rhetoric

Whatisrhetoric?

art

yotherthings.

Initslongandvigoroushistoryrhetorichanjoyedmany

definitions,accommodateddifferingpurpos,andvariedwidelyin

,formostofitshistoryithasmaintainedits

fundamentalcharacterasadisciplinefortrainingstudents1)to

perceivehowlanguageisatworkorallyandinwriting,and2)to

becomeproficientinapplyingtheresourcesoflanguageintheirown

speakingandwriting.

Discerninghowlanguageisworkinginothers'orone'sownwriting

andspeaking,onemust(artificially)divideformandcontent,whatis

erhetoricexaminesso

attentivelythehowoflanguage,themethodsandmeansof

communication,ithassometimesbeendiscountedassomethingonly

concernedwithstyleorappearances,andnotwiththequalityor

y(suchasPlato)rhetoricdeals

withthesuperficialatbest,thedeceptiveatworst("mererhetoric"),

whenonemightbetterattendtomattersofsubstance,truth,orreason

asattemptedindialecticorphilosophyorreligion.

Rhetorichassometimesliveddowntoitscritics,butastforth

fromantiquity,rhetoricwasacomprehensiveartjustasmuch

,

abasicpremiforrhetoricistheindivisibilityofmeansfrom

meaning;howonesayssomethingconveysmeaningasmuchas

icstudiestheeffectivenessoflanguage

comprehensively,includingitmotionalimpact,asmuchasits

owlanguageandthoughtworked

together,however,ithasfirstbeennecessarytoartificiallydivide

contentandform.