A study analyzed argumentative essays written to both friendly and hostile audiences by 40 randomly selected college undergraduate students and 12 randomly selected college-bound high school seniors. After holistic rating, papers were analyzed for degree and kind of audience activity and were also independently evaluated for writers' levels of…

The actual nature of topicality as it is presented in intercollegiate debate rounds has become so split that there are two different types of topicality. The first type (T1) is a "real" argument that is subjective, intentional, absolute, jurisdictional, pragmatic, and focuses on content and product. The second type (T2) is strategic,…

Joseph Cyprien Nadal's "Dictionnaire d'Eloquence Sacree" is an outstanding work because of Nadal's thorough treatment of all the elements young speakers should know as they embark on a platform career. The most important of these elements are invention, disposition, style, memory, and delivery. In addition, the book discusses five duties…

A seminar was held in England in 1981 to come up with a systematic, detailed analysis of argument and with suggestions on how it should be taught on the secondary level. Within a framework of questions designed to distinguish types and purposes of argument, members of the seminar analyzed four essays paragraph by paragraph. Their comments…

There is a tendency for debaters and judges to view a single quote or opinion as conclusive evidence proving a point. But evidence can only point toward a conclusion; it cannot prove a conclusion conclusively. Experts may offer their opinions (sometimes as fact) but these opinions are only educated guesses. This is not to say that evidence from…

The prime function of human communication is to enable people to survive their environment. The special function of an argument is to adjust the environment to satisfy felt needs. Whether argument takes the cognitive form of thought, the textual form of an essay, or the interpersonal form of a conversation, it serves this general function.…

The failure of the supporters of the Equal Rights Amendment to understand the rhetoric and world view of its opponents resulted in the defeat of the amendment. The opponents of the ERA had six arguments: women are not discriminated against; women will be drafted; protective labor laws will be eliminated; the ERA will destroy tradition regarding…

A study investigated whether receivers who detect senders behaving deceitfully will automatically become more resistent to the message being presented. By developing predictions derived from the Elaboration Likelihood Model (ELM), the study hypothesized that only noninvolved receivers would respond negatively to deceptive nonverbal cues in a…

This paper traces twentieth-century Unitarian Universalism to its nineteenth-century transcendentalist roots by examining the communication patterns and philosophies of its proponents. Advocates of Unitarianism defend their religious/humanistic philosophy in terms of the Constitution's First Amendment rights to freedom of speech, reflecting their…

Since ancient times, the use of metaphor in rhetorical speeches has been a powerful tool for persuasive impact on audiences. Study of 84 important persuasive speeches, from classic to modern, reveals 52 metaphor types. Among these, 11 types account for 60% of all of the examples. These "archetypal" metaphors are used in speeches, not because of…

This paper investigates the potential effectiveness of counter advertising in influencing the buying habits of a convinced audience. One month before the actual study, 109 subjects indicated a brand preference in a consumer questionnaire. The subjects were randomly assigned to groups that viewed one of the following: (1) a pro-Bayer aspirin…

Drawn from a 1978 Speech Communication Association seminar, this collection of papers and other materials explores the subject of argumentation as epistemology. The first paper reviews several critiques of traditional argumentation theories and offers directions for new theories, and the remaining eight papers offer responses to the ideas and…

The teacher-coach involved in a contemporary speech tournament rarely, if ever, hears eloquent speeches. The forensic vigor of oratory may be restored through a form of address called the speech to stimulate or the epideictic oratory. Such speeches may include declamatory speeches, speeches of praise (or blame), or speeches for special occasions.…

The 1981 Washington, D.C., referendum on tuition tax credits was one of the first occasions in the U.S. when voters had a chance to approve such a plan. This case study of the election briefly summarizes the arguments for and against the measure (known as Initiative 7), describes the measure's proponents and opponents, and notes its defeat by an…

Although first enunciated in 1827 by Samuel Newman, the modes of discourse--narration, description, exposition, and argument--were not very popular until formulated in 1866 and presented in the United States in a rhetoric textbook in 1885. After 1890, they were gradually accepted by the most influential rhetoricians of the day, and their use in…