Diction
371826
215614650
2008-05-28T23:26:42Z
Bongwarrior
1879566
restored lead, removed redlinked "see also"
'''Diction''', in its original, primary meaning, refers to the writer's or the speaker's distinctive [[vocabulary]] choices and style of expression. A secondary, common meaning of "diction" is better, and 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 is divided into two types: Denotation is the literal meaning of a word. Connotation is the attitudes and feelings associated with a word.
Diction has multiple concerns; register — words being either [[formality|formal]] or [[colloquialism|informal]] in social context — is foremost. Literary diction analysis reveals how a passage establishes [[setting tone|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]], [[Grammatical conjunction|Conjunction]], [[Connective]], [[Noun]], [[Verb]], [[Inflection]], and [[Utterance]].
==See also==
*[[Orthoepeia]]
*[[Elocution]]
*[[Register (linguistics)]]
*[[Action (philosophy)]]
[[Category:Phonetics]]
[[Category:Poetry]]
[[Category:Style (fiction)]]
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