A DISCUSSION OF DICTION

WORDS, WORDS, WORDS

• DEPENDS ON SITUATION AND GENRE

GENERAL vs. SPECIFIC WORDS

• THE LADDER OF ABSTRACTION• LEVEL 1 – SPECIFIC, IDENTIFIABLE

NOUNS – AFRICAN VIOLET• LEVEL 2 – NOUN CATEGORIES, MORE

DEFINITE GROUPS – TEENAGERS• LEVEL 3 – NOUN CLASSES – PEOPLE• LEVEL 4 – ABSTRACT NOUNS - LOVE

FORMAL vs. INFORMAL• CONTRACTIONS

LATINATE vs. ANGLO-SAXON

• MAGNANIMOUS• KIND

COMMON TERMS vs. SLANG OR JARGON OR

TECHNICAL TERMS• SLANG• JARGON• DOUBLESPEAK• TECHNICAL

DENOTATION vs. CONNOTATION

• DENOTATION• CONNOTATION

FIGURES OF SPEECH: SCHEMES

• SCHEME – WORD ORDER, SOUND, LETTERS, SYNTAX

SCHEMES• JUXTAPOSITION

FIGURES OF SPEECH: TROPES

• SIMILE• METAPHOR• SYNECDOCHE• METONYMY• PERSONIFICATION

TROPES INVOLVING WORD PLAY

• ONOMATOPOEIA• PERIPHRASIS• ANTHIMERIA

TROPES INVOLVING UNDERSTATEMENT OR

OVERSTATEMENT• HYPERBOLE• LITOTE• INFLATED

TROPES INVOLVING MANAGEMENT OF

MEANING• IRONY• OXYMORON• RHETORICAL QUESTION

Euphemism and Other Diction Euphemism and Other Diction issues – a general overview of issues – a general overview of

the power of words!the power of words!

Our changing language• Webster’s dictionary

200 years ago – 40,600 entries

• 1961 – 450,000 entries• College dictionary –

160,000• Estimated words in

English ½ -1 million • 15,000 – 50,000 active

words; 100,000 passive words

Our changing language

• What does “whatever” mean?

Things to consider…• Words from words• Robot—Fembot• Roots • Fer – to carry, bring,

bear• Confer, transfer,

refer….• Root creation • SPAM

• Acronyms• NASA• Committee to Re-

Elect the President• New Words• Chilax• Muffin top• geobragging

Know What I’m sayin’?• ‘’slanguistic sensei”• - izzle• Shortened

words/abbreviations• Euphemisms• “Awash in Euphemisms”

article discussion• Lexicowards…• http://www.huffingtonpost.

com/sophia-a-mcclennen/stephen-colbert-christmas_b_1161217.html

Things to consider…• Calvin: I like to verb words.Hobbes: What?Calvin: I take nouns and adjectives and use them as verbs. Remember when "access" was a thing? Now it's something you do. It got verbed. . . . Verbing weirds language.Hobbes: Maybe we can eventually make language a complete impediment to understanding.

• Google noun and google verb

NEOLOGISMSAmerican Dialect Society

• 2000 – Chad• 2001 – 9/11• 2002 – WMD• 2003 – Metrosexual• 2004 – Red State• 2005 – Truthiness• 2006 – Plutoed• 2007 – Subprime• 2008 – Bailout• 2009 – Web 2.0• 2010 - Gaterape

NEWSPEAK• Three Levels of Vocabulary• A – Simple• C – Technical, scientific• B – Constructed to impose a

desirable mental attitude; compound words

EPONYM• Jezebel• Judas• Don Juan; Casanova• Cardigan• Cashmere• Malapropism• "We cannot let terrorists and

rogue nations hold this nation hostile or hold our allies hostile."

• Morphine• Watergate - gate

Nonwords• Gobbledygook• Doohickey• Thingamabob• Gazillion• Gynormous

EXPRESSION ETYMOLOGY

• Bawl Out• Hightail It• Fork Over• Cliché• Cock and Bull• Sidekick

• Stool Pigeon• Let the cat out of

the bag• Have a Screw

Loose• Jaywalker