diegettinen

Diegettinen is a term used in Finnish-language discourse on narrative media theory. It functions as an adjective to describe elements, events, or perspectives that belong to the diegetic level—the fictional world in which characters operate and perceive events—as opposed to those devised for the audience outside that world. In practice, diegettinen elements include dialogue spoken by characters, objects and textures that characters interact with, and sounds that originate within the story world. By contrast, elements intended solely for the viewer or reader’s perception—such as non-diegetic music, voice-over commentary, or explicit auteurial narration—are not diegettinen.

Etymology and usage: The term appears to be formed from the Greek-derived diegesis via the common Finnish adjectival suffix -inen; it is not widely standardized and remains relatively rare outside scholarly writing. Some authors use diegettinen as a precise label in analyses of how a narrative constructs its in-world reality, while others prefer established terms like diegetic or in Finnish. The term’s acceptability may vary by publication and discipline.

See also: Diegesis, diegetic, non-diegetic, narrative theory.