Journal of Technical Writing and Communication Oct 1986

Rhetoric and Relevance in Technical Writing

M. Jimmie Killingsworth Texas Tech University ; Michael Gilbertson

Abstract

As a concept of rhetoric in technical writing, relevance involves an awareness of time. The report deals with the past; the manual, with the present; the proposal, with the future. To be considered relevant, however, all the modes of technical writing must relate to the present reality of the audience. Writers must recognize this need not only as it influences grammar and style but also as it affects larger concerns of organization and tone. Realizing that the temporal classification of modem reports, manuals, and proposals correlates with Aristotle's designation of forensic, epideictic, and deliberative discourse, technical writers can discover a body of rhetorical theory on which to base choices about selection, arrangement, and presentation of subject matter.

Journal
Journal of Technical Writing and Communication
Published
1986-10-01
DOI
10.2190/cjue-damk-wy8g-j7e4
Open Access
Closed
Topics
rhetorical theory multimodality technical communication voice and style affect and writing

Citation Context

Cited by in this index (4)

  1. Tham (2025)
    Design and Deliberation: Reimagining Rhetorical Arrangement in Technical Commun…
    Technical Communication Quarterly
  2. Axelrod (2025)
    Improving Proposal Writing by Looking to Information Operations
    Journal of Technical Writing and Communication
  3. Burnett et al. (2025)
    Birthing Genre: Conventions of Rhetorical Situation and Accessibility of Inform…
    Journal of Technical Writing and Communication
  4. Killingsworth et al. (1989)
    Amplification in Technical Manuals: Theory and Practice
    Journal of Technical Writing and Communication

Cites in this index (0)

No references match articles in this index.

Also cites 6 works outside this index ↓
  1. 10.4159/harvard.9780674731394
     ↗
  2. 10.4159/DLCL.aristotle-art_rhetoric.1926
     ↗
  3. 10.1109/TPC.1982.6447737
     ↗
  4. 10.1007/978-1-4684-0982-6
     ↗
  5. 10.1109/TEWS.1960.6594511
     ↗
  6. 10.2307/376998
     ↗
CrossRef global citation count: 4 View in citation network →

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