Diction

What is diction?

Diction (Latin: dictionem (nom. dictio), "a saying, expression, word"), in its original meaning, is a writer's or speaker's distinctive vocabulary choices and style of expression in a poem or story. In its common meaning, it is the distinctiveness of speech, the art of speaking so that each word is clearly heard and understood to its fullest complexity and extremity, and concerns pronunciation and tone, rather than word choice and style. This is more precisely and commonly expressed with the term enunciation, or with its synonym articulation. (Wikipedia)

Diction refers to word choice—choosing the right word for the right situation, which can set the scene or evoke a particular mood in writing. Diction can tell you something about a writer’s attitude towards a subject (or even their readers), their background and interests, where they grew up, or how they see themselves. It can make a piece of writing simple and pleasing to read—or difficult and boring.  

Determining the “right” word for a given situation involves understanding its denotation, or dictionary definition, and its connotation, or the subtler meanings a word can pick up in certain contexts. Authors also have to consider what they want the text to achieve, and what readers will want.  (Purdue Online Writing Lab)

Importance of diction

Diction helps the writer with:

   Creating a tone

   Supporting the setting

   Bringing characters to life

   Establishing a narrative voice and tone