1. Ausley – AP Language & Composition
Analyzing…. diction

2. On a very basic level, diction is an author’s/writer’s word choice
What **is** diction?
On a very basic level, diction is an author’s/writer’s word choice
…and impacts the style of speaking by the author/writer
Separates good writing from bad writing

3. What **is** diction?
Diction is the most powerful element of style for you to understand.
Many words in our language have strong connotations, and authors use words intentionally to elicit certain emotional, mental, or physiological responses from the reader.

4. Understanding diction
We need to understand denotation and connotation
First, consider these two images…

5. denotation
Denotation: the literal dictionary definition of a word. EX: “plump” and “obese” are both synonyms that mean “fat” You would never describe that cute little baby as “obese”… why?

6. connotation
Connotation is the implied or suggested meaning attached to a word, or the emotional “tag” that accompanies a word. EX: “plump” has the connotation of being cutely round, more often used to describe women – it is this usage that adds the emotional tag. “Obese” has a more technical, medical connotation. It carries a more scientific (i.e., less emotional) tag.

7. Connotation
Connotative Diction EX: The boy surveyed the class, congratulating himself for snatching the highest grade on the test.
In this sentence, “surveyed” and “snatching” are the words with the strongest connotative meanings.

8. Identifying connotation
Once you identify an author’s diction, you must analyze it. This means that you write commentary about it. You must discuss the connotation of the word or phrase.
WORD
CONNOTATION
“surveyed”
conveys the idea of someone looking around as if he were gazing on lesser beings

9. Practicing connotation
Now it’s your turn! Complete the connotation for the word “snatched”…
WORD
CONNOTATION
“snatching”

10. Diction in Essay Writing
Diction analysis is useful in essays that require you to:
Analyze an author’s style
Analyze an author’s attitude (tone)
Analyze the author’s diction (specifically)

11. Examples of diction in literature
Formality “Heard melodies are sweet, but those unheard Are sweeter: therefore, ye soft pipes, play on” … “Ah, happy, happy boughs! that cannot shed Your leaves, nor ever bid the spring adieu.” John Keats, “Ode to a Grecian Urn” – note the formal “ye” instead of “you” formality and “adieu” instead of “goodbye” because of the respect the urn inspires in Keats

12. Examples of diction in literature
Colloquialism “Busy old fool, unruly Sun, Why dost thou thus, Through windows, and through curtains, call on us? Must to thy motions lovers’ seasons run? Saucy pedantic wretch…” John Donne’s “The Rising Son” – the poet is irritated that the sun has shone through the curtains and interrupted he and his beloved, and he refers to the sun as a (human) “saucy pedantic wretch”

13. Examples of diction in literature
Tone and Atmosphere “And the trees all died. They were orange trees. I don’t know why they died, they just died. Something wrong with the soil possibly or maybe the stuff we got from the nursery wasn’t the best. We complained about it. So we’ve got thirty kids there, each kid had his or her own little tree to plant and we’ve got these thirty dead trees. All these kids looking at these little brown sticks, it was depressing.” “The School” by Donald Barthleme – notice the use of “died,” “dead,” “brown sticks,” and “depressing” that lend a gloomy tone to the piece

14. Examples of diction in literature
Artistic Effect “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair.” Charles Dickens, “A Tale of Two Cities” – repeating “It/it was…” throughout the passage gives the reader an indication of the age/period in the novel

15. Diction & your audience
Diction can be the choice of appropriate language for your audience:
technical (computer manual)
formal (application letter to a college)
informal (a personal experience story)
familiar (a letter to your best friend)

16. Diction in APL&C
Diction can also be the specific choice of words for their meaning or for their connotation (associations and emotional overtones that have become attached to a word).
Connotation is different for different people.
EX: A cat is not simply a cat to everyone. An author’s specific word choice -- a “ferocious feline” or a “fuzzy furball” -- influences the reader and creates tone.

17. Types of diction
Slang = informal, substandard language which most of us use regularly
Dialect & Colloquialism = words and pronunciation of a certain place or group of people (i.e., the drawl of Southerners, a mountain dialect, etc.)
Jargon = language which is appropriate for particular groups (i.e., computer jargon, medical jargon, sports jargon)

18. Good diction is… effective
Think of a menu from a fancy restaurant:
“Juicy rib-eye, charbroiled with a hint of mesquite and garlic”
“Creamy, garlic mashed potatoes with a luscious dollop of butter, cheese, sour cream and, bacon”
Makes you hungry right?! Or those late-night fast food commercials that make your mouth water.
Good grammar is sexy… good diction is effective!

19. Verbs in diction
Although many diction words are adjectives, don’t neglect to recognize verbs that function as diction. The choice of specific, appropriate verbs is very important in writing.
The use of specific rather than broad words can influence the effectiveness of the work.

20. Think of verbs on an intensity scale:
Verb intensity
Think of verbs on an intensity scale:
1: nodding off
2: snoozefest
3: drooling slumber
Rate these…
ask, cut, grab, laugh, cry

21. Look for these things when analyzing diction:
l.e.a.d.
Look for these things when analyzing diction:
L: low or informal diction (slang, jargon…)
E: elevated language or formal diction
A: abstract or concrete diction
D: denotation or connotation

22. Let’s try this…
Watch these videos from Shmoop’s Diction & Syntax YouTube channel:
The passages in the videos have been provided to you in a handout. Take a moment to read it.
Answer the quiz questions in the video.