Fractured Sounds We Make Trivia Quiz

Answer: Laughter

Laughter is a mirthful reaction to situations of any kind that people perceive as comical. There is also laughter caused by tickling - a most unpleasant attack by some fiends, with looks of glee on their faces, determined to stick their fingers into one's stomach or other parts of the anatomy, to bring about wild shrieks of mirth from their victims. Laughter can also be produced from feelings of embarrassment or nervousness.

However, the good old belly laughter, caused by contractions of the diaphragm, when one is truly amused, is the best kind of laughter of all.

Answer: Coughing

Coughing is a reflex of the body in order to clear away irritants or annoying secretions in the throat, or a response to a lung infection of some kind, or to draw attention to oneself in some way. It is usually involuntary on the part of the cougher, except for that attention grabbing discrete cough.

It is caused by the sudden outburst of air against the vocal folds. That produces the sound that comes with coughing as well. And talk about the power of suggestion. I haven't stopped coughing since I started this question's information.

Answer: Sneezes

Sneezes, for the most part, are uncontrollable expulsions of air from a person's mouth or nose as a result of some irritant of the nasal passages. It's best if possible to direct a sneeze through the mouth rather than the nose, for the latter can have otherwise unfortunate results at times. Sneezes can be controlled to a degree, but that's not really a good idea as your nose will tend to drip instead in indignant response.

Besides, a really good hearty sneeze is rather enjoyable, don't you think? If, like me however, you tend to suffer from hayfever (but thanks Tizzabelle for the name of those great tablets), a succession of sneezes one after the other can tend to leave you feeling a little bit dizzy.

Answer: Speaking

Speaking is a form of human communication that enables us to produce various sounds with different meanings that can be heard and understood by others. This is unique to humans, and is believed by psychologists to have developed concurrently with our ability to think in images. The evolution of language is quite a fascinating subject if you ever wish to look into it further.

Answer: Singing

Singing is spoken words produced with musical inflections. It is instant creation and one of the joys of human beings to produce and listen to these harmonious sounds. This art form can be as simple as bellowing under the bathroom shower, or a result of years of intense study with professionals trained to perfection in this skill. Both bring the same amount of enjoyment to the singer, if not the audience.

The only other difference between the two is that one comes without soap.

Answer: Burping

Burping is when gas is released from the digestive tract and emerges out the mouth in a kind of baritone rumble. In some countries it is considered polite to burp after a meal as this signifies a hearty enjoyment of same. However, in western countries, these emissions are thought to be a little indelicate.

This depends of course on the situation which has occasioned the burp. In the family home, a burp or two can go virtually unnoticed, in a pub or at a football game it usually meets with hearty male approval and another round of drinks, but at the opera, the ballet or a black tie dinner, then most definitely not.

Answer: Shouting

Shouting is speaking at a much higher volume. This loud, rather raucous vocalisation is used to either indicate anger as in an argument, or as a reflex to indicate pain, or fear, or surprise. A person can also shout to indicate happiness if overcome with joy. Ladies do not shout however. They scream or shriek instead - but ever so delicately of course.

Answer: Whispering

Whispering, on the other hand, is speaking at a very soft volume. This usually occurs as a form of communication between two people when their conversation is of a private or confidential nature. Wikipedia describes whispering, somewhat comically so, as "an unvoiced mode of phonation in which the vocal cords do not vibrate normally but are instead adducted sufficiently to create audible turbulence". One wonders which wordy donkey came up with that fine piece of waffle.

Answer: Mumbling

Mumbling is poor articulation of any beautiful language. It is unintelligible for the most part, inaudible, and rather irritating to have to endure. If humans have been given the wonderful gift of language, the very least one could expect is for that language to be understood. Mumbling is different from murmuring. Murmuring is the low sounds of people talking quietly, mumbling is the failure to clearly enunciate one's words.

Answer: Hiccups

Hiccups are involuntary contractions of the diaphragm that occur at regular intervals over a period of time. They usually don't last too long, but if so, can become annoying and have one waiting in suspenseful anticipation for the next "Hic!" to happen.

They are most common in babies, and one old wives' tale has it that they indicate a baby with hiccups is thriving. Who knows? Perhaps this is right. Many of these old beliefs are based on acquired knowledge of the ages. Hiccups in adults are not quite so endearing, however, and can lead one, unjustly so, to be accused of intoxication. Hiccups can indeed be the result of alcohol consumption, but they can also be caused by rapid eating, a burst of emotion, coughing, eating dry bread (that's surprising), soft drinks and laughing.