Ethos In Discourse Arrangement

Arrangement,invention,style,memory,and delivery constitute the five canons of Western rhetoric.However,previous studies on arrangement are mainly confined to its application in discourse analysis,while a systematic survey of its theoretical development in relation with other categories is unduly neglected.Ethos,one of Aristotle’s three rhetorical appeals,plays a pivotal role in persuasion,but compared with logos and pathos,there are few studies on its specific realization methods.This study aims at revealing the power of ethos in textual arrangement by delving into ethos realizing mechanism through rhetorical figures and meta-discourse markers in the American Presidential Inaugural Addresses(APIAs).Through surveying the representative classics from ancient Greece downwards,this thesis first illuminates the major interpretations of from the perspective of ethos.It is found that ethos has been viewed as playing a role in the whole course of arrangement,but its significance in each part is different,with the utmost effect in Introduction,and the effect in Conclusion coming second.To explore the role of ethos in these two parts,the author examines its two chief realizing devices--rhetorical figures and meta-discourse markers.For the former device,this paper selects three tropes(metaphor,synecdoche and metonymy)and three schemes(parallelism,antithesis and litotes);for the latter,stance markers(hedges,boosters,attitude markers,self mentions)and engagement markers(reader mentions and directives)that are flexible in use and closely related to ethos are chosen.Adhering to the purposive sampling in qualitative research,eight most influential APIAs are selected for detailed analysis.This study has found that ethos plays three significant roles in the Introductions and Conclusions of the APIAs.In the Introductions,ethos mainly targets at winning the audience’s understanding and support by showing modesty and caution of the presidents(e.g.Washington and Franklin),paving the way for the following views.Besides,by showing their concerns(e.g.Lincoln and Obama)for the national affairs and the target audience,the presidents can resonate with the audience and lay an emotional foundation for the follow-up debate.Furthermore,giving the audience confidence by projecting their own(e.g.Jefferson,Nixon,Bush)optimistic views of the nation’s fate contributes to unfolding the Introduction in a relaxing and pleasant atmosphere.When it comes to the Conclusions,the presidents(e.g.Washington and Bush)establish their own prestige with the help of the authority of God and other ancestors for narrowing the distance with the audience and eliminating the estrangement between them.In addition,the presidents(e.g.Lincoln and Obama)have managed to eliminate negative emotions and generate positive emotional resonance by showing their concern and consideration for the situation of the American audience and their opponents,so as to end the speech in a harmonious and friendly atmosphere.At the end of the speech,some presidents(e.g.Jefferson,Nixon and Reagan)also endeavor to win the utmost understanding and support from the audience by clarifying their attitudes toward the current state of affairs and their expectations of the country’s future development.The research on the function of ethos in arrangement proves that ethos plays a key role in the discourse organization,which can provide reference for the discourse construction,analysis and evaluation.In addition,the combined analysis of ethos,arrangement,rhetorical figures and meta-discourse markers proves the feasibility and significance of cross-category and cross-domain exploration.