On Mon, 27 Dec 2004 07:45:14 -0800
Randall R Schulz
I fear the O-T police are about to swoop in...
I fear nothing, because my cause is just....
I really feel incapable of commenting on this non-sense, except to say "diction" is about pronunciation, not writing, ...
Wrong. "Diction" is about choice of words (note its similarity to "dictionary"). It is a common misnomer to equate it to enunciation.
To wit (from the on-line Webster's Unabridged 1913 dictionary):
"Diction \Dic"tion\, n. [L. dicto a saying, a word, fr. dicere, dictum, to say; akin to dicare to proclaim, and to E. teach, token: cf. F. diction. See Teach, and cf. Benison, Dedicate, Index, Judge, Preach, Vengeance.] Choice of words for the expression of ideas; the construction, disposition, and application of words in discourse, with regard to clearness, accuracy, variety, etc.; mode of expression; language; as, the diction of Chaucer's poems."
Yes, (clearly lifted from the OED), "a saying" or speech, "to proclaim" etc., this about how words are spoken. Enunciation is, OTOH, (OED again) "The action of giving definite expression to (a law, principle, etc.,)" or, secondly, "A proposition or statement". : ) Terence