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American/Western & Chinese Rhetorical Customs

The purpose of this research is to examine the cross

cultural similarities and differences between the American/Western

theory and customs of writing rhetoric and the Chinese rhetorical

theory and customs. The plan of the research will be to set forth

the principal concepts presented by various commentators, and then

to discuss the chief ways in which their points of view have the

effect of illuminating the nexus of culture, history, and diction

To make a meaningful examination of the similarities and

differences between Western and Chinese rhetorical styles, which

Matalene explains is known as "contrastive rhetoric" (789), it is

useful (for a Westerner, at any rate) to first determine the

general position from which the culture of Western rhetoric and

expression proceeds. This position appears to be twofold. In one

sense, the tradition of Western grammar and style is prescriptive.

That is, the language is governed by specific rules and conventions

that determine its correct expression or writing. In another sense,

Western expression, or more exactly its structure, is logical; that

is, one idea flows from or is built upon another. Lang asserts that

the prescriptive nature of writing in the Western culture is

analogous to the prescriptive quality of moral actions within the

culture (25), specifically noting that in Strunk and White's (The

Elements_of_Style(, a handbook for writers, "the clarity and

precision that best serve communication are not valued primarily as

the means to [conveying information]: rather, like any moral

qualities, the values of good writing are first good in themselves"

(27). In other words, irrespective of the cultural values that

decent writing may convey, a claim is made for the intrinsic value

.he #.

of clear expression. This, in turn, cannot fa...

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American/Western & Chinese Rhetorical Customs. (1969, December 31). In LotsofEssays.com. Retrieved 22:00, March 28, 2024, from https://www.lotsofessays.com/viewpaper/1691020.html