English 12.2, Ms.

Meyer

ANALYZING LANGUAGE IN FICTION

A) Getting a feel for it

To get started, read the following extract from Rumpole and the Blind Tasting, a short story by
John Mortimer. Rumpole is a lawyer. Note down anything which appears special or weird to you
in the way the text is written. Look for syntax, word choice, stylistic devises etc.

It is a good few years now since I adopted the habit of noting

down the facts of some of my outstanding cases1, the
splendours and miseries of an Old Bailey hack2, and those of
you who may have cast an eye over some of my previous
5 works of reminiscence may well be muttering ‘Plus ҫa change,
plus c’est la même chose’ or words to the like effect. After so
many cross-examinations, speeches to the Jury, verdicts3 of
guilty or not guilty, legal aid cheques long-awaited and quickly
disposed of down the bottomless pit of the overdraft at the
10 Caring Bank, no great change in the Rumpole fortunes had
taken place, the texture of life remained much as it had
always been and would, no doubt, do so until after my
positively last case when I sit waiting to be called on in the
Great Circuit Court of the Skies, if such a tribunal exists.

1 legal action, especially those to be decided in a court of law

2 a worker who does not excel
3 decisions on an issue of fact in a civil or criminal case

B) Understanding it

LANGUAGE - the words a writer uses and what impact they have.

When talking about language there are a number of things to look for:
• the literary devices an author uses, like similes and metaphors
• the emotive language – language designed to make the reader feel a certain way
• imagery – language that draws on our five sense and creates mental pictures
• the connotations of particular word choices
• the types of words used in the text, e.g. dialect words, long and complicated words or
short and straightforward words
• the types of sentences used, e.g. long or short, simple or complicated

Find out about the characters by looking closely at the words they use in dialogue. If they use
long, difficult words, it might show how clever a character is (or thinks they are!).
Style
Style is the way in which something is written, as opposed to the meaning of what is written. In
writing, however, the two are very closely linked. As the package for the meaning of the text, style
influences the reader’s impression of the information itself and shows the narrators’ or
characters’ attitude toward the subject. Style includes diction and tone as well as the use of
stylistic devices. The main goal in considering style is to present your information in a manner
appropriate for both the audience and the purpose of the writing.

In general, when analyzing language and style, you should consider the following elements:
1) diction and register
2) tone
3) stylistic devices

1) Diction
Diction is word choice. A study of diction is the analysis of how a writer uses language for a distinct
purpose and effect, including word choice and figures of speech.
It refers to meaning and amount of the vocabulary but also syntax and part of speech.

Language also tells us a lot about the underlying ideas of a text. Words that have almost the same
denotation (dictionary meaning, rational) can have very different connotations (implied
meanings, emotional).
For example, the word 'desk' literally denotes a table, but it has connotations of work and study.

Words can reveal a theme, such as death, or love, or create a particular mood in a scene. For
instance, specific words and phrases might be used to create tension. In the example above, a lot
of words from the word field of law are used to set the particular context.

The level of formality – i.e. register – also plays a big role in creating meaning and context as well
as illustrating the relationship between characters.

How formal or how informal we are depends on the reason for communicating and the relationship
we have with the person we are speaking to. We tend to use more informal language with people we
are close to and in situations where we feel most comfortable. We are more formal with people we do
not know so well and in situations that are more difficult or uncomfortable.

Examples:
Formal Diction Neutral Diction Casual Diction Slang (very informal)
demolished destroyed smashed fucked up
The following sentences can be arranged in the grid accordingly:
A) “Could you possibly let me know whether there are any vacancies for administrators?”
B) “Put the kettle on.”
C) “Hi Kit - I’m really sorry, I can’t make it to your barbecue next week after all. I forgot - I promised
to take the kids over to Gran’s.”
D) “Congratulations on your new job. I’m really pleased for you.”

Formal and informal language can further been divided:

Informal:
– Colloquial: conversational language, such as dialect → The urban dictionary
Y’all, Wanna, gonna, go nuts (www.urbandictionary.com) can
help you with the connotation
– Slang: words not part of standard language.
and meaning of slang words.
Third degree, kick the bucket, photo bomb, hater
Formal:
– Jargon: special language of a profession or group
• Educational: anecdotal records, benchmark, cooperative learning
• Technical: bandwidth, hot spot, surf

Besides the level of formality, also consider positive or negative connotations of the words
chosen.
Examples:
Positive Connotation Neutral Connotation Negative Connotation
interested questioning nosy
unique different peculiar
vintage old decrepit
elated happy manic

2) Tone
The choice of words (diction) creates an overall tone or attitude toward the subject, toward
himself, or toward the audience within a piece of writing.
Tone establishes a mood or atmosphere and can reveal an attitude.

The tone may be objective or subjective, logical or emotional, intimate or distant, serious or
humorous, …. or is it mixed, changing, ambiguous, or unclear.

Your job is to find out how this particular tone is achieved.

Use diction to find tone; use imagery (language that draws on the five senses and creates a vivid
mental picture in the reader), details (how many facts are given), language (see 1) above and
consider stylistic devices), and syntax (how are the sentences put together, how long or short are
they) to support tone.

Remember writers rarely use only one tone; an author’s tone will often shift within a work.

Find more explanations and exercises on diction and tone here:

https://www.texasgateway.org/resource/diction-and-tone-english-ii-reading

C) Asking yourself the right questions about it

When analyzing the language of a text, think about the words he uses, why he has chosen those
words and what impact they have on the reader.

Ask yourself the following questions:

• What appears odd or striking to me when reading the text?
• What has the writer done?
• How has he done it?
• What words does he use?
• Does he employ any stylistic devices in his writing?
• What images and symbols are used?
• Why has he done it?
• What's the effect on the reader?

D) Using it

In the following we will look at examples from the famous story of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.

Summary
The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, novella by Robert Louis Stevenson, published in 1886.
The names of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde are the two alter egos of the main character. Calm and
respectable, Jekyll has secretly developed a potion that will allow him to separate the good and evil
aspects of his personality. He is able at will to change into his evil counterpart, Mr. Hyde, who gives
way to uncontrollable urges on the streets and alleyways of London.

What kind of vocabulary do you

expect in the story?

What atmosphere is probably

created by the words?

What’s the tone like?

Might there be a specific word

field or theme?
The following table shows how certain effects in the text are created, why they have been created
and what specific effect they have on the reader.

Sources:
https://www.wheaton.edu/academics/services/writing-center/writing-resources/style-diction-tone-and-voice/
https://www.bbc.com/bitesize/guides/zsf2v4j/revision/1
http://examples.yourdictionary.com/examples-of-connotative-words.html
http://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/ks3/english/writing/tone_style/revision/2/
https://www.bbc.com/bitesize/guides/z3brcdm/revision/1
https://www.bbc.com/bitesize/guides/z2psfg8/revision/1