dic·tion (d k sh n)n. 1. Choice and use of words in speech or writing. 2. Degree of clarity and distinctness of pronunciation in speech or singing; enunciation. [Middle English diccion, a saying, word, from Old French, from Latin dicti  , dictin-, rhetorical delivery, from dictus, past participle of d cere, to say, speak; see deik- in Indo-European roots.]dic tion·al adj.dic tion·al·ly adv. |
diction [ˈdɪkʃən]
Diction
BBC English The speech of the announcers of the British Broadcasting Corporation, generally accepted as the epitome of correct British English pronunciation until the early 1970s, when announcers (“presenters” in England) with regional accents were allowed on the air. The term is often used disparagingly due to its connotations of affectation and pretentiousness:
Critics who enjoy making fun of what they are pleased to call “B.B.C. English” might with profit pay occasional visits to the other side of the Atlantic, in order to hear examples of our language as broadcast where there are no official “recommendations to announcers.” (Listener, 1932)
The expression is rapidly losing its significance.
the King’s English Perfectly spoken English; also, the Queen’s English. The British monarch has long been considered the paragon of flawless diction, notwithstanding the fact that many of the kings and queens spoke with heavy accents. The expression was used in Shakespeare’s Merry Wives of Windsor:
Abusing of God’s patience, and the King’s English. (I, iv)
Received Pronunciation British English as spoken at Oxford and Cambridge, and in England’s public schools; often abbreviated RP. This term describes the speech of England’s cultured, educated class; it has no dialectal or regional characteristics or boundaries but is recognized throughout the country as the hallmark of the educated Englishman.
| Noun | 1. |  diction - the articulation of speech regarded from the point of view of its intelligibility to the audiencearticulation - the aspect of pronunciation that involves bringing articulatory organs together so as to shape the sounds of speech mumbling - indistinct enunciation |
| 2. | diction - the manner in which something is expressed in words; "use concise military verbiage"- G.S.Patton formulation, expression - the style of expressing yourself; "he suggested a better formulation"; "his manner of expression showed how much he cared" mot juste - the appropriate word or expression verbalisation, verbalization - the words that are spoken in the activity of verbalization |
diction
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