Dubitatio as a Rhetorical Strategy

Dubitatio as a Rhetorical Strategy Dubitatio is a  rhetorical term for the expression of doubt or uncertainty. The doubt that is expressed may be genuine or feigned. Adjective: dubitative. Also called indecision. In oratory, dubitatio commonly takes the form of expressions of uncertainty about the ability to speak effectively. EtymologyFrom the Latin, wavering in opinion Examples and Observations To be, or not to be, that is the question:Whether tis nobler in the mind to sufferThe slings and arrows of outrageous fortuneOr to take arms against a sea of troublesAnd by opposing end them. . . .(From Hamlets soliloquy in Act III, scene 1, of William Shakespeares Hamlet)Comic Dubitatio[E]ventually it became clear that the only thing to do was to go to Croyden, where [British Telecoms] offices are.And that, gentlemen, is how I discovered the legendary Arsehole of the Universe, a sort of reverse Shangri-La where you age hundreds of years in a mere lunchtime. Can I speak of the mystical Telecom eyrie, the fabled Delta Point, with its solemn procession of whining, impotent, bearded men in brown Terylene suits? Can I tell of its burger bars, car parks, building society offices? Is my pen capable of painting its atmosphere of municipal sniveling and cheeseparing rapaciousness? Have I the tongue to sing its one-way system?No.(Michael Bywater, Bargepole. Punch, August 24, 1990)Dubitatio in Shakespeares  Julius CaesarI come not, friends, to steal away your hearts:I am no  orator, as Brutus is;But, as you know me all, a plain blunt man,That love my friend; and that they know full wellThat gave me public leave to speak of him:For I have neither wit, nor words, nor worth,Action, nor  utterance, nor the power of speech,To stir mens blood: I only speak right on.(Marc Antony in William Shakespeares  Julius Caesar, Act III, scene 2) Dubitatio as the Ironic Expression of Doubt- One device of which [Thomas Hobbes] makes frequent use is dubitatio, the ironic expression of doubt or ignorance. . . . Some English rhetoricians had assumed that the purpose of the device is to give voice to genuine uncertainties, in consequence of which they made no distinction between dubitatio and aporia. But others recognised that, as Thomas Wilson observes, the defining characteristic of dubitatio must be its disingenuousness. We are far from expressing any real uncertainty; we merely make the hearers believe that the weight of our matter causeth us to doubte what were best to speake.(Quentin Skinner, Reason and Rhetoric in the Philosophy of Hobbes. Cambridge University Press, 1997)- Dubitatio  consists in the speakers trying to strengthen the credibility (fides veritatis) of his own point of view by means of a feigned oratorical helplessness, which expresses itself in the appeal to the  audience, made in the form of a question, for advice concerning the efficient and relevant intellectual development of the speech.(Heinrich Lausberg,  Handbook of Literary Rhetoric: A Foundation for Literary Study, 2nd ed.. Translated by Matthew T. Bliss and edited by David E. Orton and R. Dean Anderson. Brill, 1998) Dubitatio and IntonationDubitatio is not always an oratorical device . . .. The speakers intonation always conveys a high or low degree of assurance. Doubt is quite natural in interior monologue.(Bernard Dupriez, A Dictionary of Literary Devices, trans. by Albert W. Halsall. Univ. of Toronto Press, 1991)The Lighter Side of Dubitatio- [N]othing irks quite as much as the luvvie that takes to the stage and utters the big fat lie: I havent prepared a speech, because I really didnt think I was going to win.What do they mean, they didnt think they were going to win? They are in a category of four nominees. And its not like they havent seen award  ceremonies before where the result was unexpected. Of course they thought they might win, and of course they spent the whole week leading up to the ceremony rehearsing their speech again and againin the shower; on the loo; walking up the stairs; walking down the stairs; staring in the fridge; squeezing their teabags; moisturising; doing their pr ess-ups; taking out the recycling; changing a light bulb; chopping onions; flossing; tossing their socks in the laundry bin; loading the dishwasher; turning lights off; turning lights on; drawing the curtains; sniffing the milkso youd have thought they would have got it down pat by now. And you know what, they have. Because the speech theyve been endlessly rehearsing is this:I havent  prepared a speech, because I really didnt think I was going to win.Liars.(Rob Brydon, Lee Mack, and David Mitchell,  Would I Lie To You?  Faber Faber, 2015)-  You know Im not good at making speeches, especially when I dont have you to write them for me.(Dan Wanamaker, played by Alan Alda, in What Women Want, 2000)

How to Use the Conditional Tense in German

How to Use the Conditional Tense in German The conditional tense in German is established through the subjunctive II  (past). But that is not the only way. As important as it is to learn the subjunctive II for such purposes, there are sometimes other ways to form a conditional statement, depending on your intent. The following is a listing of a few examples. Introducing a Condition With the Preposition Bei Bei schà ¶nem Wetter, gehen wir schwimmen.(When the weather is nice, we’ll go swimming.)Remember that the preposition bei is always followed by the dative. If you would use the subjunctive, the sentence would read as follows: Wenn es schà ¶nes Wetter sein sollte, dann gehen wir schwimmen. Using Wenn Use wenn plus the present tense if the condition is possible. Wenn du mà ¼de bist, leg dich hin.(If you are tired, lie down.) Wenn du Hunger hast, nimm dir ein Stà ¼ck Kuchen.(If you are hungry, you can have a piece of cake.) Use wenn plus the subjunctive II if the sentence indicates a hypothesis not realized. Wenn ich jung wre, wà ¼rde ich mir diese Schuhe kaufen.If I were young, then I would buy these shoes. Wenn wir reich wren, wà ¼rden wir auf eine Weltreise gehen.(If we were rich, we would go on a world trip.) Use wenn plus the subjunctive II if the sentence indicates a hypothesis that was not realized in the past. Wenn er studiert htte, wà ¼rde er gute Noten bekommen haben.(If he had studied, he would have gotten good marks.) Wenn er seine Medizin genommen htte, wà ¼rde er jetzt gesund sein.(If he had taken his medicine, he would be healthy now.) Using Falls/im Falle When something is possible. Falls du zum Museum hingehst, vergiss nicht dein Mitgliedsausweis.(In case you go to the museum, don’t forget your membership card.) Im Falle, dass wir spt sind, will ich mir eine Ausrede denken.(In case that we are late, I want to think of an excuse.) Using Es Sei Denn, Dass (Unless)/Vorausgesetzt, Dass Geh nicht im Keller, es sei denn, dass du vorher gefragst hast.(Don’t go in the basement, unless you’ve asked beforehand.) Guck nicht im Schrank, es sei denn du willst wissen was du fà ¼r deinen Geburtstag bekommen wirst.(Don’t look in the closet, unless you want to find out what you will be getting for your birthday.) Ich komme mit, vorausgesetzt, dass deine Eltern einverstanden sind.(Im coming, only unless your parents agree.) Adverbs Sonst (Else) or Andernfalls (Otherwise) These adverbs make reference to the past that would have influenced the past, that the situation occurred. Ich bin froh, dass du mitgekommen bist, sonst htte ich mich sehr gelangweilt haben.(I am happy that you came along, or else I would have been so bored.) Gute Sache, dass er die Suppe nicht gegessen hat, andernfalls wà ¼rde er auch krank gewesen sein.(Good thing, he didn’t eat the soup, otherwise he’d be sick too.)