1. VOICE LESSONS – DICTION
…otherwise known as word choice
Taken from Voice Lessons, by Nancy Dean

2. What is Diction? Diction is the author’s choice of words
Words are the basic tools of a writer
They create color and texture of the written work
They reflect and determine the level of formality
They shape the reader’s perceptions

3. Students as Readers Never skip over words you don’t know
Read with a dictionary next to you
This would be like going to a concert wearing earplugs, you are missing the whole effect
To understand voice, you must “hear” the words and “feel” their effects
Diction reflects the writer’s vision and steers the reader’s thoughts

4. Effective Voice
An effective voice is shaped by words that are clear, concrete, and exact
A good writer will avoid using words like: pretty, nice, and bad
Rather, they will utilize words that invoke a specific effect
Torn vs. tattered
Wanting revenge vs. thirsting for revenge
Shut vs. thud
Specific diction brings the reader into the scene, enabling full participation in the writer’s world

5. Diction depends on topic, purpose, and occasion
Topic often determines the specificity and sophistication of diction
Many topics will generate special vocabularies as a connection to meaning
For example, if writing about computers you will use specialized language like:
E-shopping
Web
Interface

6. Diction depends on topic, purpose, and occasion
No matter what the author’s purpose is, it will partly determine diction
Is the author trying to convince, entertain, amuse, inform, or plead?
Words chosen to impart a particular effect on the reader reflect and sustain the writer’s purpose
If the author’s purpose is to inform, you can expect a straightforward diction
If the author’s purpose is to entertain, you can expect words to be used in ironic, playful or unexpected ways

7. Diction depends on topic, purpose, and occasion
Occasion will dictate whether you use formal or informal diction
Formal diction is typically found in scholarly writing, serious prose, or poetry
Informal diction is normally used in expository essays, newspaper editorials and works of fiction
Colloquial diction and slang come from informal speech but are used to create a mood or capture a particular historic or regional dialect
Appropriateness of diction is determined by the norms of society

8. Connotation & Denotation
Connotation – the meaning suggested by a word
Calling a character slender will evoke a different feeling than calling the character gaunt
Denotation – the literal meaning
A word’s power to produce a strong reaction in the reader lies mainly in its connotative meaning

9. Final Ideas Diction can impart freshness and originality to writing
Words used in surprising or unusual ways make us rethink what is known and re- examine meaning
A good writer will opt for complexity rather than for simplicity and for multiple meanings rather than precision
Diction, the foundation of voice, shapes a reader’s thinking while guiding reader insight into the author’s idiosyncratic expression of thought: the writer’s voice

10. Works Cited
Dean, Nancy. Voice Lessons. Gainsville: Maupin House, 2000.