Persuasive Speech

Jaqueline Carrillo
April 27, 2018

Persuasive Speech: Audience Assessment

Specific Goal: My audience will take the next step in learning another language.

Type of Claim: This is a claim of value.

Ethos: Primary Ethos:
a) Competence: I am bilingual, and I have experienced the advantages of knowing more than one language.
b) Fairness: I don’t think there are opposing claims to mine because everyone agrees that knowing more than one
language is better, but I would just state that there are people who don’t think it is necessary to know more than one
language.

Secondary Ethos: 5

Audience Assessment: Most of my audience members will probably have an attitude toward my proposition that is highly favorable.

Adaptation to Audience Attitude:

a. Common ground: I will present it as it being something easy to do and that brings great benefits. Everyone likes easy things
and benefits.
b. Latitude of acceptance: I believe my proposition lies within my audience’s latitude of acceptance because some of them
already speak two languages and those that don’t hang out with bilingual people which makes them more likely to accept
my proposition.
Baby Steps: I will present different easy ways to learn a new language.

Pattern of Organization: I am going to use the comparative advantages organizational pattern.

***************************************************************************
Persuasive Speech: Full Sentence Outline

Everyone should be bilingual

Introduction

I. Hook: Some of us can speak more than one language while many of us know somebody who does, but did you know that
according to Lee Davidson from the Salt Lake Tribune, “Utah ranks number 2 in growth of residents who speak a language
besides English at home?” (Davidson, 2017).
II. Ethos: I am bilingual myself, so I’ve experienced the advantages of knowing more than one language.

III. Proposition (or Hint at Proposition): Despite people not viewing it as necessary, everyone should learn more than one language
since it improves brain function, increases job opportunities, is helpful in communication when traveling and there are
different easy ways to learn a new language.

IV. Preview:
1. It is good for your brain.
2. Increases employment opportunities & is helpful for traveling.
 3. Take action: It is easy.

Transition: Let’s take a look at one of the advantages.

Body

I. Bilingualism has many cognitive benefits.

A. It helps brain function.
i. In the Cognitive Benefits of Being Bilingual, Dr. Marian & Anthony Shook state that a “higher proficiency in a
second language, as well as earlier acquisition of that language, correlates with higher gray matter volume in
the left inferior parietal cortex,” (Marian & Shook, 2012).
ii. The inferior parietal cortex is the part of brain that processes stimuli and turns it into cognition.
1. For instance, your auditory sensors allow you to hear a word and how it is pronounced. Your vision
sensors allow you to see the word and know how to spell it, then you’ll be able to use that word in a
conversation etc.
B. It improves learning and memory.
i. Learning a new language improves cognitive and sensory processing allowing to learn faster.
ii. Same article states that older bilingual people seem to have improved memory.
C. It’s been found that it helps delay Alzheimer’s.
i. The Cognitive Benefits of Being Bilingual article by Dr. Marian & Anthony Shook (2012), found that “bilingual
patients showed initial symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease about 5.1 years later than the monolingual average
[age] of 72.6.”

Transition: Let’s talk about other advantages.

II. Knowing more than one language has employment, travel and communication benefits.
A. You have more job options.
i. For example, translators, language teachers, (Lyons, 2017). Employers also list being bilingual as a preferred
qualification for a job.
ii. According to Dylon Lyons from The Many Benefits of Being Bilingual, “bilingual employees make between 5-20
percent more an hour than monolingual workers,” (Lyons, 2017).
B. Traveling abroad is made much more comfortable if you understand the language. You can get around better.
C. Knowing more than one language expands your ability to connect to more people. You can make new friends. No
need for translators!

Transition: Lastly, onto the last point.

III. There are many ways to learn a new language and I urge you to action.
A. Best way is to learn from native speaker. They could be great teachers since they could teach and correct you. It
works, that’s how babies learn a language is through their parents.
B. Watching tv shows and movies in a chosen language can help you.
C. Take a class. There are various places you can do so. For instance, a college, online courses and newspapers have
advertisements on classes.
D. Use your phone. It’s another fantastic way especially if you’re on it a lot and have spare time.
i. There are different apps you can use to learn any language you’re interested in.
1. For instance, Duolingo, Babbel, which I got from an online language website called lingualift.com
(Krzeminska, n.d.).

Transition to close: Let me close by saying that learning a new language is one of the best things you could do.

Conclusion:
 I. Summarize main points/thesis: As you can see, being bilingual has many advantages like improved brain function, increase
of employment opportunities and is helpful for traveling and communicating with a diverse group of people abroad or here
at home; therefore, everyone should be bilingual or multilingual.
II. Bookend: Whether you’re bilingual or know someone who is, clearly Utah is progressively moving in the right direction as it
ranks 2nd in growth of residents who speak another language other than English.
III. End the speech memorably: Research in Challenges and Benefits of Early Bilingualism in the United States’ Context
(Espinosa, 2015), states that “from the earliest days of life human babies have an extensive and innate capacity to hear,
process, and learn multiple languages,” but it’s never too late to begin learning a new language.
IV. Challenge the audience to respond: Now that you have learned the advantages of being bilingual, will you take the
challenge on learning one or more languages?

References:

Davidson, Lee. (2017, October 26). Utah Ranks no. 2 in Growth of Residents Who Speak a Language Besides

English at Home. Salt Lake Tribune. Retrieved from sltrib.com/news/politics/2017/10/26/utah-ranks-no-

2-in-growth-of-residents-who-speak-a-language-besides-english-at-home/.

Espinosa, L. M. (2015). Challenges and Benefits of Early Bilingualism in the United States' Context. Global

Education Review, 2(1), 40-53

Krzeminska, Marta. (n.d.). Best Language Learning Apps. Retrieved from lingualift.com/blog/best-language-

learning-apps/.

Lyons, Dylan. (2017, May 15). The Many Benefits of Being Bilingual. Retrieved

from babbel.com/en/magazine/the-many-benefits-of-being-bilingual/.

Marian, V., & Shook, A. (2012). The Cognitive Benefits of Being Bilingual. Cerebrum: The Dana Forum on

Brain Science, 2012, 13.