Analyzing Diction Contributors: Mrs. Smith Miss Cullen

DICTION  Diction, word choice, is the most powerful element of style for you to understand.  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. WordConnotation surveyedconveys 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 sample- snatching. WordConnotation snatching

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 T-chart. Write the connotative associations for each word in the T-chart.

Analyze this pair of words for Connotation GANGCLUB

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