TOPIC: Language and Diction
The Importance of Language and Diction in Poetry
The language of poetry is more condensed, and therefore more intense, than the language of prose. Poetry tries to say as much as possible using as few words as possible. Because of this, a poet has to make every word count. And we as readers, when we encounter poetry, have to treat each word with much more consideration than we would each word in a work of fiction or drama. In those other genres, the focus is usually on plot, character, setting, even if the words that these are conveyed in are skillfully and even beautifully shaped by the author. In poetry, however, the focus is on the words themselves, and individual words often take on a supreme importance.
An exploration of the words in a work of literature begins with the diction found in that work. Diction is a writer's choice of words and word order. When we look at diction, we look at the vocabulary and sentence structures used by the writer, and we examine the ways these are used to create the meaning of the work.
Levels of Diction
In general, there are three levels of diction: Formal, Middle, and Informal.
- Formal diction uses dignified, impersonal, elevated language. It follows the rules of grammar, and often uses complex sentence structures, and lofty vocabulary that makes extensive use of more formal, multisyllabic words.
- Middle diction uses correct language usage, but is less elevated. It is the language of educated people and though it uses less complex sentence structures, it still follows the rules of grammar.
- Informal diction is colloquial or everyday language that may include slang, contractions, and simple, common words. It may use sentence fragments or other ungrammatical sentence structures.
Here is an example of different levels of diction. Let's look at three different words that refer to the same object, a motor vehicle.
- Automobile is a word that is at a more formal level of diction. Notice that it is longer; that is, it has multiple syllables. It is not the word we use in ordinary speech, but perhaps in more formal contexts such as an insurance or police report.
- Car is a word that is at the middle level of diction. It is the word that most educated people use in casual circumstances.
- Ride/Wheels/Whip. These are words from the informal level of diction. They are slang words.
Poems of the 17th century often used a formal diction termed poetic diction, what was considered at the time to be the proper level and type of diction for poetry. Poems such as John Donne's "The Flea" and Andrew Marvell's "To His Coy Mistress" are written in poetic diction. They use language that is far removed from the everyday language spoken by ordinary people. The sentence structures are also very complex, unlike the more simplified sentences we might use in ordinary writing and speech.
A poem like Dorothy Parker's "A Certain Lady" uses diction that is more in the middle range. The speaker uses proper grammar, but not overly complex sentence structures.
In a poem like Gwendolyn Brooks' "We Real Cool," we see the use of informal diction. The speakers in this poem use slang, simple words, and they sometimes break the traditional rules of grammar.
Connotation and Denotation
Each word communicates its meaning through denotation and connotation. The denotative meaning of a word is its literal, dictionary definition. For example, a bird denotes a feathered animal with wings, but in addition to its denotative meaning, bird also carries connotations--associations and implications that go beyond the word's literal meaning. Connotations derive from how the word has been used and the associations people make with it. Therefore, the connotations of bird might include fragility, vulnerability, altitude, the sky, or freedom, depending on the context in which the word is used.
Connotative meanings arise from a person's experiences with a particular word. Those experiences may not always be the same, especially when the people having them are in different times and places. For example, in 1950's America, the word red often carried the connotation of communism, anti-democracy, a political threat to the American way of life. In our own era, we may see this word and never think of communism at all. As we read poetry, and look at the diction of each work, we must be aware of these kinds of gaps. On the whole, however, poets use connotative meanings of words in a way that resonates with the experiences of many readers through many different cultures and historical eras. Probably, many of your own associations with the word flea are the same as those experienced by the readers of John Donne's own time and society. Successful poets rely on connotative meaning that are widely shared, and if a poem is still read four hundred years after it was written, a big reason for this success is that its connotative meanings still ring true for readers.
The connotative meaning of a word is also a vehicle of that word's emotional resonance. Let's go back to the word red. This word is often associated with particular emotional states. It may indicate and be associated with anger. Red is also associated with danger and warning, as in "red flag." It is also associated with passion and romance: think of Valentine's day. As you read poetry, paying attention to the connotative meanings of words, you will also be identifying the emotional coloring of those words.