When you choose to speak or write a certain word as opposed to another, you exemplify a literary term known as diction. Writers use diction all the time to convey a mood of a character or his background. Modern diction refers to contemporary language as it occurs immediately or in the recent past. However, the definition of modern diction also depends on the time period of the piece in question. Any time period after the Middle Ages is considered to be modern history. Historians refer to the current time period as contemporary history. Furthermore, classification of modern language also depends on the language. For example, societies relatively untouched by civilization do not use modern diction because they still use an ancient, widely unknown language.
Readers understand an author's style and tone by analyzing his use of diction. Modern diction is often referred to as slang or informal diction when writers use dialogue that is based more on phonetic correction rather than grammar. For example, in Bret Easton Ellis' "American Psycho," a story of a yuppy broker in the 1980s, Patrick Bateman's inner dialogue gives several examples of modern diction, from his collection of Phil Collins CDs to watermarked business cards. As Bateman lists various entertainment and fashion terms, the reader understands the character's personality as well as the time period.
The order of words is especially important when defining diction in poetry. When understanding modern diction, you not only pay attention to the order but also the vocabulary. The order of words, also known as syntax in poetry, may be simple or complex. The line, "She took a peach off the tree," may change to, "Off the tree, a peach she took." However, this example does not exhibit any modernity. A piece like "Howl" by Allen Ginsberg provides multiple examples, such as "...who studied Plotinus Poe St. John of the Cross telepathy and bop kabbalah because the cosmos instinctively vibrated at their feet in Kansas..." Written about the hippie era, Ginsberg describes a state of mind and uses words like "bop kabbalah" and "cosmos" to further illustrate the modern period.
Most films use a form of dialogue with specific words and phrases that change, depending on the character. From the actor's use of diction, viewers understand his background and personality. Modern diction becomes harder to understand in film, because the term refers to multiple time periods, whether a just-released blockbuster or a film noir from the 1950s. The best way to understand diction in movies is by looking at a single piece of dialogue that when taken out of context still conveys the modern time period. For example, "Don't bull me, man. I got the right number. This is Shaft." Any western film watcher would know that this is an excerpt from Gordon Parks' 1971 "Shaft," a film about a private eye named John Shaft working in the 1970s.