The words used to describe robots are very familiar to our own human body (autonomy, decision, intelligence, etc.). In the meanwhile, machines seem to challenge the typical way of acting of the living organisms. Is it obvious to describe the robots within these terms? How is our conception of language reflected in our perception of robotics? We clarify this problematic by revisiting our rhetorical heritage and the bond between movement, action and language. In this sense, we aim to enlighten the rhetorical issues that occur from this relation.