Stylistic Device: DICTION
Like an artist who works in watercolor, pastel, or oil, a writer works in words.
Diction is the technical term for “word choice”. There are literally thousands of
words available for a writer to use, so authors make very careful choices about
the words they include, especially poets.
Denotation and connotation: To fully understand the idea of diction, we have
to recognize the differences between two essential terms related to word choice.
Connotation = the emotional and imaginative association surrounding a word.
Denotation = the strict dictionary meaning of a word.
Think about the word home versus the word house. According to the Random
House College Dictionary, the denotation of home is “a place of residence”.
That seems pretty straight-forward: A home is a place where people live. Now
think about the connotations of the word home. What emotions and ideas do
you associate with that word? Some people might associate things like comfort,
safety, family, and warmth. These are positive associations with the word
home. Other people might have negative associations with the word home
because of unhappy experiences they had while growing up. House, a more
neutral word with fewer connotations, does not have the same emotional charge
as the word home.
The denotative meaning of a word is generally fixed and can be found in the
dictionary. Even dictionary definitions of words change very slowly over time.
However, the connotative meaning of a word is always in flux (ever-changing).
These changes can occur much more quickly than the changes in a word’s
denotative meaning. Readers do not always agree on the connotative meaning of
a word because of our unique experiences. However, all connotations can
usually be categorized as positive (+) or negative (-). In fact, words often fall
out of favor if they accrue too many negative connotations, and then a more
neutral term is created or brought into use.
Consider the changes undergone by these terms in the 20th century:
druggie, drug fiend, drug addict, substance abuser
crippled, handicapped, disabled, differently abled
delinquent, crook, perp, felon, convict, criminal
Consider the following groups of words:
House, home, abode, domicile, residence, crib, pad
Thin, slender, slim, skinny, lean, scrawny
Attractive, pretty, beautiful, handsome, fair, gorgeous, hot
Unattractive, plain, dull, ugly, hideous
Group Activity
Group 1: Thin, slim, lanky, skinny, gaunt, slender, emaciated
Group 2: Aggressive, assertive, domineering, dynamic, pushy, forceful
Group 3: Shrewd, nerdy, bright, clever, brilliant, smart, intelligent, brainy
Group 4: Gorgeous, beautiful, lovely, pretty, attractive, hot, fine