Glossary of Linguistic Terms

Hortatory Discourse

Definition: 

Hortatory discourse is a discourse that is an attempt to persuade the addressee to fulfill commands that are given in the discourse.

Discussion: 

A hortatory discourse typically consists of

  • one or more commands that are logically related to each other, and
  • expressions offering motivation in support of the respective commands.
Examples: 
  • Guidelines for newlyweds
  • A political speech
  • Warnings to children
  • A sermon
Source: 
3, 5, 10, 39
366, 376