RHE: Lesson - Speech and Rhetoric

An illustration of tablets using Akkadian cuneiform (one of the earliest written scripts).Speech and Rhetoric

Perhaps we could have started this course with the topic of the origins of language; however, this subject seems particularly associated with the spoken word. Though the ability to speak is shrouded in certain mystery, scientists estimate that our species began using language between 200,000 and 6 million years ago (it is extremely difficult to determine the exact "origin of speech").

Nevertheless, the origin of language has been the subject of myth, religion, philosophy, and obviously linguistics. Many ideas have emerged, but all tend to agree that our ability to speak separates us from all other animals.

A drawing of the Greek philosopher Aristotle.Over the course of centuries, our speech was eventually able to be translated into writing. Some of the earliest writing, called Akkadian cuneiform, is pictured on the illustrated tablets to the right. Because of the development of writing, important ideas and arguments made their way into the historical record. Leaders and citizens alike began using strategies to convey ideas, and before long, many ancient Greek philosophers such as Aristotle (pictured left) came up with a way to categorize this art of speaking, which he called rhetoric.

Politicians used rhetoric to sway their constituents; citizens used rhetoric to convince leaders to champion causes. Before long, however, this use of rhetoric made its way into the world of literature through the plays of William Shakespeare and the writings of Henry David Thoreau (pictured below), as well as innumerable other writers.

A drawing of writer and naturalist Henry David Thoreau.

A pie chart demonstrating the Rhetorical Situation: speaker, audience, message, purpose, context, exigence.

Rhetorical Situation

 

Regardless of context, all speeches (whether spoken or written down) take place in what is called the rhetorical situation.

The terms in the image are defined as follows:

  • The Speaker: the speaker is the person who provides the message
  • The Audience: the intended recipient(s) of the message
  • The Purpose: why the speaker is providing this message
  • The Message: the idea(s) that the speaker is delivering to the audience (aka the “thesis”)
  • The Context: where and when the speaker is providing the message
  • The Exigence: the event that leads to the speaker wanting to give the message in the first place

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