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Emotional language

Concept
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

Diction and phrasing chosen specifically to convey or provoke emotional responses, ranging from tenderness to outrage through connotation and rhythm.

Detailed Definition
Vocabulary, diction, and phrasing chosen primarily for emotional impact, affective power, or ability to express and evoke feelings. Emotional language uses words charged with connotation, sentiment, and passion—terms like "yearning," "shattered," "tender"—rather than neutral or denotative vocabulary. Central to lyric poetry's expressive function, emotional language creates atmosphere, establishes tone, generates empathy, and communicates the speaker's inner states. Contrasts with technical, neutral, or purely descriptive language.
Example
Example in poetry:
Keats' "tender is the night"; Dickinson's emotionally charged vocabulary; Language of yearning, aching, trembling; Words conveying sensation and feeling
Additional Notes
Central to lyric poetry's expressive function. Contrast with neutral or technical language. Consider how different emotions require different vocabularies and registers.
Also Known As
Affective diction Emotive vocabulary Feeling words Passionate language Emotive diction
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