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Decorative diction

Device
Pronunciation

Understanding ARPABET Pronunciation

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The pronunciation guide uses the ARPABET phonetic system—the same system used in speech recognition and text-to-speech applications.

Vowel Examples:
AE1 = cat, bat
EH1 = bed, head
IY1 = see, me
OW1 = go, boat
UW1 = boot, do
Stress Numbers:
0 = no stress (unstressed)
1 = primary stress (loud)
2 = secondary stress (medium)
Example:
AH0 TH IY1 N AH0
= a-THEE-na (Athena)

The stressed syllable (marked with 1) is pronounced louder and clearer than others.

Quick Definition

Use of embellished or ornamental word choice for aesthetic effect

Detailed Definition
Decorative diction refers to the use of ornamental, sensuous, or highly stylized language—rich in imagery, alliteration, and archaic or exotic vocabulary—to enhance aesthetic pleasure; Keats’s “embalmed darkness” and Spenser’s “crimson rose” exemplify this lush, painterly approach to poetic description.
Example
Example in poetry:
Keats’s “Ode to a Nightingale”: “embalmed darkness,” “purple-stained mouth”; Spenser’s “The Faerie Queene”: “Her angel’s face, as the great eye of heaven”; Shelley’s “Adonais”: “bright visions” and “seraph eyes”; Tennyson’s “The Lady of Shalott”: “long fields of barley and of rye, / That clothe the wold and meet the sky”
Additional Notes
Decorative diction uses ornamental, elaborate, or highly stylized language for aesthetic effect—common in Baroque, Parnassian, or Aesthetic movement poetry; risks artificiality if not grounded in emotional or thematic substance.
Also Known As
Ornamental language embellished diction florid expression lavish wordcraft Embellished phrasing Ornamental writing Ornate vocabulary
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