The thesis examines public speaking from the rhetorical and speech-segmentation perspectives, analysing the speeches of the former and current Presidents of the Republic of Slovenia. With the presentation of rhetoric and the importance of its skills in public speaking as well as the influence of meaningful speech segmentation and speech rate on the evaluation of a political speaker and their public appearances, the theoretical part places the central topic in the field of researching rhetorical and textual-phonetic parameters and their influence on speech and performance. In the practical part, two recordings of the public speeches by the Presidents of the country at the public celebrations on Reformation Day and on Independence and Unity Day are analysed using the computer program Praat. The thesis focuses on the analysis of both speeches from the rhetorical and textual-phonetic perspectives. Among the parameters of the latter, it focuses on the measurements of vowels in cases of pronunciation stops and on the speed of speech and articulation. It discusses the variation in rhetorical skills and parameter values in public, read speeches by the highest political representatives of the state, and the impact of these elements on their ability to persuade or dissuade listeners that they are right.
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