Rhetorical Definitions and Strategies
40 Questions
0 Views

Rhetorical Definitions and Strategies

Created by
@SereneOmaha

Questions and Answers

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'?

  • 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?

  • 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?

    <p>1 Corinthians 14:34-35</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the primary concern for a rhetor when giving a definition, according to Quintilian?

    <p>To ensure the definition is relevant to the argumentative goal</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What does Catherine Booth argue is the narrower sense of the Greek word 'lalein'?

    <p>Prattling, babbling, and making inarticulate sounds</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the key to forming a correct definition, according to Quintilian?

    <p>Understanding the argumentative goal before deciding on a definition</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is implied by the phrase 'rhetors can turn to the original language and its speakers' usage conventions'?

    <p>Rhetors can appeal to the original language as an authority</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the central issue in the example of the man accused of sacrilege?

    <p>Whether the man's action was sacrilegious</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the strategy of the prosecutor in defining sacrilege?

    <p>To define sacrilege broadly to include the defendant's action</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What was the outcome of climate scientists' appeals to scientific convention?

    <p>It does not appear that their appeals were especially effective</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the strategy of the defendant in defining sacrilege?

    <p>To define sacrilege narrowly to exclude the defendant's action</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the main purpose of Catherine Booth's argument in her pamphlet?

    <p>To argue against prohibitions on women's preaching</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the relationship between the argumentative goal and the persuasive definition, according to Quintilian?

    <p>The argumentative goal determines the persuasive definition</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What was the meaning of the Greek adjective amauros?

    <p>Dark or dim</p> Signup and view all the answers

    How many different strategies does Quintilian suggest for articulating a persuasive definition?

    <p>Four</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the significance of Aristotle's predicables in relation to Quintilian's advice on persuasive definitions?

    <p>They provide a similar approach to articulating definitions</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What was the original use of the term Mauros in Latin?

    <p>An ethnic term</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What was the significance of the European Christian association of Muslims with the devil?

    <p>It contributed to the negative connotations of the term Moor</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What was the outcome of applying the term Moor to Africans in the seventeenth century?

    <p>It applied negative associations from Muslims to Africans</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What was the common thread among the various uses of the term Moor over time?

    <p>Its connotation of strangeness or otherness</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What was the significance of the term Moor becoming a synonym for black?

    <p>It contributed to the negative associations of the term</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What was the relationship between the terms Moor and African in the seventeenth century?

    <p>Moor carried more negative connotations than African</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What was the primary characteristic associated with the devil in European Christian mythology?

    <p>Blackness</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the basis for defining all other terms in the passage?

    <p>The definition of dominion</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What do rhetoricians Kenneth Burke and Richard Weaver call words that are ranked above others?

    <p>Ultimate terms</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the name of the branch of linguistics that investigates the relationship between language structure and general mental processes?

    <p>Cognitive linguistics</p> Signup and view all the answers

    According to research in cognitive linguistics, how are concepts symbolized by words organized in our minds?

    <p>As part of larger, coherent conceptual units</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What determines the meanings of other words in a text?

    <p>The meanings of certain words</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What status do terms like fruitful, multiply, and subdue have in relation to terms like fish, birds, and cattle?

    <p>Higher status</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the significance of linchpin terms in the interpretation of a text?

    <p>They determine the meanings of other words</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What do the words security, rights, and innovation represent in early twenty-first century America?

    <p>Ultimate terms</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the primary goal of defining linchpin terms in a passage?

    <p>To control the way a passage and the issue that depends on it are framed</p> Signup and view all the answers

    In which field of study is ambiguity more prevalent?

    <p>Literary criticism</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the effect of defining linchpin terms in a passage?

    <p>It heightens the impact of the definition on the larger issue</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the primary goal of literary criticism when interpreting a text?

    <p>To open up and expand the meaning of the text</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the primary goal of law when interpreting a text?

    <p>To regulate beliefs and behaviors</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Why is definition a key issue in law?

    <p>Because it provides a consistent interpretation of normative texts</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the result of continually subjecting the meaning of a text to radical revision?

    <p>It makes it difficult to regulate beliefs and behaviors</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Why do rhetors discover and exploit ambiguities in literary criticism?

    <p>Because they offer a wide range of possibilities for interpretation</p> Signup and view all the answers

    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.

    Studying That Suits You

    Use AI to generate personalized quizzes and flashcards to suit your learning preferences.

    Quiz Team

    Description

    Learn about the importance of definitions in rhetoric, and discover strategies for formulating effective definitions, as advocated by Quintilian and echoing Aristotle's predicables.

    More Quizzes Like This

    Rhetorical Analysis Writing Skills Quiz
    15 questions
    Rhetorical Techniques in Communication
    30 questions
    Rhetorical Analysis Flashcards
    19 questions
    Use Quizgecko on...
    Browser
    Browser