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Language, Rhetoric, and Idea
The first section is predicated on the belief that an understanding of the elements of language is as fundamental a discipline for the novice writer as anatomy is for the medical student. To this end the essays selected touch on a number of significant aspects of language, from its origin and development to the most recent techniques of syntactic description. This very diversity suggests the intention: to introduce the student to the manifold possibilities of language both as a medium of thought and a means of communication and expression. Thus the essays were chosen primarily for their informational qualities rather than for any stylistic or rhetorical virtues they may possess.
The second section deals with the subject of rhetoric, for if language provides the writer with the needed raw material, a mastery of rhetoric supplies the shaping tools. Yet to study these tools in a vacuum can be not only tedious business but questionable pedagogy as well. Therefore, each essay that defines and elaborates a rhetorical principle is followed by another that fully demonstrates the successful working out of that particular principle (and, of course, many others) in a piece of prose.
The final section consists of ten essays the instructor may use as he will. He may employ them as further examples of rhetorical techniques, as illustrations of specific problems in language, or simply as issues to be analyzed in writing assignments of his choice. The issues are fundamental ones. In each case they are treated by both a contemporary figure and a writer of long established reputation. A comparison of style and attitude wil offer interesting insights on several levels.
Our guiding purpose, then, is threefold: awareness of language, dexterity in its use, and thoughtful handling of complex ideas. The questions at the end of the essays in parts one and two are intended for review and discussion.
B000459 | 421 Glo l | Perpustakaan Hukum Daniel S. Lev | Tersedia |
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