The history of rhetoric goes back to the 5th century B.C in Sicily particularly in the Greek colonies (Richards, 2008:1). There was great need for good speakers who can persuade audiences and teach them orally. The study of political discourse is hardly new. The Greco-Roman tradition of rhetoric, understood as the art of verbal persuasion, was a means of codifying the way public orators used language. In both the Greek polis and the Roman Empire, the rhetorical tradition played a central part in the training of political orators. This provided a framework for the observation of political verbal brhavior that continued for many centries (Chilton &Schaffner 206-07).
