What does word choice mean in literature?

Answer 1

Word choice most often to the school of scholarship known as linguistics. Famous linguists in history include Noam Chomsky, Ferdinand de Saussure, and Roland Barthes. There are three particular aspects of linguistics important to understand authors' word choice: syntax, semantics, and semiotics. These three categories are intertwined, but different, and it is difficult to address any of them in detail without describing their relationship to one another.

Syntax is the form of linguistics that Noam Chomsky specializes in, and it refers specifically to sentence structure. Chomsky revolutionized the field of linguistics in the 1950s with his monumental work, Syntactic Structures, which put forward the hypothesis of generative grammar. According to generative grammar, the ubiquitous usage of logical grammatical structure throughout the world proves that all humans have equivalent ability to attain language.

Semantics is the school of linguistics that refers to the over-all meaning underneath word selection. Often, authors will play with semantics to create a difference between what appears to be said, according to the syntax of the sentence, and what is actually being said "between the lines." Thus, exploring semantics can lead to an exercise in the uncovering of truth and meaning, which entails another field of scholarship called hermeneutics.

Semantics is increasingly becoming analyzed in relation to cognitive neuroscience to understand the relationship between different parts of the brain, the way meaning is expressed, and the type of meanings being expressed. For example, different parts of the brain are used to express emotional content, as opposed to parts of the brain that are used to express logical content. While it is difficult for writers to convey whether a sentence is being used in an emotional or rational sense (or both!), sometimes they will use different syntax, vocabulary, and literary devices to achieve the appropriate voice.

Lastly, semiotics is a literary element that refers to word choice and the significance of words and meaning. Like semantics, semiotics regards the mobile nature of words and meaning, but semiotics is unique in that it pertains strictly to symbolic representation. According to semiotics word, or signifier, refers to a signified object of which a person has a preconstructed understanding. The choice of words throughout a text, and the way that those words relate to the reader of the text, form a relationship between the author and the reader that produces new paths towards thought. In this sense, the choice of words by poets and authors-as well as tools like alliteration, repetition, and style-can influence a reader's understanding of those words as well as words that relate to them, and effect what phenomenologists call a "life-world."

Answer 2

Word choice, or diction, refers to the specific words an author uses to convey meaning in a literary work. It can greatly impact the tone, mood, characterization, and overall effectiveness of a piece of writing. Authors carefully select words to create desired effects and to evoke certain emotions or responses from readers.