1 Introduction

This chapter discusses the renewed interest in spoken communication, or oratory, in the 21st century and its link to public speaking formats engendered by the digital medium. The chapter emphasizes the lack of attention from linguists to spoken presentation formats and aims to provide an initial modelling of oratory within a linguistic perspective using systemic functional linguistics (SFL). The specific status of oratory and the problems it raises in terms of linguistic description are examined, alongside the "spoken and monologic" semiotic of SFL. The chapter also covers the analysis of multimodal and linguistic resources in oratory practices from both the pre-digital and digital eras, confirming trends underpinned by the technologisation of discourse.

2 The “spoken and monologic” semiotic in the contemporary context

This chapter describes the concept of "spoken and monologic" oratory and its status in contemporary context within systemic functional linguistics. It examines differences between speech and writing, and analyzes the terms and descriptions used to define speech-giving activities. Additionally, it discusses the socio-semiotic activity types and how the texts of speeches provide objects of study for phenomena relating to lexico-grammar or textual organization. The chapter also delves into the topic of oratory and digital oratory, highlighting the development of new forms of public speaking due to digital technology, particularly digital oratory, and the changes at the social level as a result of these new activities.

3 Modelling oratory within the “spoken and monologic” semiotic

This chapter introduces a definition of oratory within the spoken and monologic semiotic, specifically focusing on the parameters of mode and experiential distance. It also discusses the distinct features of oratory, including its dynamic nature, use of paralinguistic and multimodal resources, language choices, and the impact of being monologic. Additionally, it explores the digitalised forms of oratory, examining the effects of technical mediation on the immediacy of feedback, spatial and interpersonal distance, and the complexity introduced by electronic and digital dissemination. Furthermore, it considers the impact of digital formats and social media on audience feedback and lexico-grammatical and multimodal choices in oratory.

4 Multimodal resources

This chapter describes the role of multimodal resources in modeling oratory within the system of mode and the role language plays in the interaction, illustrating the vast number of multimodal resources involved in oratory. Additionally, it discusses the significance of the body as a semiotic resource and how it is utilized in different forms of digital oratory, as well as the framing choices made when filming, which participate in the construal of interpersonal meaning. The chapter also highlights the different configurations of choices in filming used in the New Oratory formats compared to social media oratory, and their impact on the speaker-viewer engagement and spatial relations.

5 Approaching the language of podium oratory

The chapter explores the lexicogrammar of the spoken and monologic mode of oratory, examining complexity, grammatical intricacy, and lexical density. It offers linguistic analysis of President Abraham Lincoln's Gettysburg Address, focusing on information packaging and the use of rhetorical figures to convey interpersonal meaning. The chapter highlights the unique language employed in oratory, which involves a specific negotiation between speech and writing and relies heavily on prosody and multimodal constructions to convey deep feeling and conviction.

6 Approaching the language of digital oratory

he face of aggression and bullying, defending the right of sovereign nations to choose their own path.

6.3 The language of intimacyWhile informality, intimacy and friendliness feature heavily in social media oratory, especially when practiced by public figures, it can be argued that certain linguistic choices facilitate closeness. Conversational forms of address, which have found their way into social media oratory, constitute one such feature. For instance, the use of first names by speakers, which manifests friendliness and familiarity, is characteristic of the liberalisation of oratory. Another example of conversational forms of address is a definition by Robert Talisse (2019: 2), quoted by D. Bev, as “my Facebook feed”, retranscribed as “my Facebook feed” in a visual screenshot. In his talk, the speaker explains how social media fosters bias in speakers and the way they interpret the current news; “Facebook” is here personalised, and so, to a certain extent, anthropomorphised in as much as it constitutes objects with personal references.37 In the social media oratory excerpt, the speaker also pronounces self-referencing in the first-person plural, and claims shared experience (“we all know the experience of [a social media feed that shows how the world is doing]”) (Talisse 2019c: 5). Social media, in this sense, takes on a narrative dimension that is friendlier and more personable than traditional forms of podium oratory, in that “the oratory of social media not only allows individuals, but also charges individuals with the task of creating counter-publics on a smaller, often more informal scale” (Roberts 2020: n. p.). When speakers refer to social media documents, such as personal video diaries, they assign personal significance to them, and, as a result, play a part in the individualisation of media of mass communication. Similarly, their visibility to others has a social and textual significance: it reveals and involves a process of self-display thus far restricted to one’s close circle, which can now be expanded thanks to the media of mass communication.

7 Conclusion

This chapter has explored the spoken and monologic mode of public address, past and present, delving into issues related to the dichotomy between spoken and written language, mixing of modes, multimodality, and lexicogrammar. It has also discussed the need for further inquiry and a multidisciplinary approach in studying contemporary communication practices. Additionally, it highlighted the relevance of systemic functional linguistics (SFL) in analyzing oratory, particularly in the context of digitally-mediated communication and the social dimension of language. The chapter noted the difficulty of adapting the notion of context and the challenges of modeling register and discursive genre in cases of digital communication. It also pointed out the complications in modeling generic categories due to the decompartmentalization of practices in digital oratory.