Situational Editing: A Rhetorical Approach for the Technical Editor

Rhetoric is the situational use of language, in contrast to rule-following practices such as grammar and punctuation, which are programmatic. That is, the programmatic approach to communication applies essentially the same rules to all situations, whereas the rhetorical approach considers each situation individually. The rhetorical approach is necessary for technical editors because their work comprises a series of individual rhetorical decisions. This article proposes a rhetorical theory of technical editing.