Home › Glossary › Letter E

elaborate diction

Device
Pronunciation

Understanding ARPABET Pronunciation

Want to hear it? Click the Listen button to hear the browser speak the word using text-to-speech!

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

A highly stylized and sophisticated form of word choice in poetry

Detailed Definition
Elaborate diction involves the deliberate selection of elevated, archaic, technical, or unusually precise vocabulary to enhance a poem’s tone, atmosphere, or intellectual depth; poets like Milton or Hopkins employ such diction not for obscurity but to achieve sonic richness, theological nuance, or emotional specificity unattainable through plain speech.
Example
Example in poetry:
Elaborate diction: Bob Dylan’s “A Hard Rain’s A-Gonna Fall” with folk-style language yet apocalyptic imagery; Shakespeare’s use of rich, ornate vocabulary in sonnets such as “My mistress’ eyes are nothing like the sun”; John Milton’s elevated language and Latinate words in "Paradise Lost"; Emily Dickinson’s precise yet complex word choices conveying profound themes in simple phrases.
Additional Notes
Word choice (diction) that is deliberately ornate, sophisticated, or complex, featuring elevated vocabulary, Latinate terms, or unusual word arrangements; common in Neoclassical or Baroque poetry; contrasts with simple diction.
Also Known As
Elaborate wording Ornate diction Embellished speech Decorative language Aureate language ornate language
Skip to main content