The basic issues of the "new" rhetoric include (1) the ways in which contemporary rhetoric is "new", (2) some of the problems facing contemporary rhetoric, and (3) the relation of rhetoric to the teaching of English. Two factors contributing to the concept of a "new" discipline are a revival of interest in classical rhetoric and the development of new approaches to rhetoric based on information from related disciplines. Basic among the current problems is the tendency to confuse the rhetoric that is a theoretical study of discourse (including subjects like logic, semantics, linguistics, and psychology) with the rhetoric that is a summary of precepts about writing and speaking. A teaching rhetoric should differ from either of these in that it must attempt to describe the choices available to a writer, explain the effects of the different choices, and, at the same time, be comprehensive enough to take account of all aspects of composition. More emphasis on rehtoric is needed in the training of teachers at all levels. (LH)