Mowy „przy oddawaniu”, czyli o możliwych powinowactwach retorycznych gatunków

Dedication speeches serve to exemplify a broader problem of classifying oratory according to rhetorical modes and circumstances. A review of selected lectures on rhetoric from the 17th and 18th centuries (printed and in manuscripts) as to their treatment of dedication theory enables me to show both the practical constraints of perceiving dedications through the lens of the conventions governing printed dedications in books, and the connection of this form with the broader category of dedication speeches delivered when handing over a gift, a post, or even a bride during wedding ceremonies. The examples from the Polish oratory practice show the functioning of dedication speeches in the oral realm (when handing over an encomium during a wedding or a funeral). Moreover, in accordance with the politeness rule common in the Polish oratory, the relevant dialogues include both offering and thanking, and oratory also comes into play when thanking for a dedication.