Rhetoric Continued

1
Rhetoric (Continued)

• Weber State University
• Spring 2007

2
Weaslers

• A claim that protects against criticism by
  weakening it or watering it down somewhat,
  thereby giving the speaker a way out in case the
  claim is challenged.
• 3 out of 4 Moms choose Jif for their children
  who enjoy peanut butter.

3
Downplayers

• A claim or turn of phrase that makes someone or
  something look less important or significant.
• She only earned 10,000 in 3 days.
• Smith understood the meaning of the sentence,
  and the proposition didnt say that.

4
Horse Laugh

• The use of ridicule where the speaker laughs
  outright at a claim, uses sarcastic language, or
  laughs at the person who is trying to make the
  point.
• Talk show hosts sometimes use sound effects to
  create the horse laugh.
• Lower taxes! Ha, ha, ha!

5
Hyperbole

• Is an embellishment or an exaggerated
  overstatement.
• There were a million people that turned out for
  the Chadbourn Strawberry Festival this year.
• Congress people who vote for higher taxes are
  socialists.

6
Proof Surrogates

• An expression used to suggest that there is
  evidence or authority for a claim without
  actually citing such evidence or authority.
• According to a reliable source, Vice President
  Cheney lost a shoe in the Oval Office.
• Its obvious that choosy Moms choose Jif.