Rhetoric in the language of real estate marketing

“Des. Res.”, “rarely available”, “viewing essential” – these are all part of the peculiar parlance of housing advertisements which contain a heady mix of euphemism, hyperbole and superlative. Of interest is whether the selling agent’s penchant for rhetoric is spatially uniform or whether there are variations across the urban system. We are also interested in how the use of superlatives varies over the market cycle and over the selling season. For example, are estate agents more inclined to use hyperbole when the market is buoyant or when it is flat, and does it matter whether a house is marketed in the summer or winter? This paper attempts to answer these questions by applying textual analysis to a unique dataset of 49,926 records of real estate transactions in the Strathclyde conurbation over the period 1999 to 2006. The analysis opens up a new avenue of research into the use of real estate rhetoric and its interaction with agency behaviour and market dynamics

Pathos and patter in real estate parlance

This paper presents the first systematic analysis of estate agent language and employs Aristotle’s ponderings on the art of persuasion as a means of classifying the peculiar parlance of property peddlers. “Des. Res.”, “rarely available”, “viewing essential” – these are all part of the peculiar parlance of housing advertisements. The question is whether the selling agent’s penchant for rhetoric is uniform across a single urban system or whether there are variations, even within a relatively limited geographical area. We are also interested in how the use of superlatives varies over the market cycle. For example, are estate agents more inclined to use hyperbole when the market is buoyant or when it is flat? This paper attempts to answer these questions by applying textual analysis to a unique dataset of 49,926 records of real estate transactions in the West of Scotland over the period 1999 to 2006. Our analysis has implications for our understanding of the agency behaviour of housing market professionals and endeavours to open up a new avenue of research into the market-impact of rhetoric in the language of selling

Linguistically Diverse Writers and the Shaping of a Scholarly Ethos: Rhetorical Listening as a Strategy in Composition Pedagogy

This thesis project advocates for a more inclusive approach to writing instruction, challenging traditional pedagogical practices that have historically excluded marginalized groups from fully participating in academic discourse. This project highlights the ways that Aristotelian interpretations of ethos continue to inform and shape contemporary writing pedagogy, despite their potential outdatedness in the context of the 21st-century composition classroom. By examining the Conference of College Composition and Communication\u27s policy resolution entitled Students\u27 Right to Their Own Language, this project recognizes the presence of linguistically diverse writers and their historical, ongoing struggle for academic legitimacy. Furthermore, this project proposes rhetorical listening as one strategy for composition pedagogy that places value on personal perspectives and diverse voices in student writing. Rhetorical listening, as an approach, aids in shaping and maintaining scholarly credibility for linguistically diverse writers. Finally, this research project suggests practical assignment designs for composition instruction that fosters community-based, empathetic, and collaborative practices that promote a more comprehensive approach to writing instruction

Argumentation and Persuasion in Saudi TEDx Talks: A Political Discourse Analysis Approach

TED (Technology, Entertainment, and Design) is a platform for individuals to persuade a wider audience with their ideas. While several studies have investigated the persuasive elements of TEDx talks in different languages, the research on persuasion in Arabic TEDx talks is scarce. This dissertation integrates argumentation theory, framing theory, and Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA), using the Political Discourse Analysis (PDA) approach (I. Fairclough and N. Fairclough, 2011, 2012) on ten Saudi TEDx talks. The analysis is supported by an open-ended questionnaire that explores the audience’s perception of persuasion in these talks. This study strengthens the PDA model by including Aristotelian approaches to rhetoric (epideictic and forensic rhetoric; logos, ethos, and pathos), adapting the critical questions to focus more on the ‘rational acceptability’ rather than on ‘truth’, and analysing how other rhetorical strategies are used to frame arguments. This is complemented by audience evaluations, which provide additional evidence for analyses. Together, this provides an in-depth and less subjective analysis of how language in persuasive discourse shapes and is shaped by ideological assumptions and power relations. The findings reveal that speakers in Saudi TEDx talks exert power of persuasion by sharing personal stories to convince the audience of the logicality of their argument. These stories shape and are shaped by ideological assumptions that align with Saudi social norms, such as the importance of family, passion, success, God, perseverance, objectivity, and career, which are overtly expressed. However, ideologies that contradict prevailing social norms, such as prioritising skills over formal education, are conveyed in a more implicit manner. Moreover, the study suggests that the speakers also promote ideologies of personal development and making a change in the world, which are consistent with the aims of Saudi 2030 Vision, which seeks to empower individuals and promote a sense of entrepreneurship and innovation

Persuasion in Political Discourse: Tunisian President Ben Ali\u27s Last Speech as a Case Stud

Within a discourse analysis framework, this research investigates persuasion in political discourse in the last speech of the former Tunisian president Zine El Abidine Ben Ali, delivered one day before he left the country in the middle of the Tunisian Revolution that sparked the so-called Arab Spring. Sentences are analyzed to check their illocutionary force in light of Searle\u27s typology of Speech Act Theory. Then, an analysis of agency is carried out to investigate the persuasive dimension of the use of deictic pronouns to construct the self-image as well as the image of the Other. The speech is also examined using the three appeals of Aristotle, and its use of diglossia is analyzed. Lastly, the Gricean maxims are used to check whether the Cooperative Principle is observed or not and whether the deviation is intended for persuasive ends. The findings of this study indicate that multiple speech acts are used in the same utterance either with or without an explicit performative verb. Some speech acts may be used as a medium to carry others. It also shows how the strategic use of deictic pronouns and agency with certain illocutionary forces helps construct otherness as well as the self. This process is enforced by the marked use of ethos, which is a crucial strategy of persuasion in political discourse. Although the use of Tunisian dialect represents a deviation from the norm, the findings show that emotions are more effectively conveyed in dialect than in Standard Arabic. The non-observance of the Gricean maxims is found to be a persuasive strategy to manipulate the audience. However, persuasion cannot be achieved only through linguistic tools. It has to be paralleled with a good awareness of the context

From Small Beginnings to Large-Scale Harm: On Demagoguery and Misogyny in the Classroom and Writing Center

My project is grounded in the rhetorical concept of aretê—excellence or virtue—as it relates to education and educational spaces within demagogic and misogynist cultural forces. The problems of demagoguery and misogyny stem from small-scale perpetuation of agonistic norms that go unaddressed in U.S. culture, a culture that is deeply identity-driven. These forces persist on social media platforms and within patriarchal systems of education. For my project, I suggest rhetorical media literacy education of small-scale demagoguery moments on social media as a way to bring awareness to larger-scale events. On a micro-scale, social media influencers cultivate behaviors that mimic demagogic norms: charismatic leadership, propagation of in-group/out-group binaries, and personalized echo chambers. Bringing awareness to how influencers function and use social media to their benefit empowers consumers to understand when or if someone is acting demagogically. Empowerment is a way to support students as they achieve pedagogical aretê. To address misogyny, I turn to the university writing center space to demonstrate how feminist rhetorical pedagogy can and do inhabit patriarchal academic systems. Writing centers act as peripheral academic spaces on university campuses while stull supporting a student’s quest for aretê. Writing consultants use rhetorical listening practices to bring the invisible steps of the writing process to light during consultations. In a writing center, rhetorical listening is an act of feminist pedagogy that promotes socially engaged collaboration. Arming students with an understanding of their personal writing style, voice, and process fosters ownership of their ideas, combating misogynist and patriarchal constraints and paving the way for pedagogical aretê

Parallelisms in Arabic: Morphological and Lexical, Syntactic, and Textual

Parallelism in Arabic is investigated through data from three Arabic varieties: Modern Standard Arabic (MSA), Classical Arabic (CA), and (Yemeni) Adeni Arabic (AA). Parallelism in Arabic is examined at different linguistic levels: morphological and lexical, syntactic, and textual. Parallelism seems to be inherent and is more likely in writings that aim to convince or restate theses and topics. However, the occurrence of parallelisms is genre-specific, purpose-oriented, and situation/context-dependent. It is predictable in sermons, public speeches/addresses, and opinion writing. Apparently, parallelism, particularly beyond reduplication and lexical level, triggers resonance in the mind of the listener/reader, retaining the respective information in short term memory and thus marking it for emphasis

Family register in British English: The first approach to its systematic study

Under a Creative Commons license: Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0)The present study looks into an unexplored area of research as it is the family register. An alternative to recording family conversations is the use of popular TV series, as their success lies in the audience s identification with their characters and their communicative style. This work analyses two highly popular series in UK. The results suggest that this register has its own communicative richness and internal variation, the knowledge of which may be of great help for students and professionals travelling to English-speaking countries and living or relating with native speakers in family environments.Giménez Moreno, R.; Skorczynska Sznajder, HT. (2015). Family register in British English: The first approach to its systematic study. Procedia Social and Behavioral Sciences. 173:222-227. doi:10.1016/j.sbspro.2015.02.056S22222717