diegetic
(dy-uh-JET-ik)
MEANING:
adjective: Happening inside a story.
ETYMOLOGY:
From Greek diegesis (narrative). Earliest documented
use: 1970. The term is usually used with sounds. A character performing a song
in a nightclub in the story is diegetic, while a character in a musical singing
a song that tells the turmoil of her heart is non-diegetic -- people don’t live
their lives as a musical -- they don’t break out into song at random times to
describe the ups and downs of their lives. The term can be used for things
besides the sound too. For example, a caption in a film is non-diegetic because
it’s not happening inside the story -- it’s only visible to the viewers.
