Outline Language Strategies

Chapter 7 notes

Types of Aesthetic Strategies

I. 5 types

a. Language

i. Language strategies are the most important type of aesthetic strategy.

ii. Linguistic strategies are more important than other aesthetic strategies because language is such a powerful vehicle for carrying both cognitive and artistic meaning.

b. Graphic

i. Graphic aesthetic strategies include drawings, bullet points, charts, subheads, underlining and other devices designed to make written rhetoric more persuasive.

ii. The primary function of graphic strategies are to emphasize points and make the material easier to understand.

c. Objects

i. Objects can be used as an aesthetic strategy in a speech or other presentation.

ii. Objects can be us for other purposes as well. A speaker may hold an object to get the attention of the audience, to clarify a point, or to tap into values or needs.

d. Pictures

i. Still pictures may be used to visually demonstrate a point.

ii. Film or video are used to reveal a situation, support an argument, or tell a story.

iii. Pictures are used to fulfill a variety of aesthetic functions.

iv. A picture may be cited as support for an argument.

v. Pictures may be used to tap into values or needs

vi. Pictures are also used to emphasize a point or clarify a position.

e. Sound

i. Sound is used to add interest to a work of rhetoric in the same way that a sound track adds interest to a film or television.

ii. Sound is also used to tap into values, needs or symbols.

f. Summary of types of aesthetic strategies

i. The four nonlanguage aesthetic strategies primarily are used to add interest to and clarify the meaning of a persuasive claim. These aesthetic strategies also may be used to tap into one of the other main categories of persuasion. In particular, visual images are a powerful way to build supporting arguments, tell narratives and tap into values and needs.

ii. Of the five types, language is far and away the most important. Language is the most important for two reasons. First, language is the dominant symbol system that humans use to communicate. Second, each other aesthetic strategies must be translated into language into language in the mind of the audience before it can produce persuasion.

II. Functions of language strategies

i. Language strategies are used to make a pint more vivid.

ii. Language strategies can be used to make a conclusion more understandable and memorable.

iii. Language strategies are used to add emphasis to a point.

III. Types of language strategies

i. Metaphor

a. Most important

b. A comparison says that two objects/ideas/people are similar in some way.

c. There are two important dimensions to metaphor: degree of development and a literal-figurative distinction.

d. A distinction can be drawn between figurative and literal forms of comparison. A literal comparison is drawn when the two objects being compared fall into the same category.

e. Metaphor usage serves two main functions. First, metaphors are often added to works of rhetoric, much as seasoning is added to a dish of food.

ii. Antithesis

a. Occurs when