Rhetorical Devices in the Contemporary Orthodox Sermon: Case Study of Patriarch Kirill in His Own Words

Today, religion and communication as aspects of public life are becoming more and more closely linked. While the contemporary sermon is developing as an independent speech genre within the framework of religious discourse, it does not only acquire attention and interest of believers but also becomes the object of research. This paper focuses on the main rhetorical devices and linguistic and structural mechanisms used for their implementation in modern sermons. The study is based on the book Patriarch Kirill in His Own Words by His Holiness Patriarch Kirill. The main features of the patriarch's style are considered at the semantic, cognitive and pragmatic levels. The rhetorical devices–logical, dialogical and those of repetition–are identified in the texts of the sermons and analyzed from the point of view of their essence and persuasive efficiency. © 2019, © 2019 Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.