As a critical activity, academic debate potentially offers its participants a wide choice in deciding how, and on what basis, a proposition can be defended or challenged. Despite this range of possibilities, CEDA (Cross Examination Debate Association) debate at the national level has developed a consistency in the types of arguments offered and…

Defining doublespeak as language which pretends to communicate but really does not, this concept paper contains two essays, the first an introduction to doublespeak by Walker Gibson, which offers information on the formation and activities of the 36-member Committee on Public Doublespeak, and considers the history and nature of doublespeak. The…

Providing a basic overview of issues related to advertising and the consumer, this digest discusses the omnipresence of advertisements, suggesting ways for consumers to recognize advertising appeals. Deceptive advertising is discussed, with particular attention paid to financial advertising. (RS)

A reply to "Beyond Rhetorical Relativism," a 1982 article written by E. Croasmun and R. A. Cherwitz, this paper suggests that that article suffers from a poor choice and unclear usage of language, a weak line of argument, and a faulty conceptualization of the issues. The first section of the paper reviews the arguments presented by…

Television evangelist Jimmy Swaggart's public speech of apology following revelations of his sexual relationship with a prostitute provides the basis for a study of the rhetorical genres of apologia and compliance-gaining discourse. Apologia is public speech used by prominent persons to repair damage done to their reputations by allegations of…

A study suggests a new approach for evaluating debate techniques. Previously used paradigms all have some disadvantages. Application of the policy-making paradigm, which involves isolating a problem, having one side propose a solution, then having the opponent point out the solution's disadvantages, is difficult because the paradigm does not…

This book probes the efforts at manipulation individuals face daily in this information age and the tactics of persuaders from many sectors of society using various forms of Orwellian "doublespeak." The book contains the following essays: (1) "Notes toward a Definition of Doublespeak" (William Lutz); (2) "Truisms Are True:…

Although a good deal of the controversy over debate strategy versus substance has been on the construction of both affirmative and negative cases, the most widespread concern is with the use of the "spread." Debate scholars argue that the spread can be misused in two somewhat similar ways. The strategic spread, in which a large number of…

The Intensify/Downplay schema is a useful pattern for analyzing communication, persuasion, and propaganda. All people intensify and downplay as they communicate in words, gestures, numbers, and so on. But, "professional persuaders" have more training, technology, money, and media access than the average citizen. The three most common…

Based on the pattern of "the pitch" (Hi/Trust Me/You Need/Hurry/Buy), this sequence of questions can be used to focus on the "skeleton" underneath the surface variations of radio and television commercials, and newspaper and magazine ads. The five questions, which include evaluation criteria, are as follows: (1) What attention-getting techniques…

Despite a lack of evidence that subliminal messages experimentally embedded in advertisements produce predictable effects, many people believe they know what "subliminal advertising" is and believe that it is used and that it works. A study investigated this belief. Subjects, 206 Fostoria, Ohio residents, were given two questionnaires…

This 53-item bibliography lists texts on debate and forensics; articles and papers on coaching debate; articles and papers on coaching individual events; and sources on ethics. (RAE)

Legal reasoning employs weak sense critical thinking (pointing out inadequacies in the reasoning of others) rather than strong sense critical thinking (applying the same skills to one's own argument as well). The adversary model does not encourage lawyers to examine critically either the client's or their own arguments. The lawyer's task is to…

Cross examination has become a standard and important feature of contemporary debate and a great deal has been written concerning its tactical aspects. Very little, however, has been written about the fundamental strategic problem which is created by the three-minute time limit--specifically, how to use that limited period of time to its best…

Noting that--although explicit attention to the unconscious has been rare in argument theories--the notion is unavoidable in any full theory, this paper argues that the unconscious plays a central role in argumentation. After briefly discussing the characteristics of the unconscious, the first section of the paper presents an analysis of…