Abstract
Classical, traditional and still dominant concepts of rhetorical theory and practices are reviewed with respect to aspects of the functions which are relevant for the concepts of political rhetoric. The concept of the audience or public in the dyadic rhetorical framework requires a distinction of “audience invoked” and “audience addressed”. The weakening of the position of authorship, the rhetor, with regard to increased audience participation and its effect on political rhetoric is registered. The conflict orientation of political rhetoric is analyzed with respect to conflict research. It is an important development of the general traditional rhetorical concept. The reestablishment and reinventing of the functions of elocutio and memoria is discovered as important factors and/or functions of the actual rhetorical interactional process and as an important development of the traditional classical concept of rhetoric. Specific scholarly rhetorical concept, references or argumentation in English were preserved in the untranslated original version to preserve intended meaning and to avoid misunderstandings.
