Speak Like A Debater 101 (The Complete Dummies Guide to Debate Lingo) Part 2
When you first dip your toes into the debating circuit, (other than the complex economics and IR motions), I’m quite sure the next bizarre thing will be the lingo used by your fellow debaters. From comparatives to burdens to houses, you probably felt like you stepped into a fast-paced, more aggressive universe where people just don’t speak English and they don’t give a speech, they rap.
To be frank that is partly through but it’s only a matter of time before you become one of us.
When I first started debating, I wished there was a debaters dictionary where I could easily refer to and pretend that I knew what everyone else was spouting in their speeches, because let’s face it, you just sound like you know what you’re saying when you just throw in a slang or two.
Here at WOLCE, we provide you with the panacea to all your debate lingo problems –
Speak Like A Debater 101 (The Complete Dummies Guide to Debate Lingo).
In a Debate Round
Motion: The topic of the debate or statement that will be debated over. E.g. “This house believes smoking should be banned”
This House (TH): A phrase used in motions, it is a fancy way of saying that “we” in a debate.
Proposition/Government/Affirmative/Aff/Positive: The team that argues for the motion.
Opposition/Opp/Negative: The team that argues against the motion.
Prep Time: The time allocated for teams to discuss about the motion within their team and prepare their speeches
E.g. Usually 30mins in AP, and 15mins in BP
Case File: A collection of past cases or prepared cases for debates.
Fact File: a collection of news, facts or any useful material that can be used in prep time.
Motion Abbreviations
THW: This house would…
THBT: This house believes that…
THR: This house regrets…
THP: This house prefers…
In a Debate Speech
Burden: The responsibility to prove something in a debate.
E.g. a team could have the burden to prove that smoking is bad so it deserves to be banned
Model: The set of mechanisms or policies as well as definitions proposed by a team to materialize outcomes according to the motion. (used by the government team)
Counter-Model: A model proposed by a team on the opposition.
Counterproposal: An alternative proposal made by a team on the opposition
Squirrel: An unreasonable attempt by the affirmative team to restrict a motion, or change it’s definition from the ‘spirit’ or intended meaning of the motion.
Analysis: The logical explanation and reasons that support a main argument.
Substantive: New arguments and analysis for a case.
Rebuttal: The response, refutation or counter-argument to the opposite teams argument/ substantive/ analysis etc.
Status Quo: the current state of affairs
Roles in a Debate
Adjudicator/Judge: The judge of a debate
Chief Adjudicator (CA): The person in charge of selecting judges in a tournament, ranking judges and coming up with motions.
Panel: A Panel is a set of multiple adjudicators who collectively judge your debate
Chair: The head adjudicator in a debate, who will host the debate, maybe timekeep and have more influence over the verdict and will usually give the OA.
Oral Adjudication (OA): The oral feedback on a short summary of the round explaining the verdict, usually given by the chair of the round.
Speaker: a debater
Composite Team: A team including speakers not from the same university/school.
Convenor: The person responsible for organizing a debating competition.
Tabmaster: The individual responsible for creating and maintaining the tab and draw throughout and after the competition.
Equity Officer: The person in charge of ensuring equity is maintained in a tourney by drafting out the equity rules, receiving equity complaints and dealing with them.
Debate Formats
Reply speech: A speech that summarizes and gives a biased adjudication of the debate by the first or second speakers in the Asian Parliamentary or 3v3 format.
3v3: A debating format where two teams of three will debate. Impromptu motions usually have a 30mins prep time, with alternating speakers giving their speeches.
British parliamentary (BP): A debating format where four teams of two will debate. Two on each side of the house, with opening and closing houses. The Prep time is typically 15mins.
Point of Information (POI) : A short question or rebuttal asked to the speaker on the opposite side.
Protected Time: The duration of a speech where POIs are not allowed to be given.
Unprotected Time: The duration of a speech where POIs are allowed to be given.
OG/OO/CG/CO: The four houses within a BP debate. Opening government, Opening opposition, Closing Government and Closing opposition. They are all separate teams working to prove their own case and disprove the other three teams' cases.
Extension: New material brought in by the closing half of a BP debate.
Knife: When a closing team contradicts something the opening team on the same side said.
I.e. CO knifing OO would look like OO supporting something, and CO claiming that that idea wouldn’t work and giving their own idea and explaining how their idea is much better.
Popular Tournaments
Worlds/WUDC: The annual World's Universities Debating Championship (BP Format)
Australs: The Australasian Intervarsity Debating Championships for universities in Australia and Asia (Australs Format)
Easters: The Australian Intervarsity Debating Championships. A novice tournament held annually in Australia.
ABP/ Asians British Parliamentary Debate Championships/ Asians: An annual BP debate tournament for universities across Asia.
UADC/ The United Asian Debating Championship: An annual AP 3v3 debating tournament for teams from universities in Asia. It is the largest inter-varsity Parliamentary Debate tournament in Asia.
Euros: The European Universities Debating Championship (EUDC).
WSDC/ World Schools Debating Championship: An annual worldwide high school debate tournament, it uses its own unique WSDC format.
In a Debate Tournament
Tourney: Short for tournament
IV: Intervarsity is a tourney involving only teams from universities.
Open: A tourney which allows composite teams along with university teams.
Tab: The ranking of speakers, teams and judges in a competition.It also showcases the winners for each round as well as the motions. Used to judge the break.
Bin Room: A low-ranked room where debates are often messy and poorly adjudicated.
Break: To reach the final rounds of a competition where the tournament transitions to an elimination style.
Outround: Any knockout round after the break in which only the teams that break take part.
Break/Bubble Room: A room in the final round of the first stage where teams could potentially break
Closed/Secret round: A round where the result of the adjudication is kept secret from teams to build suspense. Typically the last round before breaks are announced.
Draw: The announcement of team positions, judges and the motion before a debate.
Pull Up: To be put in a room with teams on higher team points than you.
Swing Team: A reserve team put into the competition to ensure all teams get to debate in a round where the number of teams are not even.
EFL: English as a Foreign Language. A category for speakers at Worlds.
ESL: English as a Second Language. A category for speakers at Worlds, Euros and some IVs or Opens.
EPL: English as a Primary Language.
IONA circuit: Islands of the North Atlantic (used to refer collectively to the debating scene in the UK and Ireland)