DICTION
AP Lexicon, Lecture 1
Diction



Word choice
Diction can refer to
specific word choices
or the general
character of language
chosen by the author
Three areas to consider
1.
2.
3.
Appearance
Sound
Meaning
Semantics

The branch of linguistics
that studies the meaning
of words, their historical
and psychological
development, their
connotations, and their
relation to one another.
A Quick Activity…
Draw the first thing you think of when I say…
Single
Liberty
Summer
Monday
Denotation vs. Connotation
Denotation


The strict, literal,
dictionary definition of
a word, devoid of any
emotion, attitude, or
color.
Monday:–noun the
second day of the
week, following
Sunday.
Connotation



The non-literal, associative
meaning of a word; the
implied, suggested meaning.
Connotations may involve
ideas, emotions, or attitudes.
Monday: the beginning of the
work week or school week,
often negatively associated
with stress, lack of sleep,
overwhelming responsibilities, a
loss of freedom, etc.
More on connotations:



The room was so small, everyone felt ________.
cramped
cozy
liberators
invaders entered the city quickly and without
The _________
incident.
dwelling
home
She excitedly showed us around her _________.
Sound of Words
Euphonious

Pleasant sounding
words
Long vowels are better
than short vowels
 “Liquid” consonants: l,
m, n, r
 Soft consonants: v, f, th,
wh, sh, w, y

Cacophonous

Harsh sounding words
Short vowels rather than
long vowels
 “Plosive” consonants: b,
d, g, k, p, t
 More challenging to say
 Flow is broken up by
harsher sounding letters

Sound of Words
Euphonious
Cacophonous
Upon Julia’s Voice
Robert Herrick
From Dulce et Decorum Est
Wilfred Owen
So smooth, so sweet, so silvery is
thy voice,
As, could they hear, the Damned
would make no noise,
But listen to thee (walking in thy
chamber)
Melting melodious words to Lutes
of Amber.
Bent double, like old beggars
under sacks,
Knock-kneed, coughing like hags,
we cursed through sludge,
Till on the haunting flares we
turned our backs
And towards our distant rest
began to trudge.
Monosyllabic vs. Polysyllabic
Monosyllabic


Words are one
syllable in length
Often creates a sense
of urgency or
simplicity
Polysyllabic


Words are more than
one syllable in length
Often creates a sense
of complexity or a
more erudite effect
Monosyllabic vs. Polysyllabic
Monosyllabic

“I did not want to see
the bank. There were
shots when I ran and
shots when I came up the
first time. I heard them
when I was almost
above water. There
were no shots now”
(Hemingway 225).
Polysyllabic

“All about stretched drying
cornfields, of the pale-gold
colour, I remembered so
well… Along the cattle-paths
the plumes of goldenrod were
already fading into sunwarmed velvet, grey with
gold threads in it. I had
escaped from the curious
depression that hangs over
little towns, and my mind was
full of pleasant things”
(Cather 287).
Informal vs. Formal
Informal



Conversational; often
appropriate for
conversations but not
professional or academic
documents.
Plain language of
everyday use, including
slang, jargon, vulgarity,
and dialect.
Monosyllabic.
“I just gotta get my stuff.”
Formal




Professional, educated,
and academic language
Dignified, elevated, and
perhaps impersonal.
Elaborate, or
sophisticated vocabulary.
Polysyllabic
“I just need to gather my
belongings.”
Informal vs. Formal
Informal

“It's funny
how people
and
bookstores
sell used
books on
Alibris.com
and
Amazon.com”
(Peter).
Formal

“But a great book, rich
in ideas and beauty, a
book that raises and
tries to answer great
fundamental questions,
demands the most active
reading of which you
are capable” (Adler).
Colloquialism



The use of slang or informalities in
speech or writing. Not generally
acceptable for formal writing,
colloquialisms give a work a
conversational, familiar tone.
Colloquial expressions in writing
include local or regional dialects.
Often considered a subset of
informal diction
Dialect

Language spoken by
people in a region or
group
“I’d made up my mine
‘bout what I’s a-gwyne
to do… So I says, a
raff is what I’s arter; it
doan’ make no track”
(Twain 44).
Jargon


The special language of a
profession or group.
Often has pejorative
associations
 evasive,
tedious, and
unintelligible to outsiders.

Ex: Lawyers, doctors, literary
critics
Objective vs. Subjective
Objective


Impersonal and unemotional
“The pursuit of happiness is
enshrined in the Declaration
of Independence as a right of
all Americans, as well as on
the self-improvement shelves
of every American bookstore.
Yet the scientific evidence
makes it seem unlikely that
you can change your level of
happiness in any sustainable
way” (Seligman xi-xii).
Subjective


Personal and emotional
language
“I was something that lay
under the sun and felt it, like
the pumpkins, and I did not
want to be anything more. I
was entirely happy… At any
rate, that is happiness; to be
dissolved into something
complete and great” (Cather
21).
Concrete vs. Abstract
Concrete

Tangible and specific
language
Abstract

Conceptual and
philosophical
language
“Abstract words such a glory, honor, courage, or
hallow were obscene beside the concrete names of
villages, the umbers of roads, the names of rivers, the
numbers of regiments and dates” (Hemingway 185).
Literal vs. Figurative
Literal

Straight-forward language
without embellishment
From The Man He Killed
Thomas Hardy
But ranged as infantry
And staring face to face,
I shot at him and he at me,
And killed him in his place.
Figurative

Features literary devices, like
hyperboles or metaphors
From Dulce et Decorum Est
Wilfred Owen
Bent double, like old
beggars under sacks,
Knock-kneed, coughing like
hags…
Words to describe diction…












Pedantic
Cultured
Learned
Pretentious
Archaic
Scholarly
Pedantic
Ornate
Elegant
Flowery
Didactic
Elevated









Pedestrian
Unadorned
Plain
Detached
Simple
Homespun
Colloquial
Invective
Pejorative











Cliché
Abrupt

Terse

Laconic

Vulgar

Slang

Jargon
Exact

Journalistic

Straightforward
Metaphoric
Poetic
Lyrical
Symbolic
Obscure
Sensuous
Grotesque
Picturesque