Communication Studies Subject Guide
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Speech and Oratory
Reference Books | Databases | Organizations | Web Sites
Reference Books
top- American Speaker: Your Guide to Successful Speaking
- Contemporary American Voices: Significant Speeches in American History, 1945-Present
- Encyclopedia of Language and Linguistics
- Native North American Literature: Biographical and Critical Information on Native Writers and Orators from the United States and Canada
- Speaker's Lifetime Library
- Voices of Multicultural America: Notable Speeches Delivered by African, Asian, Hispanic, and Native Americans, 1790-1995
- Women Public Speakers in the United States, 1800-1925:A Bio-Critical Sourcebook
- Women Public Speakers in the United States, 1925-1993: A Bio-Critical Sourcebook
Ref. PN4121.A43 1996 - Includes tips, talking points, nd sample speeches, arranged alphabetically by topic or type of speech.
Stacks. E173.A786 1992 - 73 important speeches on public issues.
Ref. P29 E48 2006 (14 Vols.) - Vols. 11 & 12 contain the articles "Speech," "Speech Act Theory," "Speech Communication," "Speech Play," "Speech Styles," "Speech and Thought," and "Speech Writing."
Ref. PS508.I5N38 1994 - "Part I. Oral Literature" provides articles on major Native American orators.
Ref. PN4193.I5S64 1997 - Contains a "Speaker's Reference Guide" by topic; "Apt Comparisons", a "Day and Date Book" and "Special Occasion Book."
Ref. PS663.M55V64 1996 - Addresses by and information on over 130 minority orators.
Stacks HQ1412.W67 1993 - Information on 37 early women orators who contributed to public discourse.
Stacks HQ1412.W68 1994 - A companion volume covering distinguished women speakers up to the 1990s.
Databases
top- Academic Search Premier
- America: History and Life
- ComAbstracts
- Communication & Mass Media Complete
- Lexis/Nexis Academic
- MLA Bibliography
- Web of Science
Click on "Subject Terms" and type in Speeches or Oratory in the "Browse for:" box. Mark the desired terms (or click in the "Explode" box opposite a term to include subheadings). Then click on the "Add" button to search.
In the Advanced Search mode, click on the icon to the right of the Subject Terms box and type Speech to see all terms starting with this word. Mark the terms you wish to search on and click "Paste Terms." Add a name or keyword to limit results. For non-American speeches, follow the same procedure in the "Historical Abstracts" database (also type in English in the language box)..
In the "Advanced Search" screen, type "Speech*" or "Orator*" (* = any ending on the word, such as a plural form) to find articles in core communication journals.
Click on "Thesaurus" and type in Speeches or Oratory as in Academic Search Premier, above. Database includes more communication journals than ComAbstracts.
To find political speeches: in the "Guided News Search" screen, choose "News Transcripts" in Step One and "Political Transcripts in Step Two. Then type the name of a politician to find his or her speeches or interviews.
Click on "Thesaurus" and type in Speeches or Oratory as in Academic Search Premier, above. Results are from journals and books in literature and language only.
In "General Search," type Speeches or Oratory to find articles from refereed journals from any field.
Organizations
top- Advanced Public Speaking Institute
- American Forensic Association
- Toastmasters International
Practical help for the public speaker.
Public advocacy for educators and researchers; publisher of the journal Argumentation and Advocacy.
A non-profit organization promoting public speaking and leadership skills.
Web Sites
top- American Leaders Speak, Recordings from World War I and the 1920 Election
- The American Presidency Project
- American Rhetoric
- Miller Center of Pubic Affairs, Presidential Speeches
- PresidentialRhetoric.com
- WhiteHouseTapes.org
- Ashbrook Center for Public Affairs at Ashland University
- Graduation Speeches (Yahoo)
- Nineteenth Century Documents Project
- Public Speaking in an Outspoken Age: Oratory in 19th Century America
- Avalon Project at Yale Law School
- Castro Speech Database
- History and Politics Out Loud
- Online Speech Bank
- Public Speaking Web site
- Speeches and Speechmakers
- Television News Archive
- Feminist.com
- Gifts of Speech
- Martin Luther King, Jr. Papers Project
- Not For Ourselves Alone, The Story of Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony
- Big Dog's Leadership Page
U.S. Presidents and Presidential Candidates
Recordings of brief speeches by presidents and major public figures, 1918-1920.
Includes almost 30,000 historical documents, many of them speeches.
Speech of the Week, Top 100 Speeches, and a Speech Bank.
Audio of major speeches by Presidents from Franklin Roosevelt to Barack Obama.
Links to selected current and past presidential addresses and speeches. Includes links to the Presidential debates and to other speeches from the GOP and Democratic national conventions.
From the Miller Center of Public Affairs at the University of Virginia, an audio library of Presidential tapes from 1940 to 1973. Covers both foreign and domestic affairs.
U.S. Speeches
Includes speeches from major conservative thinkers (scroll down to "Audio Archive" from the list on the lower right).
Memorable commencement addresses by both celebrities and high school seniors.
Primary texts from 19th century American history.
An archive of speeches plus an informative essay with links.
International Speeches
Includes speeches from pre-18th to 21st centuries.
Searchable collection of speeches, interviews, and other utterances by the President of Cuba. Includes the speeches from 1959-1996.
Audio of significant addresses and even telephone conversations, with historical context, mostly from 1960 to 1979.
Text, audio and/or video of over 5,000 speeches and media events (requires RealPlayer). Features speeches on the 2003 Iraq war.
Both audio (requires RealPlayer) and text versions of historic U.S. and British speeches, including links to many other sites.
An eclectic international collection.
Index to tapes of presidential press conferences and all programming of the major networks—some back to 1968. Register before using.
Speeches on Minority and Women's Issues
Speeches and articles, arranged by subject, on many women's issues. Type in "speech" and click on "search" at the top of the page.
Searchable index of speeches by about 70 important, contemporary women, worldwide.
Includes his speeches as well as other papers.
Documents and speeches from the women's suffrage movement.
Practical Issues
Presentation Skills, discussions of the voice, nonverbal communication, listening, tips and techniques for public speakers.
