Editing Public speaking (section)

=== India ===
{{See also|Ancient Indian rhetoric}}
The literature of [[Ancient India]] is richly endowed with contributions to the development of a ''sui generis'' theory of rhetoric.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Gangal |first1=Anjali |last2=Hosterman |first2=Craig |date=1982 |title=Toward an examination of the rhetoric of ancient India |url=http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/10417948209372534 |journal=Southern Speech Communication Journal |language=en |volume=47 |issue=3 |pages=277–291 |doi=10.1080/10417948209372534 |issn=0361-8269}}</ref> In ancient India, around [[7th century BC|700 BCE]], public debates by Indian rhetors on the topic of religion were a popular form of entertainment.<ref name=":03">{{Cite book |last=Kennedy |first=George A. |title=Comparative Rhetoric: An Historical and Cross-Cultural Introduction |publisher=Oxford University Press |year=1998 |isbn=0195109333 |location=New York |pages=171–190}}</ref> The [[Vedic chant|Vedic hymns]], composed over three millennia ago, demonstrate a refined sense of rhetoric possessed by the intellectual stratum of the society, as seen in their effective employment of similes.<ref name=":03" />

[[Ramayana|The Ramayana]] and [[Mahabharata|the Mahabharata]], India's iconic epics, provide valuable insights into the country's ancient rhetorical traditions, featuring numerous speeches and debates that employ sophisticated systems of categorization.<ref name=":03" /> [[Upanishads|The Upanishads]], a seminal work of Vedic philosophical dialogues, exhibit a thoughtful approach to categorizing technical terms, underscoring the value of clear classification.<ref name=":03" /> The famed [[Hindus|Hindu]] discourse known as the [[Bhagavad Gita]] (in the Mahabharata) serves as a classic example of [[deliberative rhetoric]].<ref>{{Cite book |last=Sloane |first=Thomas O. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=eslMAgAAQBAJ&dq=Sloane,%20Thomas%20O.%20(&pg=PA385 |title=Encyclopedia of Rhetoric |date=2001 |publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=978-0-19-512595-5 |pages=385 |language=en}}</ref>

The [[Buddhist philosophy|Buddhist tradition of India]] places emphasis on the value of engaging in calm and humorous discourse.<ref name=":03" />