Acousma (Noun)
Meaning
Illusory auditory perception of strange nonverbal sounds.
Classification
Nouns denoting natural processes.
Examples
- The patient reported hearing an acousma of children laughing in her home, although she was alone at the time.
- Researchers attempted to recreate the acousma of whispers experienced by many test subjects in the allegedly haunted mansion.
- After the car accident, the victim experienced an acousma of screeching tires that lingered for days.
- Studies have been conducted on individuals who claim to experience acousma of ringing sounds in their ears with no apparent source.
- The artist sought to incorporate the concept of acousma into her installation, mimicking the unsettling feeling of hearing disembodied noises.