KNOWING THE LANGUAGE OF Sensory Experience

CREATIVE WRITING (Part 2) The Piercing Chill I Feel

DICTION
Diction – Style of speaking or writing determined by the
choice of words by the speaker of a writer.
 It separates good writing from bad writing.
 It depends on a number of factors
 Proper diction is important to get the message
across.
 The wrong diction can easily divert listeners or
readers which results in misinterpretation of
the message intended to be conveyed.
CRITERIA FOR PROPER DICTION
Accuracy – It means free from error.
 It is “correct” in the sense that its accepted
meaning is the meaning that the author
intends.
 Homonyms often confuse writers which can be
a cause of inaccuracies.
o “Your” versus “You’re”
o “Stationery” versus “Stationary”
 Inaccuracies are too often made when we use
“big” words or poly syllabic ones in an effort to
sound knowledgeable.
 Those with similar prefixes must never be
confused with one another unless your
intention is to play with the language, such as
comic poetry or humor writing, as wish to
create confusion to your readers.
Precision – the range of meanings of words. The lesser
the range, the more precise it becomes.
 The more precise the word is, the better.
 But there are instances where being precise or
too specific might not be appropriate to the
context you are writing in.
Concreteness – evokes images, bits of sensory
experience.
 It creates a vivid picture that is more efficient,
more memorable in your mind.
 By evoking images and appealing to the senses,
concrete words allow the reader to be
immersed in that imaginary world and even
experience what the characters are oing
through.
 Audrey exhibited extreme shyness
 Audrey felt bashful
 Audrey looked sheepish
(Taniguchi Buson)
The piercing chill I feel;
My dead wife’s comb, in our bedroom,
Under my heel…
Synesthesia – the poetic act of describing a sense
impression by using another sense, as seen in the
expressions “a hot mess” or “icy stare”.
 The yoking together of the senses makes fresh
ways of looking at the object.
 By using one kind of sensation for another, the
sense impression is imbued with added texture,
just as color may be attributed to sounds or
taste to feeling.
Allusion is a brief and indirect reference to a person,
place, thing or idea of historical, cultural, literary or
political significance.
 It does not describe in detail the person or thing
to which it refers. It is just a passing comment
and the writer expects the reader to possess
enough knowledge to spot the allusion and
grasp its importance in a text.
 “I do not approve of this quixotic idea”
 “Don’t act like a Romeo in front of her”
 “The rise in poverty will unlock the Pandora’s
box of crimes.”
 “This place is like a Garden of Eden.”
 “Hey! Guess who the new Newton of our school
is?”
 “Stop acting like my ex-husband please.”
 “Mt. Apo is the Philippine’s Mt. Everest”
 “To the surprise of many, the corrupt politician
decided to eulogize the departed former leader
and implied his eulogy hat he is the country’s
Lee Kwan Yew.
 “My wife will forever be the Ms. Universe of my
life”
GUIDE QUESTIONS
Give an example of an idiomatic expression
Give at least a figure of speech and name some
examples
What are the criteria of diction in literature?
What is synesthesia?
What are allusions and provide some examples.

Appropriateness – a writer who knows the audience

will know exactly what diction to use in order to satisfy
their demands.
 It answers two questions:
 What is my purpose?
 Who is my audience?