As a most generally accepted device of rhetorical purposes, metaphor or metaphorical language is thought to be the seasoning of language. While this paper presents some existing proof to illustrate far more use of met...As a most generally accepted device of rhetorical purposes, metaphor or metaphorical language is thought to be the seasoning of language. While this paper presents some existing proof to illustrate far more use of metaphorical language and the functions of metaphor in English language.展开更多
The pun becomes the most popular language strategy for advertisers as a broadly used rhetorical device. Using pun words felicitously not only makes advertising language more humorous, implicative, and vivid but also l...The pun becomes the most popular language strategy for advertisers as a broadly used rhetorical device. Using pun words felicitously not only makes advertising language more humorous, implicative, and vivid but also leaves the audience a room to imagine and enjoy. The author summarizes pun＇s definitions, features, classifications, and how the pun procures a successful communicative activity in English advertisements based on Sperber and Wilson＇s Relevance Theory. At last, the pun＇s pragmatic functions are concluded.展开更多
Metaphor is one of the important and forceful figures of speech in English. It has something to do with the aesthetic elements in its mechanism： its originality, its brevity, its indirectness, its vividness and its l...Metaphor is one of the important and forceful figures of speech in English. It has something to do with the aesthetic elements in its mechanism： its originality, its brevity, its indirectness, its vividness and its logic.展开更多
The cultural connotations of numbers in English and Chinese languages are demonstrated to discuss the grammatical functions of the numbers and their rhetoric usages. For a foreign language learner, it is essential tha...The cultural connotations of numbers in English and Chinese languages are demonstrated to discuss the grammatical functions of the numbers and their rhetoric usages. For a foreign language learner, it is essential that they know not. only the denotation of the numbers, but also the connotation of the numbers. Numbers frequently play an important role in dally communication.展开更多
The present article focuses on Heidegger＇s productive appropriation of Aristotle＇s rhetoric. It pays special attention to the lectures of 1924, Basic Concepts of.4ristotelian Philosophy, and its later influence on t...The present article focuses on Heidegger＇s productive appropriation of Aristotle＇s rhetoric. It pays special attention to the lectures of 1924, Basic Concepts of.4ristotelian Philosophy, and its later influence on the phenomenon of idle talk exposed in Being and Time. First, a brief overview is given of Heidegger＇s early rediscovery of Aristotle＇s political and practical writings. Second, special attention is given to his ontological reading of Aristotle＇s practical and political writings, focusing on the sphere of communicability and publicness inherent to opinions. And third, the paper describes the positive and negative aspects related to the phenomenon of idle talk sketched out in Being and Time, a phenomenon which condensates a good portion of his early interpretations of Aristotelian rhetoric.展开更多
Teaching English composition has long been recognized as one of the most daunting tasks of college education in China. So this thesis is intended to investigate the applicability of the audience-oriented rhetorical ap...Teaching English composition has long been recognized as one of the most daunting tasks of college education in China. So this thesis is intended to investigate the applicability of the audience-oriented rhetorical appeals to the teaching of English composition.展开更多
George Orwell＇s Animal farm is a satire on human nature. By severe and vivid satiric techniques such as irony, exaggeration, similes and metaphors, Orwell demonstrates that selfishness, lust for power and corruption ...George Orwell＇s Animal farm is a satire on human nature. By severe and vivid satiric techniques such as irony, exaggeration, similes and metaphors, Orwell demonstrates that selfishness, lust for power and corruption would lead to the disillusionment of human＇s pursuit of freedom and equality in a classless society.展开更多
This paper argues for an overt innovational shift in praxis, as well as classroom configuration in the ESOL writing class by calling for a move away from the current foci on process-based pedagogies for newcomer popul...This paper argues for an overt innovational shift in praxis, as well as classroom configuration in the ESOL writing class by calling for a move away from the current foci on process-based pedagogies for newcomer populations, to an explicit teaching of modeling strategies with concomitant practice opportunities provided in the ESOL writing class. It is argued that explicit, sequenced instruction in the domains of rhetorical structure as well as grammatical accuracy provide ESOL （English for Speakers of Other Languages） learners in the emerging stages of language learning with a more concrete grasp of meaning, structure and grammar in rhetorical construction. The modeling strategies proposed in the paper focus on a simultaneous building of rhetorical fluency and grammatical accuracy via spotlighted and sequenced strategies which afford learners practice in smaller chunks of composition including but not limited to thesis statement writing, varied paragraph organization, multiple modes of exposition, and grammatical complexity all in a bid to generate rhetorical depth and grammatical detail in writing. In short, both form and function need to be explicitly taught in the ESOL writing class with adequate opportunities provided for rhetorical practice. Using a meticulous blend of meaningful, authentic and purposeful tasks combined with one-on-one instruction which incorporates a variety of visual and rhetorical modeling strategies, emerging writers, it is argued a move from controlled to automatic writing fluency within a short time span. The pedagogy proposed in the current paper spotlights the specific learner, rather than the writing process and entails a move away from traditional, teacher-fronted classrooms to targeted, workshop-centered configurations which permit for one-on-one conferencing in the ESOL writing class. The visually rendered modeling strategies proposed in this paper argue for writing instruction for ESOL students which is learner responsive, relevant and practical.展开更多
Centuries of rhetorical and literary studies have strongly been influencing the cognitive understanding of metonymy. Many different classifications of tropes have been proposed. Some subsume metonymy and synecdoche un...Centuries of rhetorical and literary studies have strongly been influencing the cognitive understanding of metonymy. Many different classifications of tropes have been proposed. Some subsume metonymy and synecdoche under metaphor while the other classify it under synecdoche. The paper overviews the main researches on metonymy in west countries and in China since 1980s from cognitive perspective.展开更多
This paper aims at showing how rhetoric and meaning in Zambian poetry interact. The work analyses the definition of poetry and gives the understanding that poetry is an artistic use of language that employs figurative...This paper aims at showing how rhetoric and meaning in Zambian poetry interact. The work analyses the definition of poetry and gives the understanding that poetry is an artistic use of language that employs figurative language for maximum effect. The work also analyses rhetoric and concludes that the sole aim of rhetoric is to persuade the audience. The use of this rhetoric is later identified as a preoccupation of most poets. After studying a number of rhetorical devices used in poetry, the work has studied selected Zambian poems and focussed on the use of rhyme and alliteration in the poems. It has been shown that there is much use of rhyme but with limited use of alliteration. In both cases, the use is not so much to the contribution to the meaning in the poetry. The poets usually use these devices for the sake of beauty and not meaning. The paper therefore suggests that poets could undergo some formal training in composition while the art is also taught to the young while in their early years in schools.展开更多
This paper analyzes the effect of rhetorical devices, such as irony, sarcasm, parody, hyperbole, pun, antonomasia, etc., in dialogues of the American TV series The Big Bang Theory （2007） with an aim to help improve ...This paper analyzes the effect of rhetorical devices, such as irony, sarcasm, parody, hyperbole, pun, antonomasia, etc., in dialogues of the American TV series The Big Bang Theory （2007） with an aim to help improve English learners＇ awareness and appreciation of rhetorical means in English-based literary works. Instances are cited with the use of such rhetoric means in the dialogue transcriptions. It is discovered that integrated use of a variety of rhetorical devices is a significant means for vivid and impressive characterization in literature. Such an analysis is a rewarding journey on either an academic or entertainment basis, and a process of discovery and learning that may particularly be well-received with EFL （English as a Foreign Language） learners展开更多
This paper explores the extent to which Chinese rhetorical patterns influence EFL writing, the reasons behind such an influence, and how Chinese EFL learners think about this influence. A multivariate method was used ...This paper explores the extent to which Chinese rhetorical patterns influence EFL writing, the reasons behind such an influence, and how Chinese EFL learners think about this influence. A multivariate method was used to achieve this purpose： discourse analysis, text-based interviews, a questionnaire, and an analysis of high school textbooks in China. The findings show that only one third of the 26 students who participated the study exhibited ＂circular＂ or ＂indirect＂ characteristics （Kaplan, 1966）, and, more interestingly, these characteristics were not directly influenced by the ＂eight-legged essay＂ pattern （Matalene, 1985） but rather derived from the modern Chinese prose. The learners held that it is beneficial to know English rhetorical structures, but it is also important to preserve Chinese writing conventions.展开更多
This study investigated how advanced Chinese students of English construct clause relations when construing English texts. A deconstructed text was distributed in class to 42 graduate students of linguistics, who were...This study investigated how advanced Chinese students of English construct clause relations when construing English texts. A deconstructed text was distributed in class to 42 graduate students of linguistics, who were required to organize the clauses into a conceivably good text. The result suggests that these students seemed to rely on explicit cohesive words （anaphoric references and repetitions） rather than meaning relations in text construction. They seemed to have difficulties in using cataphoric contextual information and the popular discourse pattern from general to specific. This study calls for an enhanced awareness of logico-semantic relations in teaching and learning text construction.展开更多
This essay explores key issues and developments in the growth of English public speaking as a course in Chinese higher education. Growing initially out of interest generated by national speech competitions, English pu...This essay explores key issues and developments in the growth of English public speaking as a course in Chinese higher education. Growing initially out of interest generated by national speech competitions, English public speaking has become a sought-after subject because of its value in today＇s globalized world. Focusing on English as a working language, it strengthens core skills and competencies not just in oral communication, but also in writing, listening, critical thinking, intercultural communicative competence, and overall English proficiency. Grounded in the Western discipline of rhetoric, it is being localized in China through creative adaptation by teachers and students alike.展开更多
Well known to students of rhetoric,classics,and the history of education,Quintilian’s Institutes of Oratory also merits the attention of EFL teachers and scholars who deal with public speaking and written composition...Well known to students of rhetoric,classics,and the history of education,Quintilian’s Institutes of Oratory also merits the attention of EFL teachers and scholars who deal with public speaking and written composition.Although created in ancient Rome 2,000 years ago,the Institutes is replete with insights that are as applicable today as in Quintilian’s time.After providing historical background on Quintilian and his masterwork,this article examines his comprehensive program of speech education,his explication of the symbiotic relationship between speech and writing,and his notion of the good person speaking(and writing)well as the ideal of ethical communication.In the process,it touches upon numerous issues germane to English language educators in China and to EFL teaching and research in general.展开更多
文摘As a most generally accepted device of rhetorical purposes, metaphor or metaphorical language is thought to be the seasoning of language. While this paper presents some existing proof to illustrate far more use of metaphorical language and the functions of metaphor in English language.
文摘The pun becomes the most popular language strategy for advertisers as a broadly used rhetorical device. Using pun words felicitously not only makes advertising language more humorous, implicative, and vivid but also leaves the audience a room to imagine and enjoy. The author summarizes pun＇s definitions, features, classifications, and how the pun procures a successful communicative activity in English advertisements based on Sperber and Wilson＇s Relevance Theory. At last, the pun＇s pragmatic functions are concluded.
文摘Metaphor is one of the important and forceful figures of speech in English. It has something to do with the aesthetic elements in its mechanism： its originality, its brevity, its indirectness, its vividness and its logic.
文摘The cultural connotations of numbers in English and Chinese languages are demonstrated to discuss the grammatical functions of the numbers and their rhetoric usages. For a foreign language learner, it is essential that they know not. only the denotation of the numbers, but also the connotation of the numbers. Numbers frequently play an important role in dally communication.
文摘The present article focuses on Heidegger＇s productive appropriation of Aristotle＇s rhetoric. It pays special attention to the lectures of 1924, Basic Concepts of.4ristotelian Philosophy, and its later influence on the phenomenon of idle talk exposed in Being and Time. First, a brief overview is given of Heidegger＇s early rediscovery of Aristotle＇s political and practical writings. Second, special attention is given to his ontological reading of Aristotle＇s practical and political writings, focusing on the sphere of communicability and publicness inherent to opinions. And third, the paper describes the positive and negative aspects related to the phenomenon of idle talk sketched out in Being and Time, a phenomenon which condensates a good portion of his early interpretations of Aristotelian rhetoric.
文摘Teaching English composition has long been recognized as one of the most daunting tasks of college education in China. So this thesis is intended to investigate the applicability of the audience-oriented rhetorical appeals to the teaching of English composition.
文摘George Orwell＇s Animal farm is a satire on human nature. By severe and vivid satiric techniques such as irony, exaggeration, similes and metaphors, Orwell demonstrates that selfishness, lust for power and corruption would lead to the disillusionment of human＇s pursuit of freedom and equality in a classless society.
文摘This paper argues for an overt innovational shift in praxis, as well as classroom configuration in the ESOL writing class by calling for a move away from the current foci on process-based pedagogies for newcomer populations, to an explicit teaching of modeling strategies with concomitant practice opportunities provided in the ESOL writing class. It is argued that explicit, sequenced instruction in the domains of rhetorical structure as well as grammatical accuracy provide ESOL （English for Speakers of Other Languages） learners in the emerging stages of language learning with a more concrete grasp of meaning, structure and grammar in rhetorical construction. The modeling strategies proposed in the paper focus on a simultaneous building of rhetorical fluency and grammatical accuracy via spotlighted and sequenced strategies which afford learners practice in smaller chunks of composition including but not limited to thesis statement writing, varied paragraph organization, multiple modes of exposition, and grammatical complexity all in a bid to generate rhetorical depth and grammatical detail in writing. In short, both form and function need to be explicitly taught in the ESOL writing class with adequate opportunities provided for rhetorical practice. Using a meticulous blend of meaningful, authentic and purposeful tasks combined with one-on-one instruction which incorporates a variety of visual and rhetorical modeling strategies, emerging writers, it is argued a move from controlled to automatic writing fluency within a short time span. The pedagogy proposed in the current paper spotlights the specific learner, rather than the writing process and entails a move away from traditional, teacher-fronted classrooms to targeted, workshop-centered configurations which permit for one-on-one conferencing in the ESOL writing class. The visually rendered modeling strategies proposed in this paper argue for writing instruction for ESOL students which is learner responsive, relevant and practical.
文摘Centuries of rhetorical and literary studies have strongly been influencing the cognitive understanding of metonymy. Many different classifications of tropes have been proposed. Some subsume metonymy and synecdoche under metaphor while the other classify it under synecdoche. The paper overviews the main researches on metonymy in west countries and in China since 1980s from cognitive perspective.
文摘This paper aims at showing how rhetoric and meaning in Zambian poetry interact. The work analyses the definition of poetry and gives the understanding that poetry is an artistic use of language that employs figurative language for maximum effect. The work also analyses rhetoric and concludes that the sole aim of rhetoric is to persuade the audience. The use of this rhetoric is later identified as a preoccupation of most poets. After studying a number of rhetorical devices used in poetry, the work has studied selected Zambian poems and focussed on the use of rhyme and alliteration in the poems. It has been shown that there is much use of rhyme but with limited use of alliteration. In both cases, the use is not so much to the contribution to the meaning in the poetry. The poets usually use these devices for the sake of beauty and not meaning. The paper therefore suggests that poets could undergo some formal training in composition while the art is also taught to the young while in their early years in schools.
文摘This paper analyzes the effect of rhetorical devices, such as irony, sarcasm, parody, hyperbole, pun, antonomasia, etc., in dialogues of the American TV series The Big Bang Theory （2007） with an aim to help improve English learners＇ awareness and appreciation of rhetorical means in English-based literary works. Instances are cited with the use of such rhetoric means in the dialogue transcriptions. It is discovered that integrated use of a variety of rhetorical devices is a significant means for vivid and impressive characterization in literature. Such an analysis is a rewarding journey on either an academic or entertainment basis, and a process of discovery and learning that may particularly be well-received with EFL （English as a Foreign Language） learners
文摘This paper explores the extent to which Chinese rhetorical patterns influence EFL writing, the reasons behind such an influence, and how Chinese EFL learners think about this influence. A multivariate method was used to achieve this purpose： discourse analysis, text-based interviews, a questionnaire, and an analysis of high school textbooks in China. The findings show that only one third of the 26 students who participated the study exhibited ＂circular＂ or ＂indirect＂ characteristics （Kaplan, 1966）, and, more interestingly, these characteristics were not directly influenced by the ＂eight-legged essay＂ pattern （Matalene, 1985） but rather derived from the modern Chinese prose. The learners held that it is beneficial to know English rhetorical structures, but it is also important to preserve Chinese writing conventions.
基金contributes partly to the fulfillment of a National Project of Social Science entitled:A contrastive study of minimum discourse patterns in English and Chinese, coded 10BYY006an MOE project A contrastive study of clause relations and discourse patterns in English and Chinese, coded 08JA740013
文摘This study investigated how advanced Chinese students of English construct clause relations when construing English texts. A deconstructed text was distributed in class to 42 graduate students of linguistics, who were required to organize the clauses into a conceivably good text. The result suggests that these students seemed to rely on explicit cohesive words （anaphoric references and repetitions） rather than meaning relations in text construction. They seemed to have difficulties in using cataphoric contextual information and the popular discourse pattern from general to specific. This study calls for an enhanced awareness of logico-semantic relations in teaching and learning text construction.
文摘This essay explores key issues and developments in the growth of English public speaking as a course in Chinese higher education. Growing initially out of interest generated by national speech competitions, English public speaking has become a sought-after subject because of its value in today＇s globalized world. Focusing on English as a working language, it strengthens core skills and competencies not just in oral communication, but also in writing, listening, critical thinking, intercultural communicative competence, and overall English proficiency. Grounded in the Western discipline of rhetoric, it is being localized in China through creative adaptation by teachers and students alike.
文摘Well known to students of rhetoric,classics,and the history of education,Quintilian’s Institutes of Oratory also merits the attention of EFL teachers and scholars who deal with public speaking and written composition.Although created in ancient Rome 2,000 years ago,the Institutes is replete with insights that are as applicable today as in Quintilian’s time.After providing historical background on Quintilian and his masterwork,this article examines his comprehensive program of speech education,his explication of the symbiotic relationship between speech and writing,and his notion of the good person speaking(and writing)well as the ideal of ethical communication.In the process,it touches upon numerous issues germane to English language educators in China and to EFL teaching and research in general.
