Rhetorical analysis of nonpublic discourse

This essay makes an argument for a functional, rather than contextual, definition of Rhetoric. It is explained that an addressed audience rather than a public setting is what makes the concept of “rhetorical quality” meaningful. The defining characteristics of rhetorical quality are goal‐orientation and strategy. It is thus reasoned that nonpublic discourse may he considered as if rhetorical. The usefulness of treating nonpublic modes of communication rhetorically is discussed specifically. Conceptual and methodological issues related to this trend in rhetorical analysis are identified in terms of extant literature and possible implications of future development.