Rhetoric and persuasion in Spanish commercial catalogues of scientific educational material (1920-1936)

Abstract

The article is intended to analyse the linguistic and rhetorical patterns of Spanish trade scientific instruments catalogues within a period (the second and third decade of the 20th Century) in which significant changes were taking place in the businesses dedicated to the manufacture and distribution of these products. The purpose of this study is to determine the persuasive resources of the works mentioned that accompanied the exclusively technical and descriptive information of the products intended for sale. Likewise, the referents and intentions of these textual strategies are examined. Thus, the study falls within the framework of the works that examine the position held by businesses in the cultures of scientific and technical consumption, as well as their influence on the orientation of the preferences of institutions and individuals.