BBC 6分钟英语学习 修辞学——你多有说服力

6 min English

from BBC learning english dot com.

Hello. This is six minute English from BBC Learning English.

I'm Neil, and I'm Sam. Friends Romans, countrymen lend me your ears.

Do you know where these famous words are from?

Sir? I think that's a speech by Mark Antony in William shakespeare's play, julius Caesar Wow.

I'm impressed. Caesar has been assassinated, and Mark Antony tries to persuade the crowd to find his killers.

Using words to persuade people, giving them a good reason to do what you say or to accept your argument is known as rhetoric.

In this program, will be hearing all about rhetoric, and of course, learning some related vocabulary as well.

The art of rhetoric started with the ancient Greek philosophers.

Later, during the Roman Republic, politicians and statesmen used rhetoric in speeches given to crowds in the public square.

Although technology has transformed the way we communicate since then, the art of rhetoric is still alive today.

Modern politicians may prefer to assert to the public square, but they still use persuasive language, including sound bites, short sentences or phrases, giving a message in an easy to remember way.

We'll hear more soon. But 1st, I have a question for you.

Sam Roman, Politicians used many rhetorical tricks to persuade people, including the argumentum ad hormonum, which was an attack on their opponents moral character.

Another was called the argumentum ad backulum.

But what did it mean? Was it A, an argument based on logic, B an argument based on emotion, or see, an argument based on the stick?

Well, to persuade someone, your argument needs to be logical, so I'll say a OK, we'll find out the answer later.

Whether you want someone to vote for you or to buy what you're selling, rhetoric can make your own message persuasive.

During his career in the advertising industry, sam Tatum learned a lot about persuading people.

Here, he explains the many uses of rhetoric to BBC World Service program The Y factor.

Rhetric is persuasive language. We use it to rally, to simplify the complex, to inspire an influence.

But it's important, I think, to identify what strategies might be influencing us more than we think.

By understanding the power of language and shape and perceptions, we can start to see.

I'm wondering why people are looking to be so concrete?

Are we trying to pull them all over our eyes of something that's far more complex than we actually state?

As well as persuading people? Sam Tasum says, rhetoric can be used to rally, to bring people together in support of a common goal.

A recent example of this is the way politicians called the corona virus our enemy.

The words politicians choose, and the way they use them, can influence us more than we think.

Sam Tatum says we should question whether political rhetoric is trying to pull the wool over our eyes, an informal way of saying trick or deceive us.

But in the age of 24 hour news updates in nonstop Twitter, has the skill of making a thoughtful argument been lost?

He is, kendal Phillips, professor of political philosophy at Syracuse University, speaking to BBC World Services.

The y factor. It's also hard to analyze the argument or reasoning of a tweet, because characters is not away for me to lay out a logical argument with a major premise of minor premise in a conclusion.

It's much easier to just use a two word phrase or hashtag.

That usually ends up adding to that kind of polemical division between my side and their side.

Global problems involve complex issues which cannot be solved in 280 letters, the maximum length of a tweet allowed by Twitter.

According to Professor Kendall, we need logical arguments containing a premise, something which you think is true, and you use as the basis for developing your idea, and a conclusion your decision or plan of action, based on carefully considering all the relevant facts.

E.g., climate change is damaging the planet.

That's a premise, therefore we should act to stop it.

That's a conclusion. Few issues are simply black and white, though, and this is a problem, because Twitter debates are often polemical, argued very strongly, either for or against a particular opinion or idea.

If you believe passionately in something, you need to explain it to people in a way they understand.

And in ancient times, rhetoric also meant building bridges between people and finding common ground, like those Romans you mentioned.

Now, yes, in my question, I asked Sam for the meaning of the term argumentum and

backulum. I guessed it was an argument based on logic, which was the wrong answer, I'm afraid.

In fact, argumentum ad vacuum means the argument

with a stick, or in other words, hitting somebody with a stick until they agree with you.

I guess that's one way to win an argument.

OK, let's recap the vocabulary from the program, starting with sound bite, a short sentence or phrase designed to stick in the memory.

When people rally together, they unite to support a common goal.

To pull the wall over someone's eyes means to trick someone.

Logical arguments contain a premise, a truth used as the basis for developing an argument and a conclusion, a decision based on carefully considering all the relevant facts.

And finally, polemical means strongly attacking or defending an opinion or idea.

But there's no arguing the fact that once again, our 6 min are up.

Goodbye for now. Bye from the BBC.

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