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Ornate 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

The use of highly decorative, elaborate, or elevated language in poetry

Detailed Definition
Ornate diction refers to the use of elaborate, elevated, or highly decorative language in poetry, often featuring archaic terms, Latinate vocabulary, and complex syntax; associated with Baroque and Parnassian aesthetics, it seeks to dazzle through linguistic artifice and rhetorical sophistication rather than plain speech.
Example
Example in poetry:
John Donne’s “The Sun Rising” with its elaborate metaphysical conceits; Milton’s Latinate syntax and elevated diction in “Paradise Lost”; Tennyson’s jeweled descriptions in “The Lady of Shalott”; Victorian poets using archaic terms like “thee” and “thou” for decorative effect
Additional Notes
Ornate diction uses elevated, decorative, or archaic language for rhetorical effect; common in Baroque, Romantic, and Decadent poetry; can signal excess, artifice, or reverence depending on context
Also Known As
elevated diction baroque phrasing Latinate style ornamental language Aureate verse elaborate diction Gongorism Affected style verbal excess florid language
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