A National Schizophrenia: Orality and Literacy in Blair's Rhetoric.

Autor/in	Harshbarger, Scott
Titel	A National Schizophrenia: Orality and Literacy in Blair's Rhetoric.
Quelle	(1994), (12 Seiten) PDF als Volltext kostenfreie Datei Verfügbarkeit
Sprache	englisch
Dokumenttyp	gedruckt; online; Monographie
Schlagwörter	Stellungnahme; Cultural Context; Literacy; Oral English; Oral Language; Persuasive Discourse; Theories + Suchen Sie Ihr Suchwort? Alphabetisierung; Schreib- und Lesefähigkeit; Oral interpretation; Mündlicher Sprachgebrauch; Persuasion; Persuasive Kommunikation; Theory; Theorie
Abstract	Although questions concerning the effects of literacy on society, culture, and the mind remain problematic for anthropology and psychology, considerations of the role played by orality, literacy, or other media in creating different communicative potentials between writer and reader, should not seem out of place in the discipline of rhetoric. Hugh Blair's 18th century treatise "Lectures on Rhetoric and Belles Lettres," which is typical of its period, offers an instructive means of studying orality/literacy theory in relation to the history of rhetorical inquiry. Although Blair maintains that both speaking and writing are "balanced on both sides" in terms of benefits, in the final analysis, his oral bias shines through: "The voice of the living Speaker, makes an impression on the mind, much stronger than can be made by the perusal of any Writing." Blair's oral bias has a great deal to do with his rhetorical concerns. Attempting to discover and describe the principles which make for powerfully persuasive discourse, he is inevitably drawn to a type of language that has the greater resources of expression. Hence, he is generous in his appraisal of ancient poetry, since it is based on a semi-literate culture. There are other significant reasons for his bias as well. As a Scot, Blair was forced to live a dichotomous existence. Becoming literate in Scotland meant learning to read and write in another language. According to David Buchan, "English became primarily visual and cerebral, and Scots became primarily aural and emotional." (TB)
Erfasst von	ERIC (Education Resources Information Center), Washington, DC