Diction

Diction (Latin: dictionem (nom. dictio) "a saying, expression, word"),^[1] in its original, primary meaning, refers to the writer's or the speaker's distinctive vocabulary choices and style of expression in a poem or story.^[2] A secondary, common meaning of "diction" is more precisely expressed with the word enunciation—the art of speaking clearly so that each word is clearly heard and understood to its fullest complexity and extremity. This secondary sense concerns pronunciation and tone, rather than word choice and style.

Diction has multiple concerns; register—words being either formal or informal in social context—is foremost. Literary diction analysis reveals how a passage establishes tone and characterization, e.g. a preponderance of verbs relating physical movement suggests an active character, while a preponderance of verbs relating states of mind portrays an introspective character. Diction also has an impact upon word choice and syntax.

Diction comprises eight elements: Phoneme, Syllable, Conjunction, Connective, Noun, Verb, Inflection, and Utterance.

In Literature

Diction is understood to be the distinctive magic tone or tenor of an author’s writings that becomes immediately synonymous with his/ her name. Diction is usually judged with reference to the prevailing standards of proper writing and speech and is seen as the mark of quality of the writing. It is also understood as the selection of certain words or phrases that become peculiar to a writer. Example: Certain writers in the modern day and age use archaic terms such as ‘thy’, ‘thee’ and ‘wherefore’ to imbue a Shakespearean mood to their work.

References

http://literary-devices.com/content/diction

1. ^ Diction, Online Etymology Dictionary
2. ^ http://www.merriam-webster.com/netdict/diction

See also

• Orthoepeia
• Elocution
• Register (linguistics)
• Action (philosophy)
• Greetings
• Description

This phonetics article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.v · Categories: Phonetics Poetics Style (fiction) Descriptive technique Phonetics stubs Wikimedia Foundation. 2010. Игры ⚽ Поможем решить контрольную работу Synonyms: Style, phraseology, language, expression, mode or manner of expression, turn of expression, form of expression / Choice of words, words employed, vocabulary Middle Peninsula Marc Hall v. Durham Catholic School Board Look at other dictionaries: diction — [ diksjɔ̃ ] n. f. • XIIe « expression »; lat. dictio 1 ♦ Vx Manière de dire, quant au choix et à l agencement des mots. ⇒ style. 2 ♦ (1549) Mod. Manière de dire, de débiter un discours, des vers, etc. ⇒ 1. débit, élocution. Professeur de diction …   Encyclopédie Universelle Diction — Dic tion, n. [L. dicto a saying, a word, fr. dicere, dictum, to say; akin to dicare to proclaim, and to E. teach, token: cf. F. diction. See {Teach}, and cf. {Benison}, {Dedicate}, {Index}, {Judge}, {Preach}, {Vengeance}.] Choice of words for the …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English Diction — Diction, Stil, Sprache, Schreibart. Der Ausdruck wird meist von rhythmischen Dichtungen gebraucht und es heißt z. B.: In diesem Trauerspiele ist eine schöne, glänzende, oder eine schwülstige, unbeholfene Diction. – Bei der großen Ausbildung,… …   Damen Conversations Lexikon diction — Diction. s. f. v. Elocution, choix des mots dont on compose un discours. Diction elegante. diction pure &c. Quelques uns s en servent aussi pour signifier Mot, terme particulier. Mais en ce sens son plus grand usage est dans le dogmatique. Cette… …   Dictionnaire de l'Académie française diction — DICTION. s. f. Élocution. La partie du style qui regarde le choix des paroles. Diction élégante. Diction pure. Diction vicieuse …   Dictionnaire de l'Académie Française 1798 Dictĭon — (v. lat.), Sprach , Schreibart …   Pierer's Universal-Lexikon Diction — Diction, lat., Ausdrucksweise, Schreibart …   Herders Conversations-Lexikon diction — index parlance, phraseology, rhetoric (skilled speech), speech Burton s Legal Thesaurus. William C. Burton. 2006 …   Law dictionary diction — 1540s, a word; 1580s, expression of ideas in words, from L.L. dictionem (nom. dictio) a saying, expression, word, from dic , pp. stem of L. dicere speak, tell, say, related to dicare proclaim, dedicate, from PIE root *deik to point out (Cf. Skt.… …   Etymology dictionary diction — *language, vocabulary, phraseology, phrasing, style Analogous words: speech, tongue, idiom, *language: enunciation, pronunciation, articulation (see corresponding verbs at ARTICULATE) …   New Dictionary of Synonyms 18+ © Academic, 2000-2024 Contact us: Technical Support, Advertising Dictionaries export, created on PHP, Joomla, Drupal, WordPress, MODx. Mark and share Search through all dictionaries Translate… Search Internet Share the article and excerpts Direct link … Do a right-click on the link above and select “Copy Link”