[Foundation-l] Wikinews - not so much a state of the wiki

[Thomas Dalton]

On 04/12/2007, Mike Godwin <mnemonic at 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.