Diction

• Word choice, general character of the language used by the author

– Appearance

• “The Mechanical Hound slept but did not sleep…” (Bradbury 24)

– Sound

• “We-we’ll do our-we-we’ll d-d-do-do our best General” (Crane 43)

– Meaning• “‘Monsieur,’ he answered, ‘for you I shall be merely Captain Nemo…’”

(Verne 70)• Nemo translates to “Nobody” or “No one” in Latin

Monosyllabic vs. Polysyllabic

• One syllable vs. multi syllable

The limb is worn smooth by men who have sat it

But Lennie made an elaborate pantomime of innocence.

Euphonious vs. cacophonous

• Pleasant sounding vs. harsh sounding

• “On one side of the river the golden foothill slopes curve up to the strong and rocky Gabilan mountains…” (Steinbeck 1)

Literal vs. Figurative

• “George lay back ion the sand and crossed his hands under his head…” (Steinbeck 6)

• “Only the tops of the Bagilan mountains flamed with the light of the sun that had gone from the valley.” (Steinbeck 7)

Denotative vs. Connotative

• George knelt beside the pool and drank from his hand with quick scoops.” (Steinbeck 3)

• “…he replaced his hate,

pushed himself back

from the river, drew up

his knees and embraced

them.” (Steinbeck 3)

Objective vs. Subjective

• Impersonal, unemotional vs. personal, emotional

Objective examples

“The trouble with most of us Southerners is that we either don’t travel enough or that we don’t profit from our travels.” (Mitchell 77)

Subjective examples

“Why, we could lick them in a month! Gentlemen always fight better than rabble. A month-why, one battle-” (Mitchell 76)

Active vs. Passive

• States action vs. states being

Passive example

“Four weeks Marija hunted and half of a fifth week.” (Sinclair 129)

Active example

“She grabbed my hand back so fast I knew at that instant how sorry she was that she had not protected me better. (Tan 111)

Concrete vs. Abstract

• Specific, tangible (practical, details, facts) vs. conceptual, philosophical -Concrete example

“My fingers do not move over this instrument…” (Austen 130)

-Abstract Example“From the very

beginning of my acquaintance with you, your manners, impressing me with the fullest belief of your arrogance, your conceit, and your selfish disdain for the feelings of others…” (Austen 143

Hyperbole vs. Understated

• Deliberate exaggeration of focus vs. deliberate misrepresentation of less

– Hyperbole example

“Only that the wrestlers are as big as whales, sir.” (Golden 235)

– Understated Example

“Someone has been cruel to you…or perhaps life has been cruel.”

“I don’t know sir,” I said… (Golden 130)

Pedestrian

layman’s terms

“‘I’m Charles Baker Harris,’ he said, ‘I can read.’” (Lee 7)

Pedantic

boorish, inflated language attempting to display importance

The first act of business Miss Murdstone performed when the day of solemnity was over, and a light was freely admitted into the house, was to give Peggotty a month’s warning.

Archaic

suggestive of an earlier period or time

“The which if you with patient ears attend,What here shall miss, our toil shall strive to mend.”

- “Prologue” from Romeo and Juliet, William Shakespeare

Nonstandard

Lower Level

“What’s up, Doc?”

- Bugs Bunny, Looney Tunes

Vulgarity

language deficient in taste and refinement; course, base

“Frankly, my dear, I don’t give a damn.”

- Gone with the Wind, Margaret Mitchell

Slangvernacular speech sometimes humorous, exaggerated, or shortened for effect

“Here come the Jets, Yeah! And we're gonna beat Ev'ry last buggin' gang On the whole buggin' street!”

- “Jet Song”, West Side Story

Colloquial

Regional, provincial; differs from formal language in connotation, pronunciation, usage; accepted in informal conversation

“I’ll ring you up later” [colloquial British] translates into “I’ll call you later” [colloquial American]

Jargon

Specific to a field or profession

“As the nose of the F-14 tipped downward, Rachel felt an eerie weightlessness. Through the ringing in her ears she could hear a repeated electronic ping in the cockpit. The pilot had apparently locked on to some kind of directional beacon and was following it in. (Brown 69)

pilot jargon

Cliché

• Language used so often it has lost its freshness and clarity (figurative language without the freshness)– “Once upon a time…happily ever after.”

Informal

• Correct, but conversational

• “Eat it!” shouted Mr. Wonka. “Go on and eat it! It’ll be delicious! It’s the same bar! Its gotten smaller on the journey, that’s all!” (Dahl 137)

Formal

• Appropriate for more formal occasions (often more abstract)

• “ I must apologize,” said the visitor, “for the lateness of the hour.”(Christie 9)

Assonance• Repetition of similar vowel

sounds in closely assoc. words

• “What’s the rumbling and tumblingThat sets my stomach grumbling?I thought ’twas six kids, flesh and bones,Now I find it’s naught but rolling stones.” (Grimms 52)

» Consonance is the repetition of similar consonant sound in closely associated words

» Example: “Because of this fundamental difference in tactical style, the two organizations sometimes moved without coordinating with the other.”

Consonance

Alliteration

» Alliteration is the repetition of the initial consonant sound in closely associated words

» Example: The sweet scents of the summer night rose all around him, and rose, as the rain falls, impartially, on the dusty, ragged, and toil-worn group at the fountain not far away.

Onomatopoeia

» Onomatopoeia is when a word’s pronunciation suggests its meaning

» Example: “…to speak over the roar of the helicopter’s twin turboshaft engines.”

Anaphora

• Repetition of word or words at the beginning of successive phrases

– “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, we had everything before us, we had nothing before us, we were all going direct to Heaven, we were all going direct the other way…” (Dickens 1)

Works Cited• Diction Appearance - Bradbury, Ray. Fahrenheit 451. New York:

Ballantine Books, 1991 • Diction Sound - Crane, Stephen. The Red Badge of Courage. New York:

Barnes & Noble Inc, 1992 • Diction Meaning - Verne, Jules. 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea. New

York: Grosset & Dunlap, 1962• Monosyllabic vs. Polysyllabic, Euphonious vs. Cacophonous, Literal

vs. Figurative, Denotative vs. Connotative – Steinbeck, John. Of Mice And Men. New York: Penguin Books, 2002

• Active vs. Passive – Tan, Amy. The Joy Luck Club. New York: Vintage Books, 1989

• Concrete vs. Abstract – Austen, Jane. Pride and Prejudice. New York: Barnes & Noble Inc, 1993

• Pedestrian vs. Pedantic - Lee, Harper. To Kill A Mockingbird. New York: Warner Books, 1982

• Assonance - Brothers Grimm: The Wolf and the Seven Kids. Grimms’ Fairy Tales, New York. Grosset & Dunlap, 1995

• Anaphora – Dickens, Charles. A Tale of Two Cities. New York: Pocket Books, 2004