diction
American Heritage Dictionary:
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dic·tion
(dĭk'shən) 
n.
dictionally dic'tion·al·ly adv.
n.
- Choice and use of words in speech or writing.
- Degree of clarity and distinctness of pronunciation in speech or singing; enunciation.
[Middle English diccion, a saying, word, from Old French, from Latin dictiō, dictiōn-, rhetorical delivery, from dictus, past participle of dīcere, to say, speak.]
dictional dic'tion·al adj.dictionally dic'tion·al·ly adv.
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diction
Roget's Thesaurus:
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diction
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diction, the choice of words used in a literary work. A writer's diction may be characterized, for example, by archaism, or by Latinate or Anglo‐Saxon derivations; and it may be described according to the oppositions formal/colloquial, abstract/concrete, and literal/figurative. For the specific conventions of diction in poetry, see poetic diction.
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The choice of words. Diction is effective when words are appropriate to an audience. A man might refer to his car as his “wheels” in casual conversation with a friend, but if he were writing an essay for a group of economists, he would write, “People base their decision to buy an automobile on the following considerations,” not “People base their decision to buy wheels on the following considerations.”
Poetry Glossary:
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Diction
The choice of words, phrases, sentence structures, and figurative language in a literary work; the manner or mode of verbal expression, particularly with regard to clarity and accuracy.
Random House Word Menu:
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categories related to 'diction'
- Rhetoric and Figures of Speech - diction: selection and use of words to convey meaning; quality, style, and sound of an individual’s speech relative to prevailing standards
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Diction
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This page duplicates a dictionary definition already listed on Wiktionary. Its dictionary counterpart can be found at either Wiktionary:Transwiki:Diction or Wiktionary:Diction. Is this page still needed in Wikipedia?
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Look up diction in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. |
Diction, pronounced (dic-shun) (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][3] A secondary, common meaning of "diction" means the distinctiveness of speech,[3] the art of speaking clearly so that each word is clearly heard and understood to its fullest complexity and extremity, and concerns pronunciation and tone, rather than word choice and style. This secondary sense is more precisely and commonly expressed with the term enunciation, or with its synonym articulation.[4]
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.
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Contents
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Notes
External links
References
- Kenneth C. Crannell (1999) Voice and articulation. Preview of the 1997 edition available at Google books.
- http://literary-devices.com/content/diction
See also
- Orthoepeia
- Elocution
- Register (linguistics)
- Action (philosophy)
- Greetings
- Description
- Poetic diction
- Enunciation
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This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)
Translations:
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Diction
Dansk (Danish)
n. - diktion, udtryksmåde, ordvalg
Nederlands (Dutch)
dictie (wijze van zeggen)
Français (French)
n. - style, langage, élocution, diction
Deutsch (German)
n. - Wortwahl, Aussprache
Ελληνική (Greek)
n. - ορθοφωνία, ορθή άρθρωση, λεκτικό ύφος, φρασεολογία
Italiano (Italian)
dizione, stile
Português (Portuguese)
n. - dicção (f)
Русский (Russian)
стиль, дикция
Español (Spanish)
n. - dicción
Svenska (Swedish)
n. - sätt att uttrycka sig
中文（简体）(Chinese (Simplified))
措词, 用语, 发音法, 发音
中文（繁體）(Chinese (Traditional))
n. - 措詞, 用語, 發音法, 發音
日本語 (Japanese)
n. - 用語の選択配列, 言葉使い, 発声法
العربيه (Arabic)
(الاسم) أسلوب كلام أو تصرف, عمليه انتقاء واستخدام الكلام
עברית (Hebrew)
n. - מיבטא, סגנון, דיקציה
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American Heritage Dictionary
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Roget's Thesaurus
Roget's II: The New Thesaurus, Third Edition by the Editors of the American Heritage® Dictionary Copyright © 1995 byHoughton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Oxford Dictionary of Literary Terms
The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Literary Terms. Copyright © Chris Baldick 2001, 2004. All rights reserved.
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Dictionary of Cultural Literacy: Grammar
The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Edited by E.D. Hirsch, Jr., Joseph F. Kett, and
James Trefil. Copyright © 2002 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin. All rights reserved.
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Random House Word Menu
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