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AP language vocab Flashcards

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14691690128audiencethe listener, viewer or reader of a text0
14691693313concessionan acknowledgement that an opposing argument may be true or reasonable1
14691694849connotationMeanings or associations that readers have with a word beyond its dictionary definition, or denotation.2
14691696533contextThe circumstances, atmosphere, attitudes, and events surrounding a text.3
14691698255counterargumentan opposing argument to the one a writer is putting forward4
14691699716ethosGreek for "character." Speakers appeal to ethos to demonstrate that they are credible and trustworthy to speak on a given topic. Ethos is established by both who you are and what you say.5
14691700671logosGreek for "embodied thought." Speakers appeal to logos, or reason, by offering clear, rational ideas and using specific details, examples, facts, statistics, or expert testimony to back them up.6
14691701417occasionthe time and place a speech is given or a piece is written7
14691702960pathosGreek for "suffering" or "experience." Speakers appeal to pathos to emotionally motivate their audience. More specific appeals to pathos might play on the audience's values, desires, and hopes, on the one hand, or fears and prejudices, on the other.8
14691703745personaGreek for "mask." The face or character that a speaker shows to his or her audience.9
14691704564polemicGreek for "hostile." An aggressive argument that tries to establish the superiority of one opinion over all others. Polemics generally do not concede that opposing opinions have any merit.10
14691705849propagandathe spread of ideas and information to further a cause11
14691706618purposethe goal the speaker wants to achieve12
14691708308refutationa denial of the validity of an opposing argument13
14691709096rhetoricAs Aristotle defined the term, "the faculty of observing in any given case the available means of persuasion." In other words, it is the art of finding ways to persuade an audience.14
14691710102rhetorical appealsRhetorical techniques used to persuade an audience by emphasizing what they find most important or compelling. The three major appeals are to ethos (character), logos (reason), and pathos (emotion).15
14691711317rhetorical triangleA diagram that illustrates the interrelationship among the speaker, audience, and subject in determining a text.16
14691712025SOAPSA mnemonic device that stands for Subject, Occasion, Audience, Purpose, and Speaker. It is a handy way to remember the various elements that make up the rhetorical situation.17
14691715689speakerthe person or group who creates a text18
14691718481subjectThe topic of a text. What the text is about.19
14691719809textWhile this term generally means the written word, in the humanities it has come to mean any cultural product that can be "read" - meaning not just consumed and comprehended, but investigated. This includes fiction, nonfiction, poetry, political cartoons, fine art, photography, performances, fashion, cultural trends, and much more.20

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