How to Analyze DICTION
The prompt: How does a writer craft his diction to communicate his ideas, to suggest his attitude toward the
subject?
First, you have to know what diction is.
Diction: word choices made by the writer in order to convey tone and meaning. The writer’s choice of
diction depends on subject, purpose, occasion and audience.
Next, it helps to know about some types of diction that writers use.
TYPES OF DICTION:
Denotative words denote the thing to which they refer; they tend to be neutral or somewhat objective.
Example - "The Supplies Cabinet is divided into four sections. Section One contains letterhead stationery,
blank paper and envelopes, memo and note pads, and so on. Section Two contains pens and pencils and
typewriter and printer ribbons, and the like. In Section Three we have erasers, correction fluids,
transparent tapes, glue sticks, et cetera. And in Section Four we have paper clips and push pins and
scissors and razor blades."
Connotative words have associative or suggestive qualities; they have positive or negative associations.
Example - "there is much about Manhattan now that resembles Dickensian London. Ladies in high-heeled
shoes pick their way through poverty and madness. . . Our citizens dream of the open spaces of Wyoming,
the manicured exclusivity of Hobe Sound."
Abstract often refers to conceptual ideas such as love, fear, competition, triumph, etc., things that are not tangible.
Example - "And yet, it may be that these are the conditions that finally give birth to empathy, the mother of
compassion. We cannot deny the existence of the helpless as their presence grows. Compassion is not a
character trait like a sunny disposition. It must be learned, and it is learned by having adversity at our
windows, coming through the gates of our yards, the walls of our towns, adversity that becomes so familiar
that we begin to identify and empathize with it."
Concrete diction refers to what may be available to the senses, tangible things.
Example - "Up the avenue, at Ninety-First Street, there is a small French bread shop where you can sit and
eat a buttery, overpriced croissant and wash it down with rich-cappuccino. . .Twice as I have sat and read
and felt the warm rush of hot coffee and milk, an old man has wandered in and stood inside the entrance.
He wears a stained blanket pulled up to his chin, and a woolen hood pulled down to his gray, bushy
eyebrows. As he stands, the scent of stale cigarettes and urine fills the small, overheated room."
Informal (e. g. colloquial, slang, vernacular)
Example - “I mean, when I hear the word “filthy” used to describe a bathroom, I think about this bar
where I used to hang out called Joe’s Sportsman’s Lounge, where the men’s room had bacteria you could
enter in a rodeo.”
Formal - Noting the intended audience, purpose and subject will offer clues. The following is from M.L.K.jr.’s “I
Have a Dream” speech:
Example - "Five score years ago, a great American, in whose symbolic shadow we stand, signed the
Emancipation Proclamation. This momentous decree came as a great beacon light of hope to millions of
Negro slaves who had been seared in the flames of withering injustice."
Jargon technically refers to language that might be known only to a particular audience, group or profession. It has
also come to mean inflated or pretentious language.
Example - Technical jargon: A “bilateral probital hematoma” is medical jargon for a black eye or shiner.
Example - Double-speak: “car mechanics may be called "automotive internists," elevator operators
members of the "vertical transportation corps," used cars "pre-owned" or "experienced cars," and blackand-white television sets described as having "non-multicolor capability"
Then how do you begin to write an essay about a writer’s use of diction?
Always begin by asking what the overall purpose of the essay or excerpt is.
Then, ask yourself what the overall tone of the essay or excerpt is.
Here are some words you might use to describe the overall tone:
academic
ambiguous
angry
biting
blunt
bombastic
brusque
casual
caustic
cautionary
colorful
condescending
confidential
confrontational
critical
cultured
crisp
curt
cynical
defensive
detached
determined
distant
divisive
dramatic
emphatic
encouraging
enthusiastic
euphemistic
exact
fervent
flippant
frank
honest
impressionistic
indecisive
inflammatory
intense
grandiose
grave
inflated
informative
ironic
jovial
learned
light
literal
lyrical
moralistic
nostalgic
objective
obscene
obscure
offensive
optimistic
ordinary
ornate
passionate
patriotic
pedantic
picturesque
plain
playful
poetic
political
precise
pretentious
provincial
prudent
puzzled
reassuring
rigid
romantic
sad
sarcastic
scholarly
sentimental
serious
shocking
sincere
skeptical
solemn
speculative
subdued
supportive
symbolic
sympathetic
tame
technical
tentative
thoughtful
trite
uncomfortable
vulgar
Then look for where and how you see the writer creating that overall tone.
Do you see any patterns? Tendencies? Repetition? Special emphasis?
Where exactly did you pick up on the overall tone? That’s probably a good part of
the text to analyze.
Then explain HOW the writer’s use of language is creating that overall tone and helping
him achieve his overall purpose, considering his audience, the subject, and the
occasion.
As always, use our “Model/Guide for Writing about Strategies” when you’re asked to write an
analysis essay.