Elective Course in English (BEGE-103) Communication Skills in English Assignment July, 2021 & January, 2022 Sessions (Based on Blocks 1 - 6) Max. Marks: 100 ‘Answer all questions. 4. 3a. 3b. What are the usual topics of small talk? Describe some of the conventions we must follow for ease and flow of conversation. 20 Write short notes on the following: 10x2=20 a. The difference between dialect, accent and style b. Code mixing and code switching Write your C.V. in about 250 words. 20 Write a covering letter to an employer outlining your positive traits and enumerating why you would be suitable for a particular job (choose the job). 20 ‘What is the purpose of a group discussion? What is the difference between a general group discussion and an interview group discu: in? You have to participate in a group discussion as a part of a job interview. How would you prepare yourself? 20 Comment on the importance of either rhetoric or grammar in life. 20BEGE-103 Disclaimer/Specal Nove: These arc just ibe sample of the Answers/Solutions to some of the Questions given in the ‘Assignments. These Sample Answers/Solutions are prepared by Private Teacher/Tutors/Authors forthe help and guidance of the student to get an idea of how he/she ean answer the Questions given the Assignments, We do not claim 100% accuracy of these sample answers as these are based on the knowledge and capability of Private Teacher/Tutor. Sample answers may be seen asthe Guide/Help forthe referance wo prepare the answers ofthe Questions given inthe assignment. ‘As these solutions and answers are prepared by the private Teacher/Tutor so the chances of error or mistake cannot be denied, Any Omission or Error is highly regretted though every care has been taken while preparing these Sample Answers) Solutions. Please consult your own Teacher/Tutor before you prepare a Particular Answer and for up-to-date and exact information, data and solution. Student should must read and refer the official study material provided by the university Answer all questions. 1, What are the usual topics of small talk? Describe some of the conventions we must follow for ease and flow of conversation. 20 ‘Ans. Small talk is defined as an informal type of discourse that does not cover deeper topics of conversation, Small talk can also be defined a conversation for its own sake, commenting ‘on the perfectly obvious. The ability to conduct small talk is a social skill, no doubt, a quintessential skill in social networking. It helps define relationships between friends, colleagues, and new acquaintances where it serves to define each other's social position. Usual topics of small talk 1, Family 2, Shows, movies, sports, ef 3, Art and entertainment 4. Their hobbies 5. Work 6. News 7. Travel Having good small talk topics up your sleeve won't just help you kick off great conversations, it'll also relieve some of the anxiety of walking into an unknown environment. ‘Small talk is closely related to the need for people to maintain positive face — to feel ‘approved of by those who are listening to them. It lubricates social interactions in a very flexible way, although the desired function is often dependent on the point in the conversation at which the small talk occurs:+ At the beginning of a conversation: When the talkers do not know each other, it allows them to show that they have friendly intentions and desire some sort of positive interaction. In a business meeting, it enables people to establish each other's reputation and level of expertise. Where there is already a relationship between the two talkers, their small talk serves as a gentle introduction before engaging in more functional topics of conversation. It allows them to signal their own mood and to sense the mood of the other person. * At the end of a conversation: Suddenly ending an exchange may risk appearing to reject the other person. Small talk can be used to mitigate that rejection, affirm the relationship between the two people, and soften the parting. Q. 2 Write short notes on the following: (i) The difference between dialect, accent and style Ans. Dialect, Accent and Style: Now as we know that different varieties of language exist at a time, so let us how these different varicties differ from each other. The difference could be in three ways: (a) Pronunciation (@) Vocabulary (¢) Graromar Tone variety of the Language differs from the other in all the three ways, we call it dialect. But most commonly it is the first way, ie. pronunciation, which marks the difference and is calted an accent. Accent is the most visible characteristic of any language. We can quite easily distinguish an American speaker from the British. Bernard Shaw when placed in the committee of ‘educated person whose speech (is) correct and refined’ said that even on this committee, there were different accents. He said, “the simplest and commonest words in any language are ‘yes’ and ‘no’, But two members of the committee pronounced them exactly alike. ‘There is no doubt that wo people do not speak in a similar manner, after all we are not some machine produced ina factory. The difference in speech actually reflects difference in individuality. But still we have this desire to be understood by everyone and understand everyone. Shaw further says, ...every member pronounces them [the words *yes” and ‘no’] in such a way that they would not only be intelligible in every English-speaking country, but would stamp the speaker as a cultivated person as distinguished from an ignorant and illiterate one". So in order to speak in an ineligible and cultivated way one must understand the concept of standard English and 50 as to be able to choose the correct mode of speech to follow. But before that we must get into one more idea. We know what an accent is and what a dialect is. There is something else which also marks the difference between the varieties is of the language, the style of the language or the choice of words. Look at the following three sentences: (@ Um fagged out. () Umvery tired. (c) Pmexbausted.Alll the three sentences have similar meaning but they use different words. The first one uses informal expression. Many people might not have the idea of the word “fag”, which is a colloquial British expression. The second sentence uses formal enough words to be accepted by everyone but at the same time informal enough to be used by even a child. While the third sentence uses the expression which formal enough not be known by a child. The choice of words depends on a scenario in which the words are to be used. Let us see what Shaw has to say about this: “Lam at present speaking to the audience of many thousands ... If | were to speak to you as carelessly as I speak to my wife at home, this record would be useless; and if I were to speak to my wife at home as carefully as I am speaking to you she would think I was going mad.” A Neutral Accent ‘There is not a single correct accent of English. All speakers of English need to cope with many different aspects and learn how to understand them. Some accents are associated with social groups who have high prestige (the kinds of accents spoken by highly educated people, for example), but there are also many of these high prestige accents, all of them regionally based. The accents that are traditionally taught to non-native speakers of English are high prestige accents from various places. The two most commonly taught accents (in the World as a whole) are both rather artificial: ‘General American” (more or less a Mid-Western and West Coast accent, and used by some high prestige speakers outside this region too); and the British aecent ‘RP* (which developed in the private boarding schools of the 19* century, and is associated with high prestige groups in England). Both these accents are used over a wide geographical area, though in world terms both are regional accents (General American is a US accent and RP is an accent of England). They are heard more, by more people in the country, than are accents which are associated with a smaller area: so people are familiar with them. These accents are the ones transcribed in dictionaries. Because they are used over wide areas, and used by people of high social class, they are seen as being suitable to teach to foreign learners of English. For this reason, they are called ‘reference varieties’ When radio was developed in the early 20th century, many radio stations in the US and the UK selected their continuity presenters and news readers by their accent, So ‘General American’ is sometimes known as ‘Network English’ and ‘RP’ is sometimes known as ‘BBC English.’ The effect of these policies of course was to add even further to the prestige of the reference accents, and to increase the population’s exposure to them, The BBC, incidentally, no longer has this policy and now uses news readers and presenters with a wider range of accents. In all languages, some accents have higher prestige than others. Tests of judgement have been made in many languages which show that people within a community often share judgements. In the UK, for example, the accent associated with the city of Birmingham consistently comes out as being ‘ugliest’ while London accents tend to be heard as ‘criminal’, These judgements are based on stereotypical associations. If British accents are played to Americans, they do not make the same judgements, because they have not learnt to associate different British accents with the same stereotypes British people have. In the US, many speakers are prejudiced against ‘Southern’ accents, but British people would not judge Southern accents badly in the same way. Judgements like this are not based on anything in the accent itself — if different accents of English are played to Russians who speak no English, they cannot distinguish the high prestige from the low prestige accents. One should try to speak neutrally about different accents, and not suggest that one accent is better than another. The reference varieties are not ‘Standard Accents", because no one is required to use them: Compare this to spelling — we are expected to use the Standard Spelling and do our best to correct mistakes. The reference varietiesare not more ‘careful’ or more ‘correct’ than other accents — it's just an accident of history that their speakers were the ones with power. (ii) Code mixing and code switching Ans. Code Mixing and Code Switchin: varieties in speech. Some scholars use the terms “code-mixing” and “code-switching” interchangeably, especially in studies of syntax, morphology and other formal aspects of language. Others assume more specific definitions of code-mixing, but these specific definitions may be different in different subfields of linguistics, education theory, communications ete. Code-mixing is similar to the use or creation of pidgins; but while a pidgin is created across groups that do not share a common language, code-mixing may occur within a multilingual setting where speakers share more than one language. Code-switching is the concurrent use of more than one language or language variety, in conversation. Multilinguals—people who speak more than one language-sometimes use elements of multiple languages in conversing with each other. Thus, code-switching is the use of more than one linguistic variety in a manner consistent with the syntax and phonology of each variety. Code-switching is distinct from other language contact phenomena, such as borrowing, pidgins and creoles, Joan translation (calques), and language transfer (language interference), Speakers form and establish a pidgin language when two or more speakers who do not speak a common language form an intermediate, third language. On the other hand, speakers practice code-switching when they are each fluent in both languages. Code mixing is a thematically related term, but the usage of the terms code-switching and code-mixing varies. Some scholars use either term to denote the same practice, while others apply code-mixing to denote the formal linguistic properties of said language- contact phenomena, and code-switching to denote the actual, spoken usages by multilingual persons. In the 1940s and 1950s, many scholars called code-switching a sub-standard language usage. Since the 1980s, however, most scholars have recognized it is a normal, natural product of bilingual and multilingual language use. The term code-switching is also used outside the field of linguistics. Some scholars of literature use the term to describe literary styles which include elements from more than one language, as in novels by Chinese-American, Anglo-Indian, or Latino/a writers. In popular usage, code-switching is sometimes used to refer to relatively stable informal mixtures of two languages, such as Spanglish or Franponais. Both in popular usage and in sociolinguistic scholarship, the name code-switching is sometimes used to refer to switching among dialects, styles or registers, such as that practiced by speakers of Aftican American Vernacular English as they move from less formal to more formal settings. ‘ode mixing refers to the mixing of two or more languages or language3a. Write your C.V. in about 250 words. Ans. Liy Education Dissertation Thesis Languages known Presentations Experience Purti Jain 3243, Kamala Nagar, New Delhi 9350849407 Purtijain @ gullybaba.com PhD, Psychology, Delhi University, 2002 A study of learning disabled children in a low income community MA, Psychology, University of Hyderabad, 1996 ‘Communication Skills of Disabled Children BA, Psychology, University of Hyderabad, 1993 Instructor, 2002 to present Centre for Behavioural Sciences, Allahabad English, Japanese, and German ‘The behaviour of leaning disabled adolescents in the classrooms, Paper presented at the Paychology Conference at the University of Hyderabad, 2003.Understanding learning difficulties, Paper presented at the National seminar on Learning Difficulties at Delhi University. ‘Standard Charted Bank, Chennai Internship May ~ August 2005 ‘Monitored and reported global financial3b. Write a covering letter to an employer outlining your positive traits and enumerating why you would be suitable for a particular job (choose the job). 20 Ans. Nitish Kumar POS. House, 16 Kevin Marg, New Delhi 931 086 nitishkk @ gullybaba.com 13 February 2012 Ms Nalini Dayan Vishakhapanam Sales Office Alabama Seaport Lud, 31/206'88E Sunder Gardens Vishakhapatnam — 530020 Dear Ms, Dayan, I wish to apply for one of the posts advertised in today's Deccan Chronicle, Tam 28 years old and am at present working in St. John as an export clerk. My recent work has involved working in a team in the export department of my firm and I have developed skill in dealing with foreign buyers on the telephone and in writing, mainly using English, Tam available for interview at any time, My phone number is 9832663262. 1 look forward to hearing from you. Sincerely, Nitish Kumar4, What is the purpose of a group discussion? What is the difference between a general group discussion and an interview group discussion? You have to participate in a group discussion as a part of a job interview. How would you prepare yourself? 20 ‘Ans. There are several occasions in life when we find ourselves in the midst of discussions and meetings. Both in professional and personal lives, group discussions, arguments and meetings are part of our life. Itcan help us to effectively participate in any of such discussions if we are aware of some of the dynamics of such meetings and of ‘our own roles and responsibilities as participants. Group discussion can be important both during interview and after interview. And meetings are certainly a part of the job. So understanding how to get in syne with the ideas of group discussion and meetings would be nice touch to entire professional career. Group Discussion: As a professional in the working world, there will be times when you will be required to participate in group discussions. This chapter offers helpful articles analyzing the rules for success in group discussions. ‘Your career and status within your field can improve if you lear some guidelines and tacties that refine your group discussion skills Ifyou have trouble speaking out of turn, interrupting others or a lack of confidence about properly expressing yourself, the techniques about handling yourself in a group discussion can be invaluable. This is helpful advice for any individual working with other people in any industry. Discussing ideas in a group is one of the best ways to solve the problem. When a person becomes a burden in group discussions due to lack of experience, an excess amount of excitement or a general lack of social skills, these factors can contribute to how you are viewed by your colleagues and superiors in the workplace. If you ae ina managerial postion, itis imperative to provide an open forum for discussion where your subordinates feel comfortable sharing their ideas. Ifa person participating in a group discussion feels that their opinion will be ignored then the members within the group will hesitate to share what could be valuable solutions to business issues in group discussions. ‘AGD isa methodology used by an organization to judge whether the candidate has certain personality traits and/ cr skills that it desires in its members. In this methodology, the group of candidates is given a topic or a situation, jkiven a few minutes to think about the same and then asked to discuss it among themselves for 15-20 minutes. 1. Knowledge: Your ability to state convincing and possible solutions for the topic or case study will determine ‘how good you are in applying what you have learned till now. The panel ranks the ability to use your knowledge in real life situations rather highly. Your ability to build a strong knowledge base is dependent on your understanding, 2. Listening Skills: You are in a group discussion. You must participate as a group member. Ifyou include the viewpoints of others in your viewpoint, then you will be seen more favourably by the Group Discussion panel. 3. Respect: Do Not criticize or laugh at the viewpoint of another participant no matter how silly it may sound. Group Discussion participants are expected tobe dignified and professional in their behaviour. Always speak positively and supportvely of other participants. Use the above guidelines to quickly think of solutions forthe given topic whether economic or abstract, Remember ‘why you are in Group Discussion in the first place. ‘Some of the personality traits, the GD is trying to gauge may include: (a) Ability to work in a team, (b) Communication skills (©) Reasoning abi (d) Leadership skills (e) Initiative. () Assertiveness, (g) Flexibility. (hy Cre: ‘Companies conduct group discussion after the written test so as to cheek on your interactive skills and how good ‘you are at communicating with other people. The GD is to check how you behave, participate and contribute in a ‘group, how much importance do you give to the group objective as well as your own, how well do you listen to viewpoints of others and how open-minded are you in accepting views contrary to your own. The aspects which make up a GD are verbal communication, non-verbal behaviour, conformation to norms, decision-making ability and cooperation. You should try to be as true as possible to these aspects.Guidelines for Success in GDs (Group Discussions): Initiate - Break the ice, be the first one to start the discussion, if somebody else has started, relax. There are a lot of opportunities later. Listen - Carefully. Communication is a lot about listening. Listen, Comprehend, Analyse. When you listen carefully, it allows you to contemplate and analyse which helps in speaking the right thing at the right time. Remember - Names, Facts, Figures, Quotations. It helps a lot if you know who has spoken what. If permitted, you can use a notepad to write, Observe - Body language, how conversation shapes up, gets diverted. Then do the right thing at the right time. Manage - People. At times there are people who create difficult situations. These are best opportunities to demonstrate assertive attitude, Communicate - Be frank, clear, firm and jovial in your communication. Your voice should reach out but not imitate people. Summarize - If you did not initiate the talk, this is the right time. If you have been listening carefully, your summary will be the best one. Meetings: Meetings are very important in an organization. It aims to perform different tasks by the consultation of different people from an organization. It is useful when: (a) Opinions of people become important to decide. (b) Involvement of members become important to solve a problem. (c) Explaining previous matters become important before taking a decision. (d) Organization needs to communicate sensitive information. (e) Organization needs to generate new ideas. Meeting helps us express our own views and listen to others’ point of view as well. The structure of a meeting is formed by the following components: (a) A chairperson (b) An agenda (©) A process of making decision (d) A productive physical set up. An agenda is the outline of the things to be discussed in a meeting which is geared by chairperson. Group Discussions GDs at Interviews and GDs in General: Functional Differences: Following are some of the differences between GDs in an organization and GDs in interview: (a) Inan organization, the main purpose is to generate thinking while in an interview the main idea to see who speaks better. (b) The observer may be one from inside and there is a feedback in an organization, while in interview there is no feedback. (C) Iman organization, roles of team leader is defined but in interview roles come along accordingly. (d) In an organization, topies are chosen considering organization’s interest while in interview topics are of general nature, (e) Inan organization, there is no need for an introduction as the members are well aware of each other while in an interview they do not know each other. Getting Started: The participants should adopt two important attitudes which alone will facilitate a productive and satisfying outcome in any Group Discussion 1. All participants in the group must accept responsibility for the smooth conduct of the group activities. This orientation means that each member takes on leadership responsibilities even though he is not entrusted any such a role. Instead of passively waiting for someone else to do what has to be done, everyone must actively seek and accept responsibility. In an effective group discussion, there are no absolute followers but different levels and kinds of leaderships and these leaderships keep fluctuating.2. Another important attitude is open-mindedness -the willingness of the candidate to consider a broad range of ideas and suggestions from others. He must be flexible and must be open to change. Instead of taking rigid stands on issues, the flexible member tries to adapt to the best interests of the group. This requires objectivity— in order to make unbiased, impartial judgements. This does not mean that you completely suppress your subjective and emotional reactions. You try to balance them with objective observations. This requires maintaining a proper perspective, that is, either becoming too involved in problems to maintain objectivity nor remaining too distant and uninvolved to be fully unaware of their nature. Finally the participant with the orientation of equality should not nourish notions of superiority and must realize that the fellow participants are equal to him/her in all aspects. You also get an opportunity of noticing and comparing the verbal ability, depth of knowledge, extent of ideas, logical reasoning and the convineing capacity of others and this should enable you to prepare yourself to match with them. What to Say and How to Say It?: One can start with things like: (a) Well, I would say... (b) The first thing which strikes me, when I hear. (c) Let us look at the facts first... (d) T strictly think that ..... (e) As my friend there just said... (P Ustrongly agree with what he just said... It is important to consider the five whats which are: (a) What is known to many of the participants? (b) What may be unacceptable to most of them? (c) What level of detail is required? (d) What depth of ideas is required? (e) What must be said at the point? When you happen to not understand someone, it is important to ask for clarification, You must respect when someone else is speaking. Group Communication Skills: Itis important to follow certain etiquettes concerning the group communication skills. One must not consider him/herself as someone alone during the group. Individuality should not be given much importance here. One should use ‘we’ or ‘you’ instead of ‘I’ to increase positive interdependence. One should not use lines like: (a) That doesn’t make any sense (b) That is not true (c) No don’t agree (@) That is not what we are asked to do (e) You are dead wrong () How can you say this (g) Let’s vote on it (h) That really upsets me Instead you should say: (a) I don’t think I agree. Could you please explain that.. (b) I disagree because... (c) Lsee it differently because ....(d) I think we should check what we are supposed to do .. (e) It might be better to .... (—) Have you considered (g) Does everyone agree ... (4) Vunderstand how you feel, but I think you might also consider Overcome Difference in Communication Style: The idea is to make every one come forward and make their Participation in the discussion. It is quite possible there might be some introverts who would like to speak up front, But with little encouragement with their team mate they might want to share their opinions and thoughts as well. Acknowledge Differences in Gender and Culture: Sometimes people from different cultural background can be put together for group discussions. Now in such cases one must not let cultural barriers come in between but at the same time one must also keep in mind the cultural difference. Things you hate might be loved in some other culture so when you speak about things like that do not generalize. It's not good. Same can also be said in case of gender. People from one gender must think and be careful about not offending people from the other gender. Effective Involvement: Group discussion tasks involve many roles for the participants to take up. Choosing any role, each participant can perform multiple functions. Any discussion starts with an initiative made by one. Someone should propose the subject with his/her ideas or procedures. This gets the group started. Since getting started on any task is usually difficult, this is an important role. Inevitably he/she who does this takes up the presiding or leading role. Further he needs to produce new ideas and perspectives for the continued life of a group. Okay. You missed the opportunity. Someone, a more tactful candidate has taken up the lead role, What is left for you? There are still ways: You can furnish more information by usurping his place. You can politely interfere giving evidence, opinions and relate experiences, persona! or others, relevant to the discussion, In fact the quality of the discussion is dependent on the information generated out of the discussion. The more information you provide on the subject, the more prominent your place will become in the group. Maintaining Roles in a Group: Sometimes it required to maintain roles during the GD. (a) A team captain is one who focuses on the main task. (b) The recorder is one who writes down different points. (c) The encourager gives the feedback to the members. (d) The reflector checks the group’s progress. Group Processing and Assessment: In order to maintain the effective communication in the group, group processing and assessment are very important, And in order to assess the group, one must reflect on each other's: (a) Contribution (b) Way of speaking (c) Attitude. MEETINGS Agenda of a Meetings: An agenda is a list of meeting activities in the order in which they are to be taken up, by beginning with the call to order and ending with adjournment, It usually includes one or more specific items of business to be discussed. It may, but is not required to, include specific times for one or more activities. An agenda may also be called a docket. ‘The agenda is usually headed with the date, time and location of the meeting, followed by a series of pointsoutlining the order of the meeting. Points on a typical agenda may include: (a) Welcome/open meeting. (b) Apologies for absence. (c) Approve minutes of the previous meeting. (d) Matters arising from the previous meeting. (e) Allist of specific points to be discussed —this section is where the bulk of the discussion as well as decisions in the meeting usually takes place. () Any Other Business (AOB) — allowing a participant to raise another point for discussion. (g) Arrange/announce details of next meeting, (i) Close meeting, Preparing for a Meeting: Following are the guidelines for the preparation for a meeting, (a) Clarify the purpose of the meeting. If you can’t figure out what you need to accomplish, you shouldn’t be calling a meeting. (b) Prepare an agenda with the focus stated in a single sentence at the top. If someone else is preparing the agenda, contact him or her to add your topics. A first-rate agenda includes not only discussion topics and their time allotments, but also the names of attendees; the location, date and time; and a list of any back- ground material attendees need to bring with them. Circulate the agenda in advance (c) Make it clear that the meeting will start precisely on time. Establish a reputation as someone whose meetings begin (and end) as scheduled. People will respect you for it. (d) Appoint someone to document a record of decisions made, action items assigned and follow-up strategies agreed upon. Promptly distribute a copy to all attendees (e) Leave time at the end of the agenda to evaluate the meeting: Did you achieve the objective stated at the start? How can you improve future meetings on this topic? Attending a Meeting: One should follow following mecting etiquettes: (a) Respect the individuality and views of others. (b) Participate and encourage participation. (c) Raise a hand to participate. (d) Ensure that only one person talks at a time. (e) Do not interrupt others, or start talking before someone finishes. @ Do not engage in cross talk. (g) Avoid individual discussions in small groups during the meeting. When one person speaks, others should listen. (h) Be present exactly at the scheduled time of start of meeting. (i) Live participation is required from everybody. At the same time, participants must encourage and let others speak. () Participants should strietly adhere to the subjects of the discussion. There should be no deviations or loose talk. (k) Individuals should be brief and precise.Group Decision Making: Following are steps required in group decision-making: (a) Identify the decision to be made. Before beginning to gather information and list alternatives, it is important for you as a group to understand clearly what you are trying to decide so you have a goal an which to focus your discussions. Potential questions to ask are: What are the particulars of the assigned task? What are we being asked to do? What conflict is affecting our group effectiveness? What barrier to effective group work are we facing? (b) Analyze the issue under discussion. Once you have defined your goal (ie., the decision to be made or the problem to be overcome), examine the data and resources that you already have and identify what additional information you may need. Ask yourselves: What is causing the problem? For whom is this a problem? What is wrong with the current situation? Why do we need to deal with this issue/decision? Where else can we find resources? (c) Evaluate options and select the best one. Once you have a list of potential solutions, you are now ready to evaluate them for the best alternative according to the criteria identified in step 3. Remember that you may be able to combine ideas to create a solution. Ideally, everyone would agree with solution (a consensus), but it's possible that not everyone will. In this case, you will need to use a different decision-making methods. Additional questions to ask when evaluating alternatives are: What are the pros/cons for each option? Which option is the most realistic to accomplish for now? Which option is the most likely to solve the problem for the long-term’? (d) Lplement the solution. This involves identifying the resources necessary to implement the decision, as well as the potential obstacles, then taking action. Decide: What should be done? How? By whom? By when? In what order? (e) Monitor and evaluate the outcome. Based on the criteria identified in step 3, evaluate whether the decision was successful. If not, revisit step 4 to evaluate the other options or generate new ones. Q. 5 Comment on the importance of either rhetoric or grammar in life. Ans. Importance of Rhetoric Rhetoric is the art of effective or persuasive speaking or writing. It directly aims to improve the facility of speakers or writers who attempt to inform, persuade, or motivate particular audiences in specific situations. Rhetoric is the means and rules for communicating those concepts clearly to others. There is thetoric in just about every conversation. When breaching a controversial topic, many people employ humour to soften the blow. This is a device of rhetoric and often used in debates and other forms of persuasive discourse. This may all seem terribly obvious, but it was recently thinking about liberal and conservative discourse and how important rhetoric is in each. Liberals and conservatives come at topies from different perspectives. rather obviously, and those perspectives generally come with a weight of presuppositions and rhetorical stances. This rhetoric penetrates even to what language is deemed acceptable, and it wraps arguments in an obnoxious level of baggage