Analyzing Language and Style in Speeches
This section delves deeper into the analysis of language, style, and word choice in speeches, providing students with a comprehensive toolkit for speech analysis.
The guide begins by listing various aspects of language and style to consider:
- Formality level (formal, informal, colloquial, vulgar, academic)
- Clarity and objectivity
- Sentence complexity
- Tone (serious, friendly, humorous, ironic, polite, critical, optimistic)
Highlight: Understanding the speaker's language choices is crucial for interpreting their intended effect on the audience.
The section then focuses on analyzing word choice, offering several strategies:
- Identify emotive adjectives and adverbs used to appeal to readers' emotions
- Examine the use of informal or colloquial language and its purpose
- Analyze the association of ideas with positive or negative words
- Consider the connotations of specific words and their intended effect
- Evaluate the frequency and impact of certain word usage
Example: In his "Gettysburg Address," Lincoln uses words like "dedicated," "consecrate," and "hallow" to evoke a sense of reverence and solemnity.
The guide provides sentence templates for discussing the effects of language choices:
- "By using [language feature], which can be seen in line ..., the speaker creates the effect that ... / of ..."
Vocabulary: Connotation refers to the emotional or cultural associations of a word beyond its literal meaning.
Finally, the section offers guidance on writing a conclusion for the speech analysis:
- Summarize overall impressions and conclusions
- Evaluate the effectiveness of the speaker's arguments
- Assess whether the speaker achieved their objectives
- Consider the speech's broader impact or historical significance
Quote: "All in all, the speaker convincingly argues his/her case on behalf of ..."
The guide concludes by reminding students to critically evaluate the speech's effectiveness, even if it employs extensive rhetorical strategies:
"Despite the extensive use of rhetorical strategies, the speaker does not succeed in ..." (if applicable)
Highlight: A thorough speech analysis should not only identify rhetorical devices but also critically assess their effectiveness in achieving the speaker's goals.
