Elocution and eloquence in the Eighteenth and Nineteenth centuries: British and American sources

The importance of studying the manifold aspects of elocution and eloquence is becoming increasingly important as oral discourse, with all the intricacies and complexities that it entails, broadens its boundaries to encompass innovative forms of global communication. Investigations into this field cannot be complete, however, without a historical perspective on the ways suprasegmental features have been viewed throughout the centuries. Therefore, the contribution will move from the two keywords 'pronunciation' and 'delivery' to explore then the American and British approaches to the subject, in order to see them as complementary rather than contrasting aspects of any approach to the study of elocution and eloquence in English.