This study investigates a distinct type of ethos, signalled ethos, and how it is used in
eight business speeches. A rhetorical analysis of the speeches resulted in five categories
of signalled ethos; the categories center around deference, self-criticism, similitude, ex
pertise, and the inclination to succeed. The study examines the rhetorical functions of
these categories and suggests that signalled ethos is a useful concept for under
standing the types of images authors create of themselves.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
References
1.
Alcorn, M.W. (1987). Rhetoric, projection, and the authority of the signifier. College English, 49, 137-157.
2.
Balester, V. (1988). The social construction of ethos: The spoken and written discourse of two black college students. Unpublished doctoral dissertation , University of Texas at Austin.
3.
Bell, A. (1984). Language style as audience design. Language in Society, 13, 145-204.
4.
Brown, P., & Levinson, S. (1978). Universals in language usage: Politeness phenomena . In E. N. Goody (Ed.), Questions and politeness: Strategies in social interaction (pp. 56-289). New York: Cambridge University Press.
5.
Buckley, R.J. (1985, January 1). The new bourgeoisie: A threat to entrepreneurship . Vital Speeches, pp. 178-180.
6.
Burke, K. (1969). A rhetoric of motives. Berkeley : University of California Press.
7.
Burnett, R.E. (1990). Technical communication (2nd ed.). Belmont: Wadsworth.
8.
Byrne, D. (1971). The attraction paradigm. New York: Academic.
9.
Cherry, R.D. (1985). 'Ethos' in written discourse: A study of literary and persuasive texts Unpublished doctoral dissertation, University of Texas at Austin.
10.
Cooper, L. (1932). The rhetoric of Aristotle: An expanded translation with supplementary examples for students of composition and public speaking . Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall .
11.
Corbett, E.P.J. (1989). The ethical dimensions of rhetoric. In R. J. Connors (Ed.), Selected essays of Edward P. J. Corbett (pp. 255-266). Dallas: Southern Methodist University Press.
12.
Corbett, E.P.J. (1990). Classical rhetoric for the modern student (3rd ed.). New York: Oxford University Press.
13.
Corder, J. (1989). Hunting for ethos where they say it can't be found . Rhetoric Review, 7, 299-316.
14.
Doheny-Farina, S. (1989). Ethics and technical communication. In H. C. Sides (Ed.), Technical and business communication (pp. 53-74). Urbana: NCTE.
15.
Enos, T. (1985, March). The technical writer's voice: An empirical study of "ethos." Paper presented at the meeting of Conference on College Composition and Communication, Minneapolis. (ERIC Document Reproduction Service No. ED 259 375)
16.
Enos, T. (1990). "An eternal golden braid": Rhetor as audience, audience as rhetor. In G. Kirsch & D. H. Roen (Eds.), A sense of audience in written communication (pp. 99-114). Newbury Park : Sage.
17.
Ewald, H.R. (1985). The me in you-attitude: Business communication as transaction. American Business Communication AssociationBulletin, 48 (1), 7-11.
18.
Fasold, R. (1990). The sociolinguistics of language. Cambridge, MA: Basil Blackwell.
19.
Freedman, E.M. (1985, January 15). Banking 1984: Planning for survival . Vital Speeches, pp. 199-202.
20.
Giles, H. (1973). Accent mobility: A model and some data. Anthropological Linguistics, 15, 87-105.
21.
Giles, H., Taylor, D.M., & Bourhis, R.Y. (1973). Towards a theory of interpersonal accommodation through speech: Some Canadian data. Language in Society, 2, 177-192.
22.
Gillette, P. (1984, October 1). Deregulation and its impact on the financial services industry. Vital Speeches, pp. 745-748.
23.
Goffman, E. (1967). Interaction ritual: Essays in face-to-face behavior . Chicago: Aldine.
24.
Grimshaw, J.A., Jr., & McCarron, W.E. (1981). Hidden persuasions in technical writing. The Technical Writing Teacher, 9, 19-22.
25.
Guinn, D.M. (1983). Ethos in technical discourse. The Technical Writing Teacher, 11, 31-37.
26.
Hashimoto, I. (1985). Persuasion as ethical argument. Rhetoric Review, 4, 46-53.
27.
Howard, C. (1984, December 15). Moving into senior management: Progress? yes; success, sometime. Vital Speeches, pp. 148-150.
28.
Kallendorf, C., & Kallendorf, C. (1985). The figures of speech, ethos, and Aristotle: Notes toward a rhetoric of business communication. The Journal of Business Communication, 22, 35-50.
29.
Kenton, S.B. (1989). Speaker credibility in persuasive business communication: A model which explains gender differences. The Journal of Business Communication, 26, 143-157.
30.
Lakoff, R. (1972). Language in context. Language , 48, 907-927.
31.
LeFevre, K.B. (1987). Invention as a social act. Carbondale: Southern Illinois University Press.
32.
Levelt, W.J.M. (1989). Speaking: From intention to articulation. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press.
33.
McCroskey, J.C., & Young, T.J. (1981). Ethos and credibility: The construct and its measurement after three decades. Central States Speech Journal, 32, 24-34.
34.
Miglio, D.J. (1984, December 1). Regulation and competition: The American experience. Vital Speeches, pp. 109-113.
35.
Miller, C.R. (1978). Technology as a form of consciousness: A study of contemporary ethos. Central States Speech Journal, 29, 228-236.
36.
Nichols, J.D. (1984, September 15). The impact on marketing of the factory of the future. Vital Speeches, pp. 726-729.
37.
Norton, R. (1983). Communicator style: Theory, applications, and measures. Beverly Hills: Sage.
38.
Oates, W. (1963). Aristotle and the problem of value. Princeton: Princeton University Press.
39.
Perelman, C., & Olbrechts-Tyteca, L. (1969). The new rhetoric: A treatise on argumentation. Notre Dame: University of Notre Dame Press.
40.
Perlis, L. (1984, September 15). Organized labor needs a facelift: The human contract. Vital Speeches, pp. 733-736
41.
Pross, E.L. (1952). Practical implications of the Aristotelian concept of ethos. Southern Speech Journal, 17, 257-264.
42.
Ramsey, A. (1981). Rhetoric and the ethics of "seeming." Rhetoric Society Quarterly, 11, 85-96.
43.
Reinsch, N.L., Jr. (1990). Ethics research in business communication: The state of the art. The Journal of Business Communication , 27, 251-272.
44.
Rosenthal, P.I. (1966). The concept of ethos and the structure of persuasion . Speech Monographs, 33, 114-126.
45.
Rowland, R.C., & Womack, D.F. (1985). Aristotle's view of ethical rhetoric. Rhetoric Society Quarterly, 15, 13-32.
46.
Smith, H.W. (1985). Readable writing: Revising for style. Belmont: Wadsworth.
47.
Stoddard, E.W. (1985). The role of ethos in the theory of technical writing . The Technical Writing Teacher, 11, 229-241.
48.
Walzer, A.E. (1981). Ethos, technical writing, and the liberal arts . The Technical Writing Teacher, 8, 50-53.
49.
Wilcke, R.W. (1984, September 1). Can your business survive today's economic pressures?Vital Speeches, pp. 681-685.
50.
Yoos, G.E. (1979). A revision of the concept of ethical appeal. Philosophy and Rhetoric, 12, 41-58.
51.
Young, R.E., Becker, A.L., & Pike, K.L. (1970). Rhetoric: Discovery and change. New York: Harcourt Brace.
