Sturing met retorische middelen. Over de nadelen van voorlichting en de voordelen van maatschappelijke discussie

Samenvatting

A contrastive analysis of rhetorical techniques used in dissemination of public information & in discussions of social issues in the Netherlands reveals several unexpected similarities between these two seemingly different spheres of language usage. In both cases, rhetoric is used by the speaker to influence the listener's mind & change his opinion about a certain idea or issue. Although opposing viewpoints or information may be present, the speaker seeks to neutralize their influence while bringing about a specific change of attitude among his audience. M. Meeks