Unit 5 Word Choice
Objectives: 1) to know the levels of diction;
2) to know how to choo the right words in English writing.
Word choice is very important for the development of a mature pro style. Indeed, to communicate effectively, you need to understand the different levels of diction: formal and informal, abstract and concrete, and general and specific. You need to be able to appreciate the connotative as well as the denotative meanings of words, to prune the pro of wordiness and redundancy, and to watch out for slang, jargon, and cliché.
1. Levels of Diction
1.1 Formal and Informal
理财利率
萧瑟的秋天 In terms of formality, English words can be categorized as formal and informal. Formal diction is ud in the standard discour suitable for academic or business writing. Rather f
ormal diction is ud in the following “thank-you” letter to the CEO of a company after a job interview:
Thank you very much for giving me an opportunity to discuss my application and credentials with you. I enjoyed meeting you and other nior executive officers and I trust that my experience in market analysis will prove uful in helping your company expand your market share among the competitors. I look forward to hearing from you soon.
Informal diction is more conversational and reflects a more casual relationship between writer and audience, as shown in the following “thank-you” note to someone the writer knows:
Thanks much for writing that big reference letter for me. It means so much to me. I believe my work in market analysis will be quite uful for ATM South. I hope they will consider my application riously and offer the position to me.
大智若愚意思 If the same job applicant writes to a personal friend about the same topic, the diction us
骑车人ed could be even more informal, or colloquial:
I’ve got all the right stuff for them at ATM South, Bob, and I wouldn’t be surprid if I get another call form them soon. They must be nuts if they pass me up. Oh, I need this job badly. Wish me luck!
In fact, colloquial expressions are quite popular on college campus in the United States. For example, you may often overhear conversations between a professor and a student somewhat like the one in the following:
Student: Hi, prof, do you have a c?
Professor: Hey, Jimmy, what’s up?
Student: Well, I was wondering if I’d flunk bio this m.
Professor: What made you worried?
Student: I’m having a rough time, you know, with everything going on, and all the cours I’m taking, like psych, lit, stats, phys, ed, and all that stuff.
一国两制时间 In this conversation, prof stand for professor, c for cond, bio for biology, m for mester, psych for psychology, lit for literature, stats for statistics, and phys. ed for physical education.
Even more informal than colloquialism is slang, a vocabulary of playful but often short-lived “substandard” words and phras which sometimes carry with them inten vividness and deliberate irreverence (e fuller discussion on the topic in the following).
走不开的快乐
Abbreviations are usually considered as less formal than full forms. Thus c. is informal, while ction is formal; vol. informal and volume formal. Informal style may rely partly on abbreviations, others being contractions and short ntences.
The formality or informality of diction or language is not absolute, but relative. Much writing you do everyday is neither exclusively formal nor completely informal. However, y
ou should be aware of and be nsitive to the different levels of formality, choo words that are appropriate to your rhetorical context (subject, audience, and purpo), and try to maintain a consistent level of formality. Check your academic writing for any excessively informal words or phras. Similarly, check for excessive formality in your informal writing. Strive to keep the level of formality appropriate to the context and consistent in each piece of writing. To u overly formal expressions on a very informal occasion would be no different from wearing suit and tie and shiny leather shoes at a get-together of old friends. Converly, to u extremely informal or slang expressions on a very formal occasion would be like wearing T-shirts, baggy jeans, and dirty sneakers at a rather fancy weeding party in a five-star hotel. An essay written with a mixture of formal, informal, colloquial, and slang expressions would taste like a drink mixed with expensive French wine and cheap locally brewed beer.
The following example may give you a feel of what it would taste like if you mix different levels of diction together:
Mr. John Smith proclaims that he is concerned with ecology and the prervation of natural beauty. But he doesn’t give a flip about littering public places. Johnny purchas clothes from the most extravagant store in town yet he is a happy brown bagger when it comes to lunch. I am clueless about this dude; he is full of contradictions.朝三暮四成语故事
In this short paragraph, the mixture of formal and informal expressions (Mr. John Smith/Johnny/this dude; is concerned with/doesn’t give a flip) gives it a neither-fish-nor-fowl flavor.
Trying to maintain a consistent level of formality may prove particularly challenging for non-native speakers. If you are not sure of the usage of a word or expression, be sure to look it up in an English-English dictionary.
