What is Free indirect discourse?
Ko te free indirect discourse he tikanga kōrero e whakakotahi ana ngā whakaaro o tētahi tangata me te reo o te kaituaki ki te reo o te kaituaki, kia rongo ngā kare-ā-roto me ngā kare-ā-roto i te kore o ngā tohu kākahu. He tirohanga tata tēnei ki te toru-tau, pērā ki te noho ki roto i te hinengaro o tētahi tangata, ā, e pupuri ana i te kōrero o te tuatoru-tau.
Ko te kōrero ā-kore-ā-roto (i ētahi wā e kiia ana ko te free indirect style) ka tāpiri ētahi o ngā whakaaro, ngā kare-ā-roto, me ngā āhuatanga o tētahi tangata ki te whakaaturanga o te kaituaki tuatoru. Kāore e tuhia ngā tohu whakaaro mārama pēnei i “Kia whakaaro, ‘Ka taea e au te manawa,’” rānei te whakamahi i tētahi whakarāpopototanga pērā i “Kāore au e kaha ki te manawa,” — engari ko te mea e rua ka puta: te kaituaki e kōrero tonu ki te toru-tau, engari ko te reo, te tangi, me te whaiaronga e whakaatu ana i te hinengaro o te tangata. Ka puta mai ētahi rārangi e rongo ana ki te reo o te tangata (me ōna kupu, ōna pātai, ōna whakawa) i te mea e pupuri ana i te māmā o te whakaatu tuatoru.
Usage example
Evelyn i te tiro ki te karanga. He hui māra? I taua wā? Me whai ngā putiputi, rānei, te kōrero poto? Ē, i karangahia ia—na te mea kāore he mea paku ake i te mea pākiki pēnei. Ka taea e ia te kite i tana mānuka whakapiki i te wā e tae mai ana.
Practical application
Mō ngā kaituaki romance—ahara i roto i ngā taupānga e whakaawea ana i ngā kōwhiringa—ko te kōrero ā-kore-ā-roto he taputapu kaha ki te whakapiki i te here emotional without breaking the flow of the narrative. Mā tēnei e taea ai koe:
- Whakaatu i ngā urupare me ngā hiahia motuhake o te kēmu-taha (player-character) me te hōpara i ngā kōwhiringa ki te wairua.
- Noa te reo o te kīato ki te toru-tau i te wā e rere kē te tata ki ngā tangata rereke.
- Waihangā koe i te mōhiotanga, te here, tāra i te wā i te mea e whakaatu ana te reo o te kai-kaiaraki i te rangona o te tangata ake.
Ki te whakamahia pai, ka pupuri i te urunga (immersion) mō Endless Romance, ā, e pupuri ana i ngā wāhanga kia māmā, ā, kia tere te kare-ā-roto.
FAQ
How is free indirect discourse different from direct interior monologue?
Direct interior monologue quotes a character’s exact thoughts (often in first person or with quotation marks), e.g., “I can’t believe he did that,” she thought. Free indirect discourse keeps third-person narration but adopts the character’s language and perspective, so the thought reads inside the narration itself without quotation marks.
Can free indirect discourse be used in first-person or only third-person?
It’s most distinct and commonly used in third-person close narration, because the technique relies on the contrast between narrator and character voice. First-person is already fully 'inside' a character, so the same effect is achieved differently—though you can still shift between direct thought and narrated reflection in first-person.
How do I signal free indirect discourse to readers without confusing them?
Use shifts in diction, sentence rhythm, rhetorical questions, exclamations, and sensory detail that echo the character’s perspective. Keep verb tense and grammatical person consistent with the surrounding narration; avoid thought tags (she thought) and quotation marks for the thought material. Small markers—slang, a private joke, or a sudden short sentence—help readers recognize the character’s inner voice.