diction
/ˈdɪkʃn/ (bre, ipa) · /ˈdɪkʃn/ (ame, ipa) · /ˈdik-shən/ (ame, mw)
diction — 名詞
1. how clearly and precisely someone says each sound and word when they speak or si
咬字；口齒
說話或唱歌時咬字的清晰程度
how clearly and precisely someone says each sound and word when they speak or sing, judged by how easy it is to follow.
Christopher's diction was so clear that every word reached the back row of the theatre.
Christopher 的咬字十分清晰，連劇場最後一排都能聽見每一個字。
possessive + clear diction; common collocation
Voice coaches in Taipei trained Minh to improve her diction before the radio audition.
台北的聲音教練在 Minh 廣播試音前訓練她改善咬字。
collocation: improve one's diction
The opera singer's diction was so precise that the audience understood every Italian word.
那位歌劇演唱家咬字非常準確，觀眾連每個義大利文單字都聽得懂。
Owen failed the news anchor interview because his diction became unclear when he was nervous.
Owen 在主播面試中失利，因為他一緊張咬字就含糊不清。
Élise practised tongue twisters every morning to sharpen her diction.
Élise 每天早上練繞口令，用來磨利自己的咬字。
- enunciation
more technical; focuses on hitting each consonant
- articulation
broader; covers the physical movement of mouth and tongue
- elocution
older, formal; the trained art of public speaking
- mumbling
unclear, low-volume speech
文法句型
good/poor/clear diction
have + adjective + diction
用法筆記
Subject is typically the speaker or singer, modified by adjectives like clear, crisp, precise, sloppy, or slurred. Distinguish from sense 2 (which is about which words a person picks); sense 1 is about the physical clarity of saying them.
常見錯誤
2. the particular words a writer or speaker picks and the style created by those ch
用字；措辭
作者或說話者選詞的方式與風格
the particular words a writer or speaker picks and the style created by those choices, especially in literature or careful speech.
Reema admired the elevated diction in nineteenth-century English novels.
Reema 很欣賞十九世紀英國小說中典雅的用字遣詞。
literary register: elevated diction
The poet mixed everyday diction with old religious terms to surprise his readers.
那位詩人把日常的措辭和古老的宗教用語混在一起，藉此讓讀者感到驚奇。
contrast: everyday vs formal diction
Professor Yael told the class that the diction of Toni Morrison's novels rewards close reading.
Yael 教授告訴全班，Toni Morrison 小說的用字遣詞值得細細閱讀。
Caio adjusted the diction of his cover letter to sound more formal.
Caio 調整了求職信的用字，讓它聽起來更為正式。
Hip-hop artists often blend street diction with literary references in a single verse.
嘻哈歌手常常在同一段歌詞裡，把街頭的措辭和文學典故混合起來。
- vocabulary
the set of words available, less about style than diction
- wording
everyday; the specific way something is phrased
- phrasing
leans toward how words are combined rather than which are chosen
文法句型
formal/poetic/everyday diction
the diction of + writer/work
用法筆記
Typical contexts are literary analysis, essay feedback, and discussion of register. Often paired with descriptors of register (formal, colloquial, archaic, poetic, plain). Distinguish from sense 1: a singer can have great diction (clear sounds) while a novelist has interesting diction (word choices).