Explanation
A narrative form in which the character’s perspective and the narrator’s speech intertwine without an introductory phrase. In the atlas, the term is not treated in isolation: it shifts the boundary between the narrator’s voice and the character’s voice. This reveals the distinctions the form enables and how it connects to related phenomena.
Example
So, tomorrow, then. Why did everything have to be so hard?
Counterexample
Direct speech is marked by an explicit character’s voice.
Distinction
Direct speech is marked by an explicit character’s voice.
Effect on thought and perception
The term draws attention to the shifting boundary between the narrator’s voice and the character’s voice. What previously appeared to be a unified process becomes perceptible as a structured relationship.
Resonance
Resonance arises when reported speech is not only named but experienced as a movement between form, expectation, and effect.
Cite this entry
Reich, Michael (Hrsg./ed.): „Free Indirect Discourse“. Atlas der Sprache, AT-088-017. ATLAS 251, data model 1.6.0. https://atlasoflanguage.com/concept/AT-088-017The address remains stable; editorial content may evolve. A verified modification date per entry is not yet available. Include your access date for precise references.