Search results for "rhetoric"

Emblemi del Novecento. Cruciverba, linguaggio, luoghi comuni: faccette di storia culturale del Moderno

2009

Analysis and review of the role of sarcasm and litote: A proposal from the perspective of the Theory of Relevance

2009

En general, el sarcasmo y la lítote han sido consideradas tradicionalmente como figuras retóricas y, por tanto, como usos dislocados del lenguaje. Desde la tradición clásica, se ha aceptado que existen dos tipos de lenguaje: el literal y el figurado. En tal sentido, este artículo pretende hacer un repaso a algunas consideraciones realizadas desde la Teoría de la Relevancia y, por tanto, concluir que existe un único lenguaje que depende de la relevancia comunicativa perseguida. Overall, sarcasm and litote have been considered rhetorical figures and, therefore, dislocated uses of language. Classical studies accept the existence of two different languages: the literal one and the figurative on…

The advantages of applying the concept of rhetorical style in language-oriented Journalism Studies

2016

This article begins with a delineation of the context of contemporary professional joumalism, particularly its markel-driven, technologically advanced and discursively diverse character. Journalism studies scholars trace media evolution with the aid of content analyses. On the other hand, linguists, including stylisticians, try to capture recent changes in media language with the use of qualitative methods, e.g., with categories derived from discourse analysis, which enable them to see how hegemonie discourses are (re)constructed in journalistic texts. This article elaborates on the category of rhetorical style and shows its applicability to the studies of various media “rhetorics.” Followi…

Animal liberation, American anti-terrorist culture and Denis Hennelly’sBold Native

2016

ABSTRACTSince its birth in the last quarter of the twentieth century, the animal liberation movement has attempted to expose the transnational, global character of speciecism and institutionalised forms of exploitation. Within the American panorama, however, the “war against terror” following 9/11 had such a profound effect on (radical) activism at a legal and legislative level that the movement found itself in the position of having to reassess their focus, leading to theoretical and aesthetic responses to anti-terrorist rhetoric. The aim of this article is (1) to examine the manner by which anti-terrorist rhetoric affected the movement and how the movement appropriated such rhetoric to re…

Speech technology as an experimental science: towards the comparative dynamics of Sprechkunde in Germany and Russia in the late nineteenth to early t…

2016

The article examines various resonances of the “speech technology” (Sprechkunde) current in German and Russian-Soviet context of 1900–1920s. It contains first of all a brief history of the techniques of speech in Germany, an inquiry into some psychophysical sources of the “speech technology” and a survey of the contribution of German “new rhetoric” to this movement. The Russian counterparts of this trend include the Institute of the Living Word (Institut živogo slova, 1918–1923), some Russian formalists, the scenic speech specialists and the theatre pedagogues. The conclusion summarises the historical significance of “speech technology” and its common features in Germany and Russia. It turn…

How populist crisis rhetoric affects voters in Switzerland

2019

Right-wing populism has a long tradition in Switzerland. Nevertheless, only little is known about how populist messages in the media contribute to the success of the Swiss People’s Party (SVP) and to the acceptance of the party’s anti-immigration policies. In this study, we combine data from a large media content analysis (including newspapers and TV news shows) with data from a panel-survey in order to address this research gap. Thereby we differentiate between effects driven by the content and the form of right-wing populist communication. While right-wing populist content depicts immigrants and the political elite as a threat to the Swiss people, populist style evokes the sense of a cris…

Illusion of knowledge through Facebook news? Effects of snack news in a news feed on perceived knowledge, attitude strength, and willingness for disc…

2020

Abstract Research indicates that using social network sites as a source for news increases perceived knowledge even if, objectively, people fail to acquire knowledge. This might result from the frequent repetition of topics in news posts caused by multiple news outlets posting about the same news topics and the algorithm that favors similar postings. These repeated encounters can have a positive effect on the perception of knowing more, even if actual learning hardly occurs. An experiment (N = 810, representative of German Internet users) tested these assumptions. Participants were assigned to one of four groups and received a news feed with no information, few news posts, many news posts, …

Biopiracy in India: Seed diversity and the scramble for knowledge.

2018

Abstract Background: Biopiracy has usually been discussed mostly in the context of the life sciences, sometimes in dialogue with legal debates or political implications. This paper provides a humanities perspective on contemporary discussions of biopiracy and biopatenting. Hypothesis It proceeds from the hypothesis that contemporary debates and practices of biopiracy can be understood as harking back to colonial legacies, which systematically disregard “native” knowledge or seek to appropriate it for their own purposes. Results Drawing on the work of Vandana Shiva, the present article seeks to redefine the notion of ownership of knowledge from a cultural studies perspective. Exploring the 2…

Comparative vs. Transcendental Approaches to Justice: A Misleading Dichotomy in Sen'sThe Idea of Justice

2012

This paper examines the distinction drawn by Amartya Sen between transcendental and comparative theories of justice, and its application to Rawls' doctrine. It then puts forward three arguments. First, it is argued that Sen offers a limited portrayal of Rawls' doctrine. This is the result of a rhetorical strategy that depicts Rawlsian doctrine as more “transcendental” than it really is. Although Sen deploys numerous quotations in support of his interpretation, it is possible to offer a less transcendental interpretation of Rawls. Second, the dichotomy between transcendental and comparative approaches to questions of justice is partly misleading, insofar as any plausible moral doctrine has b…

The Gospel of St John in Literature

1997

‘Idou ho anthropos’ (Latin Ecce homo, ‘Behold the man’) are the words used by Pilate in presenting Jesus to the Jews, bound, scourged, crowned with thorns, and wearing a purple robe (John 19:15). Most interpreters of Pilate’s laconic statement have taken Ecce homo to mean, ‘Here is the poor fellow!’, the speaker’s rhetoric having the purpose of eliciting pity from the spectators, or contemptuously ridiculing the Jews for taking such a lowly and risible figure’s claim to kingship over them so seriously, or provoking them into demanding Christ’s release. Among those exegetes interested in drawing out the theological implications of Pilate’s pronouncement, some suggest that John here emphasize…