The Rhetoric Of Banking In Ghana: A Content Analysis Of Communication Strategies Of Loan Agreement Forms

Abstract

Rhetoric of banking is vital for maintaining effective and fruitful relationships with stakeholders. Even though there are several studies on the rhetoric of banking, there has yet to be a known study on the rhetoric of loan agreements. The present study explored banking rhetoric within the context of loan agreement forms. I purposely sampled five loan agreement forms from five banks in Ghana. Using Aristotle’s theory of rhetoric and Spinuzzi's genre ecology, I analysed the content of the loan agreement forms to discover the rhetorical strategies and ethical appeals embedded in the artefacts. I found that the loan agreement forms employed rhetorical strategies such as syllogism, indemnification, discretionary clauses, and conditional statements to communicate effectively with borrowers. Also, the study revealed that ethical appeals such as certification, authoritative statements, legal basis, and Appeal to warranty were employed in the loan agreement forms to convey the credibility of banks to borrowers. Moreover, I found from the views of twentyfive participants that loan agreement forms are ineffective in rhetorical appeal because of their linguistic complexity, text-centred variables and slang/jargon. I recommend that banks consider revising the writing style and restrictive clauses of their loan agreements to make them effective in rhetorical appeals and inclusive of the rights of the borrowers.