[Lexicog] words for different kinds of laughter

[John Roberts]

Fritz,

I would say the English vocabulary describing laughing has about 2 or 3 
levels of intensity with 'laugh' itself describing the 'norm':

Describing a restrained laugh: chortle, chuckle, crease up, giggle, 
snicker, snigger, titter,
Norm: laugh, bubble/cackle with laughter
Describing an unrestrained laugh: guffaw, 
hoot/howl/roar/scream/shake/shriek/snort with laughter
Completely uncontrolled laughter: fall about/ split one's sides/ have 
hysterics/ piss oneself laughing.

The pattern seems to be the more unrestrained the laughing, the more 
unrestrained the descriptive vocabulary. :-) I think the terms 'giggle' 
and 'titter' would typically have female agents and 'guffaw' would 
typically have a male agent, but I don't think the other expressions 
have this restriction.

John Roberts


-- 
********************
John R Roberts
SIL International Linguistics Consultant
dr_john_roberts at sil.org
********************



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