Word Choice, Diction and Language Types

Dialogue

These are the words spoken by characters in a literary work

Dialect

This is a form of language that is characteristic of a particular place or by a particular group of people

Standard American English

This is is the version of the English language that is regarded as the model in America for writers and speakers who are considered educated

Fluency

This is the ability to speak, read, write a language: automatic word recognition, decoding and checking for meaning

Connotation

This is the emotional feelings and associations that go beyond the dictionary definition of a word

Lexicon

This is the vocabulary or words used by a particular profession or with a specifc subject

Pronunciation

This is the way a word of language sounds when spoken

Diction

This is the writer's choice of words, including the vocabulary used, the appropriateness of the words, and the vividness of the language

Quote

This is to speak or to write a passage from another source. It can also be the exact words that someone else has written or said

Formal Language

This is used by writers of scholarly books. It usually has longer sentences and a greater variety of words than everyday speech. Slang, contractions and jargon are avoided

Informal Language

This is what people use in everyday speech. It usually consists of fairly short sentences and simple vocabulary

Syntax

This refers to the ordering of elements in a sentence