Talking and Saying Nothing, or Saying Something
Joan F. Mira
(mira@fil.uji.es)
Writer
Professor at the Jaume I University
Abstract
In this article, Joan Francesc Mira analyses the art and craft of public speaking in the West, from antiquity to the present day. The Valencian writer follows a path that takes him through and involves a wide range of cultures, civilisations and religions, different types of professional public speakers (politicians, lawyers, teachers, preachers, etc.) and different genres or practices (theses, religious preaching, debates, meetings, etc.). This journey leads the author to a sharp, critical conclusion on the reasoned and public use of words in the present day, a time of radio and television chat shows.
Keywords
oral language, rhetoric, tradition
Submission date: December 2004
Published in: May 2005
