Diction

Etymology and Meanings of Literary Device of Diction

Etymologically, the literary device of diction is a derivative of the Latin term dictionem which means a saying or a word, or a type of style. Its root is the Latin dicere which means to say, or proclaim, or declare. In other words, in English, the literary device diction means the type of writing. It is used in the same meanings in English studies.

Semantically, it has various meanings which amount to the style of writing. Different authors use different types of diction as given below in the category types.

Definition of Literary Device of Diction

In literary terms, diction refers to the choice of words and style that a writer adopts for his/her writing. In other words, it refers to language that writers use to have their own distinct styles and voices.

Types of Diction

There are several types of diction some of which are as follows.

1. Formal Diction: This diction is mostly used in academic writing such as dissertations, journals, newspapers, articles, and books. Other than these, business communication and technical communication also utilizes formal diction.
2. Informal Diction: This type of diction, sometimes, violate linguistic rules and styles. It is mostly used in casual writings such as private letters, emails, and literary pieces. African American poets and other indigenous or native writers have used informal diction in poetry. Some Nigerian novelists have also used pidgin and informal diction in their writings.
3. Pedantic Diction: It is a learned diction that involves using theoretical perspectives and loaded vocabulary such as in philosophical treatises or literary critiques.
4. Colloquial Diction: It comprises common language used by the public. However, it is also used in literary pieces through dialog. Some creole and African American writers have used this diction in poetry, too.
5. Slang Diction: It comprises common language having taboo words used by the public.
6. Poetic Diction: Poetic diction is the language of poetry having a lot of figures of speech.
7. Abstract Diction: It comprises theoretical language, having abstract ideas explained.
8. Concrete Diction: It means using language that has concrete descriptions of things.

Literary Examples of Diction

Example # 1

Formal Diction from Orientalism by Edward Said: Introduction

Americans will not feel quite the same about the Orient, which for them is much more likely to be associated very differently with the Far East (China and Ja2an. mainly). Unlike the Americans, the French and the British-less so the Germans. Russians, Spanish, Portuguese, Italians, and Swiss-have had a long tradition of what I shall be calling Orienta/ism. a way of coming to terms with the Orient that is based on the Orient’s special place in European Western experience.

These few sentences occur in Orientalism, a theoretical book by Edward W. Said. This passage occurs in its introduction. These lines explain the concept of orientalism as it is understood in different parts of the world and what it means for different people. The writer is very careful in using formal language to point out what he means.

Example # 2

Informal Diction from Mules and Men by Zora Neal Hurston

“De gopher come in and looked all around de place. De judge was a turtle, de lawyers was turtles, de witnesses was turtles and they had turtles for jurymen.
“So de gopher ast de judge to excuse his case and let him come back some other time. De judge ast him how come he wanted to put off his case and de gopher looked all around de room and said, ‘Blood is thicker than water,’ and escused hisself from de place.
“Yeah,” said Floyd Thomas, “but even God ain’t satisfied wid some of de things He makes and changes ’em Hisself.

These lines occur in the novel of Zora Neal Hurston, Mules and Men. She has beautifully used informal and colloquial language in these lines. Floyd Thomas has been shown talking to other people about what the judge, lawyer, and jurymen are and what they think about them. This is a real language spoken in public in African American communities in the United States.

Example # 3

Pedantic Diction from A Rhetoric of Style by Barry Brummett

Style is not simply a matter of which shirt one puts on but is the transcendent ground in which the social is formed in late capitalism. When something is transcendent, it uses as much as we use it. As I hope to show, the question of the extent to which style is intentional is tricky.

These few lines occur in A Rhetoric of Style. The purpose of quoting these lines here is to show how the style in the language is formed which forces the writers to use a specific type of diction. It all depends on the objective of the writer and his situation.

Example # 5

Colloquial Diction from One Flew over Cuckoo’s Nest by Ken Kesey

“Well, when she asks one of those questions, why don’tyou tell her to up and go to hell?”
“Yeah,” Cheswick says, shaking his fist, “tell her to upand go to hell.”
“So then what, Mack? She’d just come right back with
‘Why do you seem so upset by that par-tik-uler question, Patient McMurphy?’ ”
“So, you tell her to go to hell again. Tell them all to go to hell. They still haven’t hurt you.”

This conversation between Mack and Cheswick happens in Kesey’s novel, One Flew over Cuckoo’s Nest. It shows the use of informal and colloquial language as both of them try to decipher the situation they are placed in. The novelist has carefully recorded this conversation.

Example # 6

Poetic Diction from “A Married State” by Katherine Philips

A married state affords but little ease

The best of husbands are so hard to please.

This in wives’ careful faces you may spell

Though they dissemble their misfortunes well.

A virgin state is crowned with much content;

It’s always happy as it’s innocent.

These lines from “A Married State” by Katherine Philips show the use of poetic diction. It has several figures of speech, concrete language, good meter, and a rhyming pattern. This shows how poetic poetic language is used in poetry.

How to Create Diction

When writing in a specific diction or creating a specific diction, these four points are very important.

1. Writer
2. Audience
3. Objective
4. Situation

That is the very reason that technical writing experts always ask for the writer’s situation, audience, types of audiences, real objectives, and real situations in which the diction is going to be used.

Benefits of Using Diction

1. The type of diction suits the writer, the occasion, and the audience.
2. Diction makes the writers’ style distinct.
3. It helps the readers reach out to the writer to understand his objective through his message.
4. It helps the readers understand the personality of the writer and take his message seriously.

Literary Device of Diction in Literary Theory

1. Diction is very important in formalism as it helps critics to critique the conflict based on the type of diction the writers use.
2. It helps in all other theoretical perspectives or literary theories to understand the ontological situation in that the writers or the critics place their characters to understand the social reality.
3. Every literary theory has a specific diction having specific features as pointed out in keywords in every literary theoretical perspective.
4. Postmodernism and post-truth use diction to hoodwink the readers. Therefore, both literary theories show the use of different types of diction mainly informal, pidgin, and colloquial.

Suggested Readings

Abrams, Meyer Howard, and Geoffrey Harpham. A Glossary of Literary Terms. Cengage Learning, 2014. Print.

Genette, Gérard. Fiction & Diction. Cornell University Press, 1993. Print. Underwood, Ted, and Jordan Sellers. “The Emergence of Literary Diction.” Journal of Digital Humanities 1.2 (2012): 1-2.