Podcast
Questions and Answers
What was the primary challenge faced by climate scientists post email leak?
What was the primary challenge faced by climate scientists post email leak?
- Defending their credibility in the scientific community (correct)
- Appealing to the general public's understanding of the term 'trick'
- Justifying their stance on climate change
- Convincing the media to report on their research
What was the basis of the opposing lines of argument regarding the term 'trick'?
What was the basis of the opposing lines of argument regarding the term 'trick'?
- The researcher's membership in both the scientific and general communities (correct)
- The moral implications of using the term in a scientific context
- The cultural connotations associated with the term
- The differing definitions of the term in scientific and general contexts
In the context of a disputed term in a translated text, what can rhetors turn to for support?
In the context of a disputed term in a translated text, what can rhetors turn to for support?
- The cultural context of the target audience
- The translator's intended meaning
- The original language and its speakers' usage conventions (correct)
- The historical context of the original text
In Catherine Booth's pamphlet, what biblical passage does she challenge?
In Catherine Booth's pamphlet, what biblical passage does she challenge?
What is the primary concern for a rhetor when giving a definition, according to Quintilian?
What is the primary concern for a rhetor when giving a definition, according to Quintilian?
What does Catherine Booth argue is the narrower sense of the Greek word 'lalein'?
What does Catherine Booth argue is the narrower sense of the Greek word 'lalein'?
What is the key to forming a correct definition, according to Quintilian?
What is the key to forming a correct definition, according to Quintilian?
What is implied by the phrase 'rhetors can turn to the original language and its speakers' usage conventions'?
What is implied by the phrase 'rhetors can turn to the original language and its speakers' usage conventions'?
What is the central issue in the example of the man accused of sacrilege?
What is the central issue in the example of the man accused of sacrilege?
What is the strategy of the prosecutor in defining sacrilege?
What is the strategy of the prosecutor in defining sacrilege?
What was the outcome of climate scientists' appeals to scientific convention?
What was the outcome of climate scientists' appeals to scientific convention?
What is the strategy of the defendant in defining sacrilege?
What is the strategy of the defendant in defining sacrilege?
What is the main purpose of Catherine Booth's argument in her pamphlet?
What is the main purpose of Catherine Booth's argument in her pamphlet?
What is the relationship between the argumentative goal and the persuasive definition, according to Quintilian?
What is the relationship between the argumentative goal and the persuasive definition, according to Quintilian?
What was the meaning of the Greek adjective amauros?
What was the meaning of the Greek adjective amauros?
How many different strategies does Quintilian suggest for articulating a persuasive definition?
How many different strategies does Quintilian suggest for articulating a persuasive definition?
What is the significance of Aristotle's predicables in relation to Quintilian's advice on persuasive definitions?
What is the significance of Aristotle's predicables in relation to Quintilian's advice on persuasive definitions?
What was the original use of the term Mauros in Latin?
What was the original use of the term Mauros in Latin?
What was the significance of the European Christian association of Muslims with the devil?
What was the significance of the European Christian association of Muslims with the devil?
What was the outcome of applying the term Moor to Africans in the seventeenth century?
What was the outcome of applying the term Moor to Africans in the seventeenth century?
What was the common thread among the various uses of the term Moor over time?
What was the common thread among the various uses of the term Moor over time?
What was the significance of the term Moor becoming a synonym for black?
What was the significance of the term Moor becoming a synonym for black?
What was the relationship between the terms Moor and African in the seventeenth century?
What was the relationship between the terms Moor and African in the seventeenth century?
What was the primary characteristic associated with the devil in European Christian mythology?
What was the primary characteristic associated with the devil in European Christian mythology?
What is the basis for defining all other terms in the passage?
What is the basis for defining all other terms in the passage?
What do rhetoricians Kenneth Burke and Richard Weaver call words that are ranked above others?
What do rhetoricians Kenneth Burke and Richard Weaver call words that are ranked above others?
What is the name of the branch of linguistics that investigates the relationship between language structure and general mental processes?
What is the name of the branch of linguistics that investigates the relationship between language structure and general mental processes?
According to research in cognitive linguistics, how are concepts symbolized by words organized in our minds?
According to research in cognitive linguistics, how are concepts symbolized by words organized in our minds?
What determines the meanings of other words in a text?
What determines the meanings of other words in a text?
What status do terms like fruitful, multiply, and subdue have in relation to terms like fish, birds, and cattle?
What status do terms like fruitful, multiply, and subdue have in relation to terms like fish, birds, and cattle?
What is the significance of linchpin terms in the interpretation of a text?
What is the significance of linchpin terms in the interpretation of a text?
What do the words security, rights, and innovation represent in early twenty-first century America?
What do the words security, rights, and innovation represent in early twenty-first century America?
What is the primary goal of defining linchpin terms in a passage?
What is the primary goal of defining linchpin terms in a passage?
In which field of study is ambiguity more prevalent?
In which field of study is ambiguity more prevalent?
What is the effect of defining linchpin terms in a passage?
What is the effect of defining linchpin terms in a passage?
What is the primary goal of literary criticism when interpreting a text?
What is the primary goal of literary criticism when interpreting a text?
What is the primary goal of law when interpreting a text?
What is the primary goal of law when interpreting a text?
Why is definition a key issue in law?
Why is definition a key issue in law?
What is the result of continually subjecting the meaning of a text to radical revision?
What is the result of continually subjecting the meaning of a text to radical revision?
Why do rhetors discover and exploit ambiguities in literary criticism?
Why do rhetors discover and exploit ambiguities in literary criticism?
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Study Notes
Rhetorical Definitions
- Quintilian advises rhetors to guard against giving unnecessary, irrelevant, ambiguous, or opposing definitions that go against their interests.
- The rhetor's first task is to understand their ultimate argumentative goal, and then formulate a persuasive definition that supports that goal.
Strategies for Formulating Definitions
- Quintilian suggests four strategies for articulating a definition, echoing Aristotle's predicables.
- Rhetors can use these strategies to define a term in a text, especially in cases of disputed terms.
Defining Terms in a Translated Text
- When dealing with a disputed term in a translated text, rhetors can turn to the original language and its speakers' usage conventions to support or oppose a definition.
- For example, Catherine Booth used Greek dictionaries and commentaries to argue against the ordinary reading of a biblical passage as a general prohibition against women's speech in church.
The Importance of Linchpin Terms
- Linchpin terms are words that symbolize and control the way a passage and the issue that depends on it are framed.
- Defining linchpin terms can have a significant impact on how a passage is interpreted and how a larger issue is understood and resolved.
- Cognitive linguistics suggests that the concepts symbolized by words are organized, structured, and given meaning as part of larger, coherent conceptual units in our minds.
Disputes over Definition and Ambiguity
- Disputes over definition abound in law, while disputes over ambiguity are more prevalent in literary criticism.
- Understanding the rhetorical affordances of each can help us see why ambiguity is often the archetypical issue of literary criticism and definition is the archetypical issue of law.
- In literary criticism, ambiguity is encouraged to open up and expand the meaning of a text, while in law, the goal is to regulate beliefs and behaviors consistently, making definition more crucial.
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