On 04/12/2007, Mike Godwin mnemonic@gmail.com wrote:
I'm not sure what you mean by "rhetoric" here
Rhetoric is something said more for effect than for its informational value - humour and irony are forms of rhetoric. (They can still have informational value, but it's generally of secondary importance to the effect of the statement.)
Ah, that explains my confusion -- you were using a nonstandard definition of "rhetoric."
No... I don't think so: http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/rhetoric
In any case, what I originally posted was meant to be understood primarily for its informational value and not merely appreciated for my inimitable style and flare.
Maybe, but your reason for presenting that information in the way you did was for effect. You could have just stated it straight.
It also helps to English - we're generally much more used to sarcasm and similar forms of rhetoric than, say, Americans.
In light of this exchange, you're being ironic here, right? :)
No, factual. In my experience, Americans have great difficulty recognising sarcasm (in general, of course). It's just a cultural thing. I have great difficultly understanding baseball and American football metaphors, while most Americans seem to be able to use them fluently - it's much the same thing.