Elocutio is a Western rhetorical technique that focuses on using words and sentences correctly. It has four elements: clarity, correctness, appropriateness, and ornamentation. Elocutio is important for speeches, especially in politics. The term comes from Latin and is related to “elocution”. It is the center of good rhetoric rules and includes clarity, correctness, and appropriateness. Ornamentation is the final element and involves adding flowery phrases to make speeches more memorable.
Elocutio is one of the five Western rhetorical techniques that deals with the correct deployment and use of words and sentences. There are four elements to elocutio: clarity, correctness, appropriateness, and ornamentation. Mastering the technique of elocutio is important for anyone wanting to give a speech, from an after-dinner speaker to someone giving a presentation in the boardroom. This technique is most often seen in rallies, speeches, and speeches in politics, whether discussing a new law, an issue, or trying to sway voters in an election.
The term is of Latin origin and is linked to ideas on rhetoric developed first in the Greek world, in democracies such as Athens, and then during the last centuries of the Roman Republic. The word comes from the Latin term “ioqui” which means “to speak”. In modern English, it is related to the word “elocution”, which means “to speak well”.
Elocutio is the center of the rules concerning good rhetoric as outlined by Marcus Tullius Cicero, a Roman politician and noted rhetorician, and others. The other canons begin with ‘inventio’; the invention or collection of material for a speech. The second is ‘disposition’, which is the disposition of the collected material. After elocutio comes ‘memory’, the memorization of material, as many speeches are presented without paper or autocue. The final canon is ‘pronuntiatio’, the correct pronunciation of words and the use of pronunciation techniques.
Clarity in the elocutio sense does not refer to the correct pronunciation of words, which is an element of ‘pronuntiatio’. Clarity in this sense means clarity; in particular, the clarity of the message contained within the speech. The choice of words and phrases must avoid ambiguity in order to leave the listener in no doubt as to the message the rhetorician is trying to convey.
Correctness is determined by the words and phrases used. To be correct, words must first conform to known rules of grammar and usage. A sheep is a sheep and not a form of attack helicopter, for example. In addition to the correct use of semantics, conjunctions and compounds, the words and phrases used must not be archaic. This means they must be in modern use and, therefore, widely understood.
The content of a speech is appropriate to speech if it is relevant to the speech. The content must also avoid taboo words and phrases. For example, Enoch Powell’s speech on race relations in Britain is remembered for his use of the taboo phrase “rivers of blood” to describe interracial disharmony. The sentence obscured other points on the subject.
Ornament is the last and often considered the most important element of a speech. In terms of elocutio, it means adding flowery phrases, unusual or powerful words to speech to make it more memorable. Making sure that the words are correct and appropriate, but also ornamental, is about striking a clear balance. Ornament includes figures of speech such as puns, allusions and metaphors.
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