ABSTRACT
With knowledge of primary voice qualities, qualifiers, and alternants, Chapter 6 synthesises expressive tropes in a wider perspective of paralanguage, communication, and cultural learning. Expressive tropes are examined as differentiators – the emotional characteristics of speech that carry psychological states of mind (Poyatos 2002). Differentiators, particularly laughing and crying, are evaluated in relation to narrative, psychological connotations, and dramatic performance. Interdisciplinary interpretations are supported through a comparative analysis of the inner scream in the work of Samuel Beckett, Luciano Berio, Gaetano Donizetti, Yoko Ono, The Beatles, and Lennon’s 1970 solo release ‘Mother’. This shows how differentiators are subject to cultural display rules, which give rise to personae and reinforce intertextual analyses.
