LAUGHTER IN WRITTEN SERBIAN LANGUAGE

Abstract

Laughter is an expression of a person's mood. It belongs to the vocal articulation in humans. In literature (and in dictionaries) sometimes this manner of articulation needs to be depicted in words. Different languages have different inventories of sounds which evoke laughter in written language. In this paper, we discuss the inventory of sounds by which laughter is represented in writing in the Serbian language. Data were compiled from published dictionaries and literary works, and some were obtained through a survey. The data were analyzed to compile the inventory of this function and to record spelling practices and nuances in transcribing various forms of laughter (loud, silent, etc.).