ORATION

DEFINITION
1. a formal public speech, especially one delivered on a special occasion, as on an anniversary, at afuneral, or at ac
ademic exercises.
1

2. a public speech characterized by a studied or elevated style, diction, or delivery.
2

3. the art of speaking eloquently or in accordance with the rules of rhetoric.
3


An oration involves a speaker; an audience; a background of time, place, and other conditions; a message; transmission
by voice, articulation, and bodily accompaniments; and may, or may not, have an immediate outcome.
4


ETYMOLOGY
Recorded in English since around 1374, meaning "one who pleads or argues for a cause," from Anglo-
French oratour, from Old French orateur, from Latin orator "speaker," from orare "speak before a court or assembly,
plead," from a Proto-IndoEuropean base "to pronounce a ritual formula." The modern meaning "public speaker" is
attested from approximately 1430.
The derived word "oration," originally used for prayer since 1375, now means (recorded since 1502) any formal
speech, as on a ceremonial occasion or delivered in similar pompous manner.
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HISTORY
In ancient Greece and Rome, oratory was studied as a component of rhetoric (that is, composition and delivery
of speeches), and was an important skill in public and private life. In ancient Rome, the art of speaking in
public (ArsOratoria) was a professional competence especially cultivated by politicians and lawyers. As the Greeks were
still seen as the masters in this field, as in philosophy and most sciences, the leading Roman families often sent their
sons to study under a famous master in Greece (as was the case with the young Julius Caesar) or engaged a Greek
teacher (under pay or as a slave). As the Romans adopted and modified the Greek art of public speaking, they developed
a different style, which was regarded by some as a loss of content.
The distinctive features of the Latin and Greek forms of oratory can be summarized as follows:
Latin: Strong valorization of form. Remarkable use of stylistics.Constant appeal to the listener emotions.
Communication is deemed as a way to demonstrate "intellectual superiority" or eloquence.
Greek: Strong valorization of message content. Utilization of argumentation strategies. Appeal to the common
sense. Communication is deemed as skill to persuade and obtain influence.
Oratory, with definitive rules and models, was emphasized as a part of a "complete education" during
the Middle Ages and Renaissance, although this was generally confined to the church. The development of
parliamentary systems in Europe saw the rise of great political orators; the ability to wield words effectively became one
of the chief tools of politicians, and often made the greatest difference in their positions.
The 20th century saw the development of two leaders of World War II who applied oratorical techniques in
vastly different ways with equal effect. It was primarily through his oratory thatAdolf Hitler whipped the defeated and
divided Germans into a frenzy of conquest, whileWinston Churchill used his no less remarkable powers to summon up in
the English people their deepest historical reserves of strength against the onslaught. By the mid-twentieth century,
oratory became less pompous and more conversational.

1
Dictionary.com UnabridgedBased on the Random House Dictionary, Random House, Inc. 2014. http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/oration
2
Ibid.
3
1911 Encyclopedia Brittanica, s.v oratory Accessesd April
24,2014.http://www.studylight.org/encyclopedias/bri/view.cgi?n=24583
4
Encyclopedia Britannica.http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/431039/oratory
5
New World Encyclopedia. http://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Oratory


At present, oratory is a vital component in the modern legal system. Cases are decided on the strength of the
argument of either side's attorneys (for the prosecution or plaintiff, or for the defense). Oratory can also make or break
political careers. Politicians with polished oratory skills have been able to sway the public or other politicians over key
issues and build popular support for their side.
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Kinds of Oratory

Judicial Oratory
Judicial oration, sometimes called "forensic", had a somewhat wider signification than appertains merely to
courts of law and was oriented around the purposes of defending or accusing.. It is often used to designate an
argument, either oral or written. The judicial orator made arguments about past events, and did so with respect to the
two special topics of invention described by Aristotle as appropriate for this branch of oration, the just and the unjust.

Deliberative Oratory
Sometimes called "legislative" oration, deliberative oration originally had to do exclusively with that sort of speaking
typical of political legislatures. This sort of oration was oriented towards policy and thus considered the future and
whether given laws would benefit or harm society. Thus any speech addressed to hearers with the object of inducing
them to accept or reject a given policy for the future may be called a deliberative speech. Hence this kind of oratory
includes not only congressional and parliamentary speeches, but also addresses before conventions, synods,
conferences, and public meetings of various sorts.

Epideictic Oratory
This branch of oration is sometimes called "ceremonial" or "demonstrative oration. Epideictic Oration was oriented
to public occasions calling for speech or writing in certain situations. Funeral orations are a typical example of epideictic
oration. The ends of epideictic include praise or blame, and thus the long history of encomia and invectives, in their
various manifestations, can be understood in the tradition of epideictic oration.
LINGUISTIC FEATURES OF ORATION
Syntactic Markers of Oration
Semantic Markers of Oration
Phonological Markers of Oration
Syntactic Markers of Oration

Can be represented by the following :

The use of personal pronouns
As speakers, we want to make our audience agree with us in our viewpoints and be against things we are against.
Pronouns to address the audience
These pronouns are basically used to address audience as a group, but not necessarily to persuade them at this
stage.
e.g. You are here tonight to witness the finals of the speech contest.
Pronouns to include the audience
Speakers want the audience to be on their side and agree with their statements or ideas.
e.g. We do not agree to the decision of the Supreme Court regarding the RH Bill.
Pronouns to exclude the audience or to distance the audience
e.g. They want us to agree with them.
Semantic Markers of Oration
The semantic markers include the emotional words and the feature of repetition (repetition of words or sentence
patterns). These words and ideas appeal to the feelings of the audience and can have positive or negative connotations.
The choice of these words which are packed with emotion can influence an audience for or against addressers ideas, to
be with or against them.

6
New World Encyclopedia. http://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Oratory

These words include the following:
Words with positive connotation
The choice of warm fuzzy words can help to get the audience on the orator side.
Words with negative connotation
These weasel words have the opposite effects to positively charge emotive
words.
Contrast / juxtaposition
The use of positive and negative words in close proximity can highlight and
improve the effectiveness of orators ideas.
e.g. Your 'nice' day is now ruined.

Repetition
The orators make their speeches more interesting, vibrant and memorable by using the feature of repetition. As
the audience relies only on memory, the speaker often resorts to repetition to enable his listeners to follow him and
retain the main points of the speech. Repetition is also resorted to in order to persuade the audience.

Repetition of words
The repetition of the same linguistic form is used to hammer home a point and make it memorable.
e.g. Trust is an important concept in society. If you can't trust friends not to blab your secrets all over school, if
you can't trust teachers not to blast you for something that he or she let someone away with yesterday; if parents can't
trust you enough to let you borrow the car-how can you survive in the modern world.

Repetition of sentence structure (parallel structure)
Repetition can be regarded as the most typical stylistic device of the oratorical style. Phrases, groups of words or
parallel structures are repeated for the purpose of making an effect on the audience.
e.g. I have a dream. I have a dream that the sons and daughters of former slaves and the sons and daughters of
former slave owners will sit down at the table of brotherhood.

Listing
The orators tend to use lists in order to emphasize important points.

Phonological Markers of Oration

The speaker normally tries to make his main ideas, keywords and phrases memorable by using certain sound effects and
phonological devices. Thus, for the sake of a successful oration, a number of these phonological elements can be
identified as follows:
Alliteration
Is a literary device that repeats a speech sound in a sequence of words that are close to each other. Alliteration
typically uses consonants at the beginning of a word to give stress to its syllable. .
e.g. Ah, what a delicious day!
Once upon a midnight dreary while I pondered weak and weary
Assonance
Assonance is the repeating of vowel sounds for aural effect and memorability
e.g. I lie down by the side of my bride.
Onomatopoeia
Onomatopoeia is where the words used sound like the thing or concept being described.
e.g. Wind swishing or moaning in the treetops-frost crunching underfoot -cock a doodle doo woof woof.

Rhyming
Words sounding similar that are pleasant to the ear. It also appeal because
the listener can almost predict a part of the speech.


Rhetorical Question in Oration
A rhetorical question is a question which is asked for effect, but not necessarily needing to be answered. A
rhetorical question is not intended to elicit an actual response, but to stimulate orator's audience to think about the
topic. The rhetorical question is frequently used in oration. Since the answer is obvious, it makes a deeper impression on
the hearer than a direct statement would

Components of Oration

Introduction
The introduction may begin with a story, a joke, or an interesting fact, often called the "Attention Getting
Device". An effective introduction should grab the attention of the audience and reveal the orator's specific purpose.
The introduction also states why the topic is important to the audience. By demonstrating that there is concern about
the audience's lives, the orator introduces a strong benefit or advantage to the audience.

The Body
The body of oration contains the main points and supporting material or evidence. In this part, the orator
develops his ideas and adds depth to his subject matter. The orator needs to organize his material in a straightforward
manner. In the body of orative speech, the orator develops two main points: the problem and the solution. Problem
solution is an excellent organization to use.

The Conclusion
The conclusion of an orative speech serves three functions: to signal that the end of the orator's speech is near,
to summarize his material, and to leave his audience with something memorable and worthwhile. Many studies indicate
that although the conclusion is the last thing the audience hears, it may be the first thing that they remember.
A good conclusion should have the following characteristics:
1-It should be an echo of the argument or thought of the oration as a whole.
2-It should be as strong and impelling as possible.
3- It should not be too long.
The conclusion can be regarded as the climax of the whole discourse, and should gather into itself all the concentrated
thought and feeling that have previously been expressed and aroused. There are two ways of doing this : first, by a
summary ; and secondly, by an appeal. Either or both of these methods may be employed in a given case, the choice
depending upon the subject and the occasion.

Nonverbal Techniques of Oration
The nonverbal techniques of oration always communicate the same message in every language. Nonverbal techniques
are those that people can see but not hear, such as eye contact and gestures.

Eye Contact
By eye contact, a speaker can engage audience members by convincing them that the message is just for them.
The orator can achieve his goal by looking directly at the individuals (audience) instead of staring at the wall or the
ceiling. It is important to talk to those people by looking directly into their eyes, not to tune into only the people who are
nodding in agreement or those who are diligently taking notes. The orator tries to include everyone who is there to hear
him.
Gestures
Gestures are motions of the limbs or body that express or help to express thought. They can emphasize or
reinforce an idea or opinion. Gestures add a great deal to a speech. They add interest and expression and help to keep
the attention of an audience. The most important aspect about using gestures is that they need to be natural and
sincere. If you are speaking to an international audience, make sure that you are aware of the use and meaning of
gestures in a particular culture. Like language, gestures and their meanings vary from country to country.




Questions

Encircle the answer of your choice

1. It is a kind of oratory which sometimes called "forensic and was oriented around the purposes of defending or
accusing.
a. Epideictic Oratory b. Judicial Oratory c. Deliberative Oratory d. Rhetoric
2. What is the Latin word for oratory?
a. oratore b. orateur c. orator d. orare
3.It is where the words used sound like the thing or concept being described.
a. onomatopoeia b. mimicry c. rhyming d. assonance
4. Where did oratory flourished?
a. Rome b. Greece c. France d. Germany
5. What do you call the repeating of vowel sounds for aural effect and memorability.
a. onomatopoeia b. mimicry c. rhyming d. assonance
6. What do you mean by oratory?
a. a speech b. a formal public speech c. an art of speaking eloquently d. a speaking exercise
7. It contains the main points and supporting material or evidence. In this part, the orator develops his ideas and adds
depth to his subject matter.
a. conclusion b. body c. introduction d. climax
8. It is the Roman word for speaking in public.
a. ArsOratoria b. ArsOratour c. ArsOrare d. ArsOratore
9.It Is the distinctive feature of Latin oratory
a. strong valorization of form c. strong valorization in action
b. strong valorization in content d. strong valorization in speaking
10. What do you call the oration technique that people can see but not hear.
a. eye contact b. non- verbal technique c. indirect technique d. gestures
11. What do you call the component of oration that signals that the end of the orator's speech is near, to summarize his
material, and to leave his audience with something memorable and worthwhile.
a. conclusion b. body c. introduction d. climax
12. It is sometimes called "legislative" oration, and had to do exclusively with that sort of speaking typical of political
Legislatures.
a. Epideictic Oratory b. Judicial Oratory c. Deliberative Oratory d. Rhetoric
13. It is often resorted by the speaker to enable his listeners to follow him and retain the main points of the speech.
a. repetition b. assonance c. alliteration d. listing
14. When was the period that oratory was emphasized as part of a complete education?
a. 20
th
century b. Roman period c. Renaissance d. Middle Ages
15. Medium used by politicians, leaders, and citizens to rally there cause and influence the public for such cause.
a. orature b. oratour c. urare d. orature


--that the eloquent man whom we are looking for cannot be rendered such without philosophy. For no one can express
wide views, or speak fluently on many and various subjects, without philosophy

-NOTHING FOLLOWS-