diegetic sound
noun phrase (film and media studies)

- sound whose source is visible on the screen or whose source is implied to be present by the action.

- sound in a film that appears to come from a source within the story world

- music, speech, or sound effects in a film that the characters are aware of

Oxford Dictionary, Collins Dictionary, Cambridge Dictionary

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PHRASE ORIGIN

The term "diegetic sound" has a fascinating etymology that traces back to ancient Greek philosophy and narrative theory.

The word "diegetic" comes from the Greek διήγησις (diegesis), which means "narration" or "narrative,” in turn derived from the verb διηγεῖσθαι (diegeisthai), meaning "to narrate," "to tell," or "to recount."

The concept of diegesis was first developed by Plato in his work "The Republic" (circa 380 BCE), where he distinguished between two modes of poetic expression:
- Mimesis (μίμησις) - direct imitation or representation
- Diegesis (διήγησις) - pure narrative or telling

Aristotle later refined these concepts in his "Poetics," establishing the foundation for narrative theory that would influence storytelling analysis for millennia.

The term "diegetic" was adopted into modern literary and film theory in the 20th century. French narratologist Gérard Genette popularized the distinction between:
- Diegetic elements - those that exist within the story world
- Non-diegetic elements - those that exist outside the story world

In cinema, "diegetic sound" specifically refers to audio that originates from within the fictional world of the film - sounds that the characters can theoretically hear. This contrasts with "non-diegetic sound" (like musical scores or voice-over narration) that exists only for the audience.

The compound term "diegetic sound" thus literally means "narrative sound" - sound that is part of the story being told rather than added commentary upon it.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

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WHO HEARS WHAT?


Understanding diegetic sound enhances our appreciation of how films tell stories. It's not just about what we hear, but who hears it. When a character listens to a love song on the radio, the mood is shared – it's part of their world. But if that same song plays during a montage, unheard by characters, it's non-diegetic, and meant just for us.

Simple Definition: "If the characters can hear it, it's diegetic"

Directors often blur the lines between the two: a jukebox might play a tune that gradually blends into the film score, shifting the emotional weight. Noticing these shifts reveals how sound shapes narrative, emotion, and audience perception.

For language learners and film buffs alike, diegetic and non-diegetic sounds are doorways into how meaning is constructed beyond words.

Helga & Paul Smith

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SYNONYMS

actual sound, ambient noise, authentic sound, character-heard audio, DIEGETIC SOUND, environment audio, environmental noise, in-scene audio, in-story sound, in-universe sound, live sound, naturalistic audio, on-camera sound, on-screen sound, on-set sound, on-stage noise, organic sound, practical audio, realistic sound, story-world audio, story-world noise, visible source sound, world-embedded sound, world-internal audio, world-internal noise

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SMUGGLE OWAD into an English conversation today, say something like:

“Dubbing foreign-language film into one’s own language ruins the DIEGETIC SOUND—the natural voices the characters hear—which is why I always prefer to read subtitles!”