Rhetorical Analysis Of Professor Curzan's Speech

Professor Curzan spoke extemporaneously throughout her speech. Her conversational tone made her topic relatable to the audience. The volume of her voice was perfect; powerful enough to command the audience’s attention, yet she was not overpowering. The volume of her voice suggested confidence and self-assurance about her knowledge of her topic. On several occasions throughout her speech she used vocal variations by changing her pitch. For example, when she recounted her past experiences about meeting guests at dinner parties she changed her voice in order to illustrate the types of conversations that she had with the other guests. One particular conversation she shared was an encounter she had with a man who did not approve of the use of the new word “defriend”. When reenacting the conversation, Curzan lowered her voice and put special emphasis on that word in order to accurately depict the man’s disapproval of the word.

The rate of speed during her speech was appropriate. She varied her rate of speed by slowing down her speech when she was explaining an important point or a new term that was potentially unfamiliar to the audience. She also paused frequently to

She strolled slowly across the stage through the duration of her speech, giving relatively equal attention to each section of the audience. Her mannerisms and body language came across to the audience as instinctive. The hand gestures she used seemed to be fitting to her personality, which is clear evidence that the subject mattered to her. Her clothing was fitting for the occasion, considering her lime green sweater and knee-length black skirt were simple yet professional. Her attire had no effect on her presentation. In fact one could argue that it had a positive effect on her speech, because her wardrobe was consistent with that of most English