Home › Glossary › Letter F

free indirect speech

Device
Pronunciation

Understanding ARPABET Pronunciation

Want to hear it? Click the Listen button to hear the browser speak the word using text-to-speech!

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

Another term for free indirect discourse, where narration and character voice intermingle

Detailed Definition
Free indirect speech is essentially the same as free indirect discourse, merging character voice into third-person narration without overt markers. This creates fluidity between perspectives, enriching thematic and psychological dimensions.
Example
Example in poetry:
Third-person narration blending into inner monologue; Speaker adopting character’s viewpoint mid-line; Narrative voice merging seamlessly with thought; Poem moving fluidly between perspectives
Additional Notes
Free indirect speech merges narrator and character voice, often in prose poetry or narrative verse. Contrast with persona speech. Offers subtle interiority—practice identifying whose thought it is by tracking pronouns, tense, and idiom shifts.
Also Known As
Blended speech Narrative-thought merge Indirect voice
Skip to main content