that a certain stance is true or correct because it is somehow patriotic, and that those who disagree are unpatriotic.
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Snob approach
this type of argumentation ad populum doesn't assert "everybody is doing it," but rather that "all the best people are doing it."
127
Appeal to Tradition
this line of thought asserts that a premise must be true because people have always believed it or done it.
128
Appeal to Improper Authority
an appeal to an improper authority, such as a famous person or a source that may not be reliable.
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Appeal to Emotion
an emotional appeal concerning what should be a logical issue during a debate.
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Argument from Adverse Consequences
asserting that an argument must be false because the implications of it being true would create negative results.
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Argument from Personal Incredulity
Asserting that opponent's argument must be false because you personally don't understand it or can't follow its technicalities.
