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11: Language

  • Page ID
    109980
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    • 11.1: What Language Is and Does
      Language is any formal system of gestures, signs, sounds, and symbols used or conceived as a means of communicating thought, either through written, enacted, or spoken means. Linguists believe there are far more than 6,900 languages and distinct dialects spoken in the world today (Anderson, 2012). The language spoken by the greatest number of people on the planet is Mandarin (a dialect of Chinese). Other widely spoken languages are English, Spanish, and Arabic.
    • 11.2: Standards for Language in Public Speaking
      Clear language is powerful language. Clarity is the first concern of a public speaker when it comes to choosing how to phrase the ideas of his or her speech. If you are not clear, specific, precise, detailed, and sensory with your language, you won’t have to worry about being emotional or persuasive, because you won’t be understood. There are many aspects of clarity in language discussed in this section.
    • 11.3: Developing Your Ability to Use Effective Language in Public Speaking
      Although the placement of this chapter may seem to indicate that language choices, or what the ancient rhetoricians called “style,” are not as important as other parts of speaking, language choices are important from the very beginning of your speech preparation, even to your research and choice of search terms. Audience analysis will help you to develop language that is clear, vivid, appropriate, credible, and persuasive.
    • 11.4: Funny Talk- The Art and Craft of Using Humor in Public Address
      The use of humor can make or break your speech. This page gives insight on how to use humor effectively in a presentation.
    • 11.5: Other Resources and Chapter Activities
      Students and faculty can find additional resources and learning activities to supplement the chapter's reading material.


    11: Language is shared under a CC BY-NC-SA license and was authored, remixed, and/or curated by LibreTexts.

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