Speech Communication :: Library Resources for Communication Studies

Library Resources for Communication Studies

Speech Communication

Introduction

This guide will help students to learn about formal spoken communication through speech reading and rhetorical analysis.

Suggested Subject Keywords

Debates and debating
Elocution
Forensic oratory
Oral pleading -- narrower term is "Forensic orations" or "Forensic oratory"
Oratory (Oratory can also be a subdivision, as in "Emerson, Ralph Waldo, 1803-1882 -- Oratory")
Oratory AND Ancient
Political oratory
Rhetoric
Speeches, addresses, etc. (subdivided with national adjective, e.g. "Speeches, addresses, etc. Greek")
Speechwriters
Speechwriting
Storytelling
Verbal Communication
Voice culture [for works on development of the voice, both in speaking and singing]

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Reference Materials

African-American orators: A bio-critical sourcebook, edited by Richard W. Leeman. Westport, CT: Greenwood Press, 1996. ISBN 0313290148
Biographies of 43 orators, emphasizing their rhetorical style and development. Each essay ends with an Information Sources section listing research and speech collections; selected critical studies (if available); selected biographies; and a chronology of major speeches.

American orators of the twentieth century: Critical studies and sources, edited by Bernard K. Duffy and Halford R. Ryan. Westport, CT: Greenwood Press, 1987. ISBN 0313248435
Profiles of 58 orators’ rhetorical styles. Each essay ends with an Information Sources section listing research and speech collections; selected critical studies (if available); selected biographies; and a chronology of major speeches.

Encyclopedia of rhetoric, by Thomas O. Sloane. New York: Oxford University Press, 2001. ISBN 0195125959
Signed articles, ranging from less than a column to 20 pages, covering figures of speech, rhetorical concepts, and some historical figures. Several long essays describe rhetoric of particular fields, such as science and religion.

Oxford dictionary of allusions, by Andrew Delahunty. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2001. ISBN 0198600313
Useful for speech readers and preparers, this reference book explains cultural references and groups them by subject area.

Women public speakers in the United States, 1800-1925 : a bio-critical sourcebook, by Karlyn Kohrs Campbell. Westport, CT: Greenwood Press, 1993. ISBN 0313275335

Women public speakers in the United States, 1925 - 1993: a bio-critical sourcebook, by Karlyn Kohrs Campbell. Westport, CT: Greenwood Press, 1994. ISBN 0313275351

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Periodical Databases/Indexes

Icon Key: = Paid access = Free access = Available electronically = Available in print

Note: Several databases have Vital Speeches of the Day in full text; Academic Search Premier covers 1934 to present.

Best Bets:

ComAbstracts 1968-present Paid Access Available electronically
A web-based database, available from the Communication Institute for Online Scholarship. Selected abstracts and some full text from 45 communication studies journals. View full text with the free DejaVu Browser Plug-in, available from LizardTech, Inc).
Vendor site: http://www.cios.org/www/abstract.htm

ComIndex 1970-present Paid Access Available electronically
A DOS-based database, available from the Communication Institute for Online Scholarship. Comprehensively indexes articles from 74 communication studies journals, from 1970 to 2001.
Vendor site: http://www.cios.org/www/comindex.htm

Communication Abstracts 1978-present Paid Access Available in print
From Sage Publishing; covers everything from print journalism, media broadcasting and advertising to speech and interpersonal communications.
Publisher site: http://www.sagepub.com/journal.aspx?pid=168

Communication Abstracts Online Paid Access Available electronically
A Cambridge Scientific Abstracts database, Communication Abstracts Online covers communication-related articles, reports, papers, and books from a variety of publishers, research institutions, and information sources.
Vendor site: http://www.csa.com/

Additional Useful Resources:

Speech Index Paid Access Available in print
New York: Scarecrow Press, 1935-1966.
Speech Index: an index to collections of world famous orations and speeches for various occasions. Fourth edition supplement, 1966-1980 by Charity Mitchell. Metuchen, NJ: Scarecrow Press, 1982.
An index to 259 collections of orations and speeches.

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Web Sites

The first five websites contain online full text speech collections.

American Rhetoric
http://www.americanrhetoric.com/speechbank.htm
Audio files for over 5000 speeches, sermons, legal proceedings and other media events. Rhetorical Figures in Sound, an online dictionary, has audio files to illustrate definitions.

Douglass Archives of American Public Address
http://douglassarchives.org/
Review hard-to-find speeches and related documents by speaker, title, chronologically, by controversy/movement.

Gifts of Speech: Women's Speeches from Around the World
http://gos.sbc.edu/
An online archive of speeches by influential contemporary women from around the world.

History Channel Speech Archives
http://www.historychannel.com/speeches/
Broadcasts and recordings (RealAudio required) of historic speeches. Each speech has a separate webpage, on which appear a text excerpt and the speech’s historic context. Site visitors can view speeches by category (Politics & Government; Science & Technology; Arts, Entertainment & Culture; War & Diplomacy) or browse a complete alphabetical list. A History Channel website search returns speeches among results.

University of Iowa Communication Studies Resources: Speeches and Speechmakers
http://www.uiowa.edu/~commstud/resources/speech.html
54 links to speech collections (including the four websites listed above), propaganda and speech analysis, and proverbs.

National Speakers Association
http://www.nsaspeaker.org/
Use the Knowledge Bank and Resource Center link to find articles on a wide range of public-speaking topics.

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Associations & Organizations

American Forensics Association
http://www.americanforensics.org/
Founded in 1949, the AFA is an umbrella organization which runs the National Debate and National Individual Events Tournaments for high school and college students. The website houses tables of contents for the Association’s journal, Argumentation & Advocacy, and contents of conference proceedings.

National Communication Association
http://www.natcom.org
Promotes communication scholarship and education, represents educators, practitioners and students in all areas of communication studies. Founded in 1914 as the National Association of Academic Teachers of Public Speaking, the society incorporated in 1950 as the Speech Association of America. In 1970 the organization changed its name to Speech Communication Association and adopted its present name in 1997.

National Forensics Association
http://www.bethel.edu/college/dept/comm/nfa/index.html
Affiliated with the American Forensics Association, the NFA is concerned with intercollegiate speech and debate competition.

National Speakers Association
http://www.nsaspeaker.org/
"The National Speakers Association (NSA) is the leading organization for professional speakers. Since 1973, NSA has provided resources and education designed to advance the skills, integrity and value of its members and speaking profession." Use the Knowledge Bank and Resource Center link to find articles on a wide range of public-speaking topics.

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Journals & Trade Publications

Note: For title changes consult a serials directory such as Ulrich’s Periodicals Directory.

Argumentation and Advocacy ISSN 1051-1431
Academic/Scholarly. American Forensic Association. 1964-current
Advances the study of argumentation and forensics. Critical and theoretical articles are included on these topics within various contexts (legal, political, interpersonal) as are essays and pedagogical articles on debate and oratory. (Magazines for Libraries) Quarterly.

Communication Monographs ISSN 0363-7751
Academic/Scholarly. Routledge. 1934-current
Reports original research grounded in theory dealing with human symbolic exchange in varying social contexts, and the ways in which communication is shaped and functions in human interaction. (National Communication Association website). Quarterly.

Discourse and Society ISSN 0957-9265
Academic/Scholary. Sage Publications Ltd. 1990-current
Explores the relevance of discourse analysis to the social sciences, with a particular focus on the political implications of discourse and communication. (Ulrich’s) Bi-monthly.

Journal of Applied Communication Research ISSN 0090-9982
Academic/Scholary. Routledge. 1973-current
Publishes articles that "address relationships between practice and theories of communication, rhetoric, criticism, and/or performance." (Magazines for Libraries) Quarterly.

Language in Society ISSN 0047-4045
Academic/Scholarly. Cambridge University Press. 1972-current
Covers, the study of speech and language as aspects of social life. Articles have been published on "Stereotypes and registers of honorific language" and "Narratives and explanations during mealtime conversations in Norway and the U.S." (Magazines for Libraries) 5 times a year.

Philosophy and Rhetoric ISSN 0031-8213
Academic/Scholarly. Pennsylvania State University Press. 1968-current
Studies of theoretical issues concerning the relationship between philosophy and rhetoric […]; philosophical aspects of argumentation and argumentation within the discipline of philosophy itself; the nature of rhetoric of historical figures and during historical periods; rhetoric and human culture and thought; and psychological and sociological aspects of rhetoric. (Magazines for Libraries) Quarterly.

Quarterly Journal of Speech ISSN 0033-5630
Academic/Scholarly. Routledge. 1915-current
Publishes articles that focus primarily on rhetorical theory and criticism in a wide variety of settings. … and seeks essays that aid understanding of discourse practices. (Magazines for Libraries) Quarterly.

Text and Performance Quarterly ISSN 1046-2917
Academic/Scholarly. Routledge. 1980-current
Focuses on the history, theory, and criticism of any type of text realized in performance. (National Communication Association website) Quarterly.

Vital Speeches of the Day ISSN 0042-742X
Consumer. City News Publishing Co., Inc. 1934-current
Contains the full text of recent important speeches. (Ulrich’s)

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Content by: Heidi Senior
Created: February 9, 2004
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