All Comments on 'Bastille Day Ch. 12'

Too many snorts, snickers. I was turned off and did not finish the story.

WTF with the snorting? Stop it!

I have heard this criticism before. Maybe neither of you read chapter 1, or did, before I posted this comment in explanation.

In most conversations, people often respond with a half-sentence, going on to use complete sentences, if they want to say more. Samuel Johnson thought that we should speak as we would write, but we don't, and in the 18th century, apparently, people didn't.

Snorting is a form of non-verbal communication, often silent. The other person probably only notices the momentary change in the expression of the snorter's face.

My using the word is only shorthand for that, does not suggest more.

Maybe this blurb from a link found with a Google search helps:

"Other non-verbal vocal behaviours, such as laughing, snorting, sighing and verbal encouragers, also give meaning to verbal communication as do extra-linguistic phenomena such as accent and duration of utterances "

('You Don't Have to Shout'—Vocal Behaviour in Social Work Communication

S Hanna, M Nash - Social Work Education, 2012 - Taylor & Francis)