LEVELS OF DICTION

Jo I. BartolataBicol University

What is Diction?

• word choice of the author• general character of the

language used by the author

• plays a very important role in creating tone and voice appropriate for your audience and writing objective

Levels of Diction (Levels of Articulation)

I. High/Formal /elevated – for highly educated audience. Ex. Peruse

II. A. Neutral/ Standard – for well-educated audience. Ex. Examine

B. Neutral/ Informal –for a familiar audience. Ex. Look over

III. Low/Non-standard – for a specific audience. Ex. chekidawt

HIGH OR FORMAL

• usually contains language that creates an elevated tone. It is free of slang, idioms, colloquialisms, and contractions. It often contains polysyllabic words, sophisticated syntax, and elegant word choice.

• appropriate for formal occasions• used when addressing a highly educated

audience. This includes sermons, scholarly journals, etc.

• found in publications such academic publications.

II.A. NEUTRAL/ STANDARD

• used when addressing a well-educated audience.

• commonly this is the level used for college papers, mass publications, and business communication

• refers to the level of diction employed in most college-level writing assignments as well as newspapers and general interest journals.

• maintains a professional tone but tries to avoid highly technical or specialized terms and concepts.

II.B. NEUTRAL/ INFORMAL

• used when addressing a familiar audience.

• grammatically correct but conversational

• includes personal letters, emails, and documents with conversational or entertaining purposes

• may also include "slang" language, which may be used to create a specific "flavor" as in sports casting or novels.

LOW/NON-STANDARD

• Language deficient in some form or manner

• diction outside of conventional or standard use

• Includes: vulgarity/pedestrian, slang, colloquial, dialect, cliché, jargon

EXAMPLES OF DICTION

FORMAL STANDARD INFORMAL NON-STANDARD

Edify enlighten Let know ?

Opt Choose Pick-out ?

Beguile Mislead Dupe ?

TYPES OF DICTION

1. Slang refers to a group of recently coined words often used in informal situations; develops from the attempt to find fresh, colorful, exaggerated, or humorous expressions.Ex. Emo, frenemy, my bad, awesomity, greycation, bromance

2. Vulgarity is language deficient in taste and refinement; coarse, base (any swear word). Ex. #)$*#&&*(

TYPES OF DICTION

3. Colloquial expressions are nonstandard, often regional, ways of using language appropriate to informal or conversational speech and writing. Ex. Anyhow, gotcha, gramps, stats, info, guys, kid

TYPES OF DICTION

4. Jargon consists of words and expressions characteristic of a particular profession, or pursuit. Ex. gigabyte, logic board, CPU, LCD = computer jargon

5. Dialect is a nonstandard subgroup of a language with its own vocabulary and grammatical features. Ex. Philippine English as dialect of English language

TYPES OF DICTION

8. Cliché is figurative language used so often that it has lost its freshness and originality.

Ex. Beauty is useless but character is the best.

Honesty is the best policy.No man is an island.Time is gold.Love is like a rosary that is full

of mysstery.

TYPES OF DICTION

9. Concrete diction consists of specific words that describe physical qualities or conditions. Ex.  spoon, table, velvet eye patch, nose ring, sinus mask, green, hot, walking

10. Abstract diction refers to language that

denotes ideas, emotions, conditions or concepts that are intangible. Ex. love, success, freedom, good, moral, democracy, chauvinism, Communism, feminism, racism, sexism.

TYPES OF DICTION

11. General refers to groups. Ex. Furniture, people, institutions, houses

12. Specific refers to individuals. Ex. Rocking chair, Filipinos, hospitals, nipa hut

TYPES OF DICTION

13. Denotation is the exact, literal definition of a word independent of any emotional association or secondary meaning. Ex. snake (reptile), house, mother, loose (not tight)

14. Connotation is the implicit rather than explicit meaning of a word and consists of the suggestions, associations, and emotional overtones attached to a word. Ex. Snake ( evil), home, stepmother, loose (unbcoming)

TYPES OF DICTION

15. Literal is accurate language, w/out embellishment ; means straightforward or factual; When someone says “I mean that literally,” they mean “exactly” -- just the facts!

16. Figurative is language used for a pictorial effect ; it’s imaginative; it conveys not just the facts but an idea. It encourages us to use our imaginations.

CHOOSING THE LEVEL

First, decide for whom you're writing. 

Because you are writing for a certain audience, they will have particular expectations about the level of diction you will choose. Choose the level most appropriate for your audience (in collegiate writing, standard level diction is used most often).

CHOOSING THE LEVEL

• Second, determine your purpose. 

Some possible purposes may be to inform, to persuade, to illustrate, to analyze, or to entertain. For each of these purposes, you may choose to use a different level of diction.

Sources:

http://simple.wiktionary.org/wiki/Category:Colloquialhttp://grammar.ccc.commnet.edu/grammar/composition/abstract.htmhttp://www.etap.org/demo/englishhs/instruction5.htmlhttp://www.limcollege.edu/Using_Appropriate_Diction.pdfhttp://writingcenter.byu.edu/handouts/style/diction.htm