For the purpose of this post, I will be discussing the rhetorical theory of style, which falls under the generic method of rhetorical criticism. In generic criticism, style is used to evaluate and analyze the methods of language a rhetor uses to convey the message they are creating. It works alongside, and often directly synonymous with, the substance of the piece of rhetoric. In the study of communication style plays an extremely diverse role in how we as humans use elements such as language and images to convey thoughts and ideas. In Chapter 7 (Generic Criticism), Foss states that Anthony Paré and Graham Smart furthered the studies surrounding genre to include several dimensions, one of them being, “textual features such as styles of texts and modes of argument.” (Foss) To develop my understanding of the theoretical concept of style, I have studied several scholarly articles on the topic.
Wladyslaw Chlopicki, Assistant Professor at Jagiellonian University’s Institute of English Studies in Poland, dives into how styles of communication are heavily impacted by the cultural setting of the language in the piece titled “Communication Styles – An Overview”. Chlopicki states that “cultural communication styles are a statistical phenomena, and the existence of unique styles only proves that point.” (Chlopicki) The article speaks to the fact that the study of communication styles in direct correlation to cultural is a field of research that has developed largely within the past several decades. Chlopicki cites the work of Michael Clyne, who in 1994 studied the communication patterns of discourse in multilingual and multicultural workplaces in Australia. What Clyne found through this research was three distinct styles of communication tied to separate clusters of cultural groups: Continental Europeans and Spanish-speaking Latin Americans, South Asians, and Southeast Asians. Chlopicki then claims that “the former style is of the greatest relevance here involving ‘relatively long turns with downtoners… digressive discourse patterns… mixture of positive and negative politeness.” (Chlopicki)
An article titled “New Communication Styles in Social Media” by N. Dhanalakshmi and Dr. V.M. Subramanian from the Department of Linguistics at Bharathiar University details how text-based language has evolved with the use of technology and social media. They recognized a new pattern and style of communication among many people on the internet after collecting data from platforms like Facebook, Twitter, and WhatsApp. What I found most interesting about this article is how they analyzed this new style of communication – omitting letters, abbreviating words, and substituting numbers for letters. They realized that “Telecommunication companies charged the users based on the number of letters used, and the number of characters per SMS was limited. So to cut the cost of usage the users had to find a way to develop the message with minimum letters.” (Dhanalakshmi) Out of monetary necessity, users of technology created a new style of communication, and more users caught on as this new style of communication became widely understood and accepted.
What I learned through this research is that communication between humans is not just conveyed through arrangements of symbols, but also the way in which those symbols are arranged. Style is important to communication and rhetoric because it establishes a shared understanding between the rhetor and the audience as well as elevates the language to a more complex level of communication. It is a useful tool because different styles can equate to different ideas, and certain styles can be used to establish a piece of rhetoric within a specified genre.
For example, the artifact I have chosen to use for this blog – the video “Dream” by the Wildlife Conservation Film Festival – uses a distinct style of imagery through animation and cinematography, and the language in the song brings in the influence of another style. The stylistic choices in the animation of this short film are very intentional – especially in the choices the creators made with the eyes of the subjects of each of the scenes. The cinematography of the piece used a variety of dark and light filters to establish the mood of the particular scene, and the transitions between each scene effectively lead the viewer into the next with a specifically stylized feeling of tension that was different for each scenario. Using a song strongly known for its reputation within the musical theatre canon opens the door to a new style influencing the message the WCFF is conveying. The operatic melody and emotional language of “I Dreamed a Dream” is full of dying hope and sorrow, which stylistically compliments the message of the piece. (WCFF)
I believe that the theoretical concept of style is useful to my blog topic because as I dig deeper into the message of my artifact, I realize from my own viewing experiences that there are many other pieces of rhetoric that employ similar style and substance to convey paralleling messages. If I continue to research this specific style I might be able to form an argument using the generic description method of rhetorical criticism. Commercials like the ASPCA’s collaboration with Sarah McLaughlin come to mind, and with further exploration, I may be able to argue that this situation, style, and substance of rhetoric could form the discovery of a new genre.
My chosen artifact and others I might pair with it for my research can teach rhetorical scholars about the study of different types of media. I’ve noticed that often more study is placed on text-based artifacts, but as our world moves farther into a visual realm the more we see varying types of media – like the short film I chose for my artifact – being used as impactful and important pieces of rhetoric. Because of the influence of modern technology and social media, the most efficient way for a rhetor to deliver a message is through a visual based format. The style of everyday human communication is changing, and the situations in which we find ourselves most likely to receive and be impacted by a message are when it is quick, convenient, and entertaining.
Works Cited
Chlopicki, Wladyslaw. “Communication Styles – An Overview.” Styles of Communication, vol. 9, 1 July 2017.
Dhanalakshmi, N. and Dr. Subramanian, V.M.. “New Communication Styles in Social Media.” Language in India,1 July 2017.
Foss, Sonja K. Rhetorical Criticism – Exploration and Practice. 5thed., Waveland Press, Inc., 2018.
WCFF. “Dream,” YouTube, 13 Oct. 2016, m.youtube.com/watch?v=RjMzXykfbm8.
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