English 622: Classical Rhetoric

pathos: emotion or use of feelings to support an argument

arete: virtue, excellence, morality, virtuosity. The Greeks tended to blur a sense of values (virtuousness) with civic excellence.

doxa: opinion, conjecture. Usually, doxa is set in contrast to episteme, which means knowledge. The word 'endoxa' is used to mean a body of opinions or beliefs.

paideia: education or upbringing

episteme: knowledge

dike: respect for the rights of others; justice

prepon: Not sure. Can't find it. Anybody?

antithesis - juxtaposition of contrasting words or ideas (Silva Rhetoricae). Sometimes used to discredit both ideas (as in Socrates).

Arkhai

1) First principles, esp. of argument. "You think water should be privatized, huh? What are your arkhai for that one?"

2) Plural of arkhon. Magistrates, court officials who could conduct preliminary hearings. Solon was an arkhon.

eristic: wrangle or strife, an argument where participants do not have a reasonable goal. Argument for the sake of conflict

paradeigma: example or pattern of examples introduced by a speaker to increase the persuasiveness of the argument. (Think 'paradigm' here). Arguing rhetorically by using induction.

phronesis: virtue of moral thought, practical wisdom, prudence; ability to think and act in order to make change

antithesis: using contrasting phrases, usually in the same sentence, to show opposing sides of an issue.

dialectic: using a process of question and answer to arrive at truths.

dissoi logoi: at least two opposing arguments are available on any given topic.

ethymeme: a rhetorical syllogism in which one premise is left unstated. It is the workhorse of reason-based arguments in rhetoric.

epideictic: a display form of speech that is used to praise or blame

ethos: reputation or authority used as a proof.

kairos: the appropriate time and place to speak or act

lexis: style, or way of saying something

logos: reasoning through enthymemes or examples. Also, can be used to mean language, speech, reality, or ways of thinking.

metaphor: a trope in which one says something that is patently false or trivially true. Often takes the form of "X is Y."

nomos: a truth, belief, value, or norm that is socially constructed. Plural is nomoi.

phronesis: practical wisdom

physis: natural truth, or something that is true by nature

pistis: a proof or means of persuasion. Plural is pisteis.

praxis: practical knowledge or application of knowledge

rhetorike: (If you have to ask...). This is the Greek word for rhetoric and it is often translated as oratory.

simile: a trope that compares one dissimilar thing to another in a trivially true way. It often takes the form of "X is like Y."

syllogism: A form of deductive reasoning that uses premises to logically support a conclusion.

taxis: organization or arrangement of an argument

techne: an art, craft, or trade. It is often learned through some kind of apprenticeship. Can also mean "technical knowledge" but our word "technical" has a specialized meaning that doesn't cover the full understanding of techne.

topoi: the "place" where an orator can look for an argument. Also, a pattern of argument

tribe: a knack

trope: a figure of speech, like a metaphor or simile. The word 'trope' means 'turn' in Greek, so it's a bending of words to come up with new meanings.