Textual and information‐theoretic indexes of style as discriminators between message sources

Abstract

This study sought to identify techniques that provide a specific and operationalized basis for the rhetorical criticism of communication style. Twelve indexes of communication style were applied to three different message sources: Winston Churchill, Clement Atlee, and Neville Chamberlain. Results indicated that the traditional numerical, quantitative techniques of stylistic analysis are not especially effective discriminators among message sources. Much more effective were techniques drawn from information theory and based upon auditor responses to the messages.

Notes

John H. Timmis III is Professor of Interpersonal Communication, Ohio University.