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Rhetoric
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Elocutio is the term for the mastery of stylistic elements in Western classical rhetoric and comes from the Latin loqui, "to speak". Although today, we associate the word, elocution, more with eloquent speaking, for the classical rhetorician, it connoted "style".

It is the one of five canons of classical rhetoric (the others being inventio, dispositio, memoria, and pronuntiatio) that concern the crafting and delivery of speeches and writing. Beginning in the Renaissance, writers increasingly emphasized the stylistic aspects of rhetoric over the other divisions of rhetoric.

An orator or writer had a number of things to decide in developing a style for a particular discourse. First, there was the level of style; plain (attenuata or subtile), middle (mediocris or robusta), or high (florida or gravis). Writers were instructed to match the basic style to their subject matter and their audience. For instance, Quintilian in his Institutio Oratoria deemed the plain style suitable for instruction, the middle for moving oration, and the high for charming discourse. Today, we associate elocution and rhetoric with the last of these styles, but for rhetoricians, each style was useful in rhetoric.

A great amount of attention was paid to figures of speech, which were classified into various types and sub-types. One Renaissance writer, Henry Peacham, enumerated 184 different figures of speech, although it could be argued that this was a manifestation of the increasing over-emphasis on style that began in the Renaissance.

Also important to elocutio were subjects we would generally regard as grammatical: the proper use of punctuation and conjunctions; the desirable order of words in a sentence (unlike English, many languages are not as dependent on word order to establish relationships between words, and so choices of word order may revolve more around form than function); and the length of sentences.

See also

    Rhetoric (from Greek ῥήτωρ, rhêtôr, orator, teacher) is generally understood to be the art or technique of persuasion through the use of oral, visual, or written language; however, this definition of rhetoric
    ..... Click the link for more information.
      Inventio is the system or method used for the discovery of arguments in Western rhetoric and comes from the Latin word, meaning "invention" or "discovery".
      ..... Click the link for more information.
        Dispositio is the system used for the organization of arguments in Western classical rhetoric. The word is Latin, and can be translated as "organization" or "arrangement.
        ..... Click the link for more information.
          Memoria was the term for aspects involving memory in Western classical rhetoric. The word is Latin, and can be translated as "memory."

          It was one of five canons in classical rhetoric (the others being inventio, dispositio, elocutio, and pronuntiatio) concerned with
          ..... Click the link for more information.
            Pronuntiatio was the discipline of delivering speeches in Western classical rhetoric.

            It is the one of five canons of classical rhetoric (the others being inventio, dispositio, elocutio, and memoria) that concern the crafting and delivery of speeches.
            ..... Click the link for more information.
              Rhetoric (from Greek ῥήτωρ, rhêtôr, orator, teacher) is generally understood to be the art or technique of persuasion through the use of oral, visual, or written language; however, this definition of rhetoric
              ..... Click the link for more information.
              Latin}}} 
              Official status
              Official language of: Vatican City
              Used for official purposes, but not spoken in everyday speech
              Regulated by: Opus Fundatum Latinitas
              Roman Catholic Church
              Language codes
              ISO 639-1: la
              ISO 639-2: lat
              ..... Click the link for more information.
                Inventio is the system or method used for the discovery of arguments in Western rhetoric and comes from the Latin word, meaning "invention" or "discovery".
                ..... Click the link for more information.
                  Dispositio is the system used for the organization of arguments in Western classical rhetoric. The word is Latin, and can be translated as "organization" or "arrangement.
                  ..... Click the link for more information.
                    Memoria was the term for aspects involving memory in Western classical rhetoric. The word is Latin, and can be translated as "memory."

                    It was one of five canons in classical rhetoric (the others being inventio, dispositio, elocutio, and pronuntiatio) concerned with
                    ..... Click the link for more information.
                      Pronuntiatio was the discipline of delivering speeches in Western classical rhetoric.

                      It is the one of five canons of classical rhetoric (the others being inventio, dispositio, elocutio, and memoria) that concern the crafting and delivery of speeches.
                      ..... Click the link for more information.
                      Renaissance (French for "rebirth"; Italian: Rinascimento; Spanish: Renacimiento), was a cultural movement that spanned roughly the 14th through the 17th century, beginning in Italy in the late Middle Ages and later spreading to the rest of Europe.
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                      Marcus Fabius Quintilianus (ca. 35-ca. 100) was a Roman rhetorician from Hispania, widely referred to in medieval schools of rhetoric and in Renaissance writing. In English translation, he is usually referred to as Quintilian, although the alternate spellings of
                      ..... Click the link for more information.
                      A figure of speech, sometimes termed a rhetoric, or elocution, is a word or phrase that departs from straightforward, literal language. Figures of speech are often used and crafted for emphasis, freshness of expression, or clarity. However, clarity may also suffer from their use.
                      ..... Click the link for more information.
                      Henry Peacham is the name shared by two English Renaissance writers who were father and son.

                      The elder Henry Peacham (1546 - 1634) was an English curate, best known for his treatise on rhetoric titled The Garden of Eloquence first published in 1577.
                      ..... Click the link for more information.
                      A figure of speech, sometimes termed a rhetoric, or elocution, is a word or phrase that departs from straightforward, literal language. Figures of speech are often used and crafted for emphasis, freshness of expression, or clarity. However, clarity may also suffer from their use.
                      ..... Click the link for more information.
                        Rhetoric (from Greek ῥήτωρ, rhêtôr, orator, teacher) is generally understood to be the art or technique of persuasion through the use of oral, visual, or written language; however, this definition of rhetoric
                        ..... Click the link for more information.


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