Exordis persuasius

Abstract

This article argues for the desirability of paying attention to the contributions of both ancient rhetoric and modern rhetoric in teaching argumentative writing. Within the framework of the first - ancient - rhetoric, Quintilian (1.) provides us with a typology of erroneous exordia, i.e. speech openings, in which one can recognize a large part of the introductions as they are created by learners with little writing and text competence; and (2) the idea that the style of the exordium should not resemble that of argument, but rather one of "simple and careless talking". In the context of the second – new – rhetoric, Perelman and Olbrechts-Tyteca emphasize the importance of the arrangement of the expository steps within an argumentative text for the persuasive effect that this text has on the addressee. The contributions of rhetoric are followed by the critical considerations of Harald Weinrich, who laments the discredit that the narrative form has received over the past centuries when it comes to verbalizing profound topics that are typical of science.