Diction: word choice

Voice Diction reflects the writer’s vision and steers the reader’s thoughts creating a voice within the literature. Effective voice is shaped by words that are clear, concrete and exact. To understand voice, students must “hear” the words and “feel” their effects. Voice is like the narrator’s personality on paper.

Words Matter A coat isn’t torn; it is tattered. The U.S. Army does not want revenge; it is thirsty for revenge. A door does not shut; it thuds.

Diction depends on: Topic Purpose Occasion

TOPIC The topic determines the specificity and sophistication of diction. Jargon refers to a language specific to a profession or field of interest: Articles about computers are filled with specialized language that people interested in the topic would know and understand. Medical reports consist of medical terminology that is specific to that field of study. Lawyers use specific language that is not commonly used by others.

PURPOSE Whether to persuade, entertain or inform, diction helps to convey purpose to the audience. If the author’s purpose is to inform, the reader should expect straightforward diction. If the writer’s purpose is to entertain, the reader will likely encounter words used in ironic, playful or unexpected ways. Persuasive language will be used to urge the reader to do something or think one way.

OCCASION Think of words like clothing. As with clothes, level of formality influences appropriate choices in attire. Formal diction is largely reserved for scholarly writing and serious prose or poetry like The Iliad and The Odyssey. Informal diction is the norm in expository essays, newspaper editorials, and works of fiction. Colloquial diction and slang borrow from informal speech and are typically used to create a mood or capture a particular historic or regional dialect (Appalachian Mountain: hillbilly)

Word Meaning Denotation: the dictionary definition of a word. Connotation: the implied or suggested meaning of a word. When a writer calls a character slender, the word evokes a different feeling from calling the character gaunt. Slender – small or narrow in circumference Gaunt – excessively thin or angular What’s the implication? Denotation is different from connotation. EXAMPLE: Thick vs. fat

In literature: Art is the antidote that can call us back from the edge of numbness, restoring the ability to feel for one another. – Barbara Kingsolver Antidote – a remedy to counteract the effects of poison. What is implied about the inability to feel for one another? If antidote was changed to gift, what effect would the change have on the meaning of the sentence?

In literature: The man sighed hugely. – E. Annie Proulx What does it mean to sigh hugely? How would the meaning of the sentence change if we rewrote it as: The man sighed loudly?

You try: The man coughed ______________. Your adverb should make the cough express an attitude. Do not state the attitude, imply it through the adverb.