Debate Terms and Definitions

Adapted by Dr. Barbara Lowe from Building a Successful Speech and Debate Team: A Guide for the Novice Coach by Brenda Moe. Published by the National Forensic League and posted on the National Forensic League website.

Forensics – Refers to competitive speech and debate and public speaking (not dead bodies!) Also abbreviated as “4n6”.

Ethics – rules or standards that govern conduct

Common Speech & Debate Abbreviations:

• NSDA – National Speech and Debate Association
• NFL – National Forensic League (former name of NSDA; still used as part of the name NSDA)PF - Public Forum debate (2 vs. 2); the resolution changes monthly
• LD – Lincoln-Douglas debate (1 vs. 1); the resolution changes bi-monthly
• CX – Policy debate (2 vs. 2); the same resolution is debated the entire year
• AFF (Pro) – the affirmative team
• NEG (Con) – the negative team
• V – Lincoln-Douglas value
• C – Lincoln-Douglas criterion
• X – Cross Examination

Terms related to competitors:

• Varsity – a seasoned and experienced competitor (used at tournaments)
• Novice – a competitor in their first year of competition (used at tournaments) or a division in a tournament involving only first year competitors
• PF debater – student who debates with a partner in Public Forum debate
• LD debater – student who debates in Lincoln-Douglas debate
• Policy debater – student who debates with a partner in Policy debate
• IE – student who competes in one or more individual events

Terms related to the structure of a debate:

• Resolution - the proposition or subject offered to debate
• Spirit of the Resolution – refers to the reasonable interpretation and limits of the resolution
• Topicality – the argument presented is pertinent to the resolution in spirit or literally, it is topical
• Status Quo – the current state of affairs, the present system
• Affirmative – arguing in favor of the resolution
• Negative – the side that opposes the resolution
• Value – a concept, standard, or ideal that makes a judgment; used in LD debate
• Criterion – standards, rules, or tests on which a decision or judgment is based, the basis for establishing or evaluating policy; used in LD debate
• Constructive Speech – the first speech given by each debater (both sides) in a round; used to build a case
• Contention – a debate case is organized into contentions (claims made for or against the resolution) usually stated in one declarative sentence
• Cross Examination – questioning period
• Refutation – directly attacking the opposing debater/s’ arguments
• Rebuttal speech – rebuilds arguments after attacks, refutes arguments of the opposing team, and summarizes the debate
• Voting Issues – the key points in a debate that are crucial to the outcome, reasons why the judge should give the decision to a team

Terms related to the logistics of a debate:

• Flowing or Flowsheet – note taking during a debate; accurately recording the principle arguments and rebuttals
• Timer – NSDA rules state that you must use a hand timer (NOT a cell phone) to time your speeches.
• Time Signals – Hand signals showing how much time you have left (very few tournaments have timers to give hand signals)
• Lay Judges – judges who are unfamiliar with debate theory; your average person off the street
• Judging Paradigms – an experienced judge’s educational philosophy, the model or view that guides their decision - what they deem important in a round and what they do not want to see or hear
• Ballot – The piece of paper on which judges write comments, rankings, and the decision of the round

Terms related to the structure of a tournament:

• Open rounds – specifying that all levels of experience will be competing with each other in a tournament, a division
• Closed rounds – novices will compete against novices; varsity will compete against varsity
• Round(s) – a complete debate (at tournaments you have a minimum of 4 preliminary rounds)
• BYE – a round in which you don't compete; usually because there are an uneven number of teams/debaters.
• Power Matching – teams with equal records debate each other in order to determine which teams advance
• Cross Entered – entered in more than one event in a flight
• (to) Break – to advance to the next round after preliminary or subsequent rounds (as in "We broke to semis!")
• Octo-Finals – Elimination rounds comprised of the top 16 debate teams/16 debaters
• Quarter-Finals – Elimination rounds comprised of the top 8 debate teams/debaters
• Semi-Finals – Elimination rounds consisting of the top four debate teams/debaters; usually the top 12 competitors in IE’s
• Finals – an elimination round involving the top two teams/debaters in debate; usually the top six competitors in IE’s
• One clap rule – As each finalist is announced at the awards ceremony, the audience claps once for 6th - 2nd place and stands and claps for the 1st place winner.

Fallacies in logic:

• Ad hominem fallacy – attacking a person rather than the argument
• Ad populum fallacy – claiming that something is true because of popular belief