Choose your words wisely
Many people confuse the word ‘diction’ to mean pronunciation or enunciation. What it originally means is the use or choice of words. When one says, for example, “He has good diction”, it doesn’t mean the person referred to pronounces his words well, but that he makes use of the right vocabulary in the proper context.
One of the properties of the English language that makes it so beautiful is that it is rich in synonyms. One day, I was amusing myself with a mental exercise: to see how many one-word synonyms for ‘travel’ I could find. So here goes: tour, trip, voyage, journey, sojourn, odyssey, trek, passage, expedition, flight… On the flip side, the abundance of synonyms makes for difficulty in good diction.
A friend of mine recently had me read his blog post about a stalker he once had. In describing the disagreeable fellow, my friend used the word ‘egregious’. I pointed out to him that, since the character in question had no importance whatsoever to him, using that description was out of context. He should have used ‘blatant’ or ‘reprehensible’ instead.
In my view, the word ‘egregious’ (outstandingly, flagrantly bad behavior), probably due to its excessive formality, has a connotation of being significant. While it is entirely negative in tone, when used to describe someone or something, the speaker actually lends importance to the subject.
Thank heavens for Shift-F7, right? Yes, but do be careful. When you refer to a thesaurus, more often than not, the reference wouldn’t include instructions on how or when or where to employ the words. Even though two words are synonymous, each one’s usage may vary. For example, the word ‘voyage’ is normally reserved for trips across large bodies of water, and would be out of place when used to mean air passage.
There are synonyms that are seamlessly interchangeable, of course, and those come in handy when you don’t want to sound redundant. (For example, in the previous paragraph, I avoided saying the verb “use” more than once. There are 3 instances where I could’ve said “use” but did not. Can you identify all of them?)
The intuitive use of vocabulary comes with long experience. If you expose yourself to excellent publications, you’ll certainly be able to pick up a sense of good diction. Read novels because the language is dynamic and current in prose. Read poetry because it will make your imagination soar. Read famous people’s speeches because those will show you how to aptly use grandiose words and not sound pretentious. Read the news because… well, because it will teach you how to write concisely.
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I agree, Blogie, although I must admit that I have the tendency to use big words even if they sound weird.
I have an itsy-bitsy question I hope you can answer. One time, I was watching a video on YouTube and there was a comment that read:
“They are both pulchritudinous.”
Of course, pulchritude is physical beauty (esp. of a woman), and that sentence sounds well-formed. But it just rings differently in my ear. Is it okay to use “They are very pulchritudinous” when making a point? Lahi raman jud paminawon para sa ako. =)
@Dean — Just remember, when you write (or speak), your aim is to be understood. Ergo, the simpler, the better. I’m not saying that you abandon creativity in the way you convey your thoughts, but do try to keep this truism in mind.
A well-formed sentence simply means it’s grammatically correct. But it might not be proper, or it might sound strange. “They are very pulchritudinous” doesn’t sound right. I think if you use this outside the context of immense physical beauty, you’ll only sound trying hard.
But that’s just me. ;)
Exactly what I thought!
When I first read it (being used on YouTube), it sounded like the author of the comment was bashing the subject. Then I looked it up and found out it meant beautiful. I totally agree with you on the whole being understood thing. Actually, come to think of it, using “pulchritudinous” like that makes you sound pompous.
Frankly speaking, i didn’t know until now that diction meant the use of right vocabulary.I had been ignorant for so long!
This is a very useful post!keep enlightening me!:)
I am bookmarking this post!
@Dean — Why say “pulchritudinous” when you can say “irresistibly attractive” or, to be more attuned with the times, “unbelievably hot”?
@rampantheart — Thanks!! Glad to be of service. :)