Analyzing Diction Contributors Mrs Smith Miss Cullen DICTION

Analyzing Diction Contributors: Mrs. Smith Miss Cullen

DICTION Ø Diction, word choice, is the most powerful element of style for you to understand. Ø Many words in our language have strong connotations and authors use them on purpose to elicit certain responses from the reader.

Denotation • Denotation- literal dictionary definition of a word. – Example: The words plump and obese both literally describe a person who is overweight. They are synonyms.

Connotation • Connotation-implied or suggested meaning attached to a word or the emotional “tag” that goes along with a word.

Connotation illustrates ways in which we use a word. FOR EXAMPLE: • Let’s think about the words plump and obese. • Both plump and obese have the same literal definition, but the connotations are different.

Plump • The word plump has the connotation of being pleasantly fat, almost cutely overweight. • Its connotation describes women more often than men. • It is this extra emotional feeling that shows how we use the word.

Obese • The word obese , often used by medical personnel, has a more technical connotation. • It carries a less emotional, more scientific emotional tag. • Or it carries a more negative emotional tag.

Connotative Diction Comparison • What is your emotional reaction to the boy in each sentence below? • The boy looked around the class, congratulating himself for achieving the highest grade on the test. • The boy surveyed the class, congratulating himself for snatching the highest grade on the test.

Connotative Diction • The boy surveyed the class, congratulating himself for snatching the highest grade on the test. – Two words are important here: surveyed and snatching. They are the words with the strongest connotations.

Commentary • Once you identify an author’s diction, you must analyze it. • This means that you write commentary about it. • You must discuss the connotation of the word or phrase. Word Connotation surveyed conveys the idea of someone looking around as if he were gazing on lesser beings

Practice • Now it is your turn to try some commentary for the other strong connotative word in the samplesnatching. Word snatching Connotation

Diction may be… • • • 1. The choice of appropriate language for your audience: A. technical (computer manual) B. formal (application letter to a college) C. informal (a personal experience story) D. familiar (a letter to your best friend)

• 2. The specific choice of words for their meaning or for their connotation (associations and emotional overtones that have become attached to a word). • Connotation is different for different people. • A cat is not simply a cat to everyone. An author’s specific word choice- a “ferocious feline” or a “fuzzy furball”- influences the reader and creates tone.

Good Diction is Effective • Think of a menu from a fancy restaurant: • “Juicy rib-eye, charbroiled with a hint of mesquite and garlic” • “Creamy, garlic mashed potatoes with a luscious hint of butter, cheese, sour cream and bacon” • What emotional reaction does this menu what you to have? • Makes you hungry right? ! Good diction is effective!

Essay Writing • Diction analysis is useful in essays that require you to: • Analyze an author’s style, the author’s tone, and/or the author’s diction.

Diction Analysis • The following words are closely related in meaning, but differ in connotation. • 1. Select one pair. • 2. Create a T-chart and write each word at the top of the Tchart. • Write the connotative associations for each word in the Tchart.

Analyze this pair of words for Connotation GANG CLUB

Choose one Pair to Analyze for Connotation Art & Craft Faith & Creed Gang & Club Imaginative & Fanciful Instrument & Tool Intelligent & Smart Labor & Work Lady & Woman Recreation & Play Religion & Cult Terrorist & Revolutionary