Eeehhh— [inhale] — Mhm — i-is this an emotional question?
Cassette tape 

Cassette tape, lasercut cover, risograph printed graphic score, introduction, 120x270mm, edition of 25
A side: 29:27 min + B side: 11:42 min.
2025

On this cassette tape, you will listen to a conversation between me and Sara Mlakar about multilingualism. The recording is one of many. Since 2022, I have been gathering interviews with bi- and multilingual people to explore the challenges and potentials of having multiple linguistic tongues.

Growing up bilingual, yet experiencing my second language fade over the years, I became interested in how communication extends beyond language, and fascinated by the gaps and uncontrollable nuances of the non-verbal sphere — such as sighs, laughter, hesitations, or pauses — the spaces in speech that carry emotional subtleties and bodily traces of communication.

While listening to the many interviews I have recorded, I marked and categorized all instances of non-verbal communication that emerged in our conversations. This process resulted in 32 sounds, each assigned an intuitive symbol and representing a specific non-verbal utterance. Together, they constitute the Paralingual Index.

Flipping the tape, you will hear the very same conversation between me and Sara — but without words. I collaborated with Italian soprano Felicita Brusoni on a vocal interpretation of the graphic score accompanying the cassette. The score is composed using the 32 symbols from the index.

From the gaps of Sara’s multilingual tongue, a new language emerges — one that shapes and sounds both peculiar and strangely familiar. I see these paralingual transcriptions as portraits of unique voices — as new graphic materials open to sonic interpretation.

I see these paralingual transcriptions as portraits of unique voices — as new graphic materials open to sonic interpretation. The Paralingual Index also exists as a digitized typeface in the form of font, which is free and available for download at: claramosconi.com/Paralingual-Index.


The cassette tape is released by Breton Cassette, supported by Norwegian Arts Council.

The cassette tape can be purchased through Bandcamp, Breton Cassette website, at Norma-T in Oslo or at Bladr in Copenhagen.

Mastering: Adam Badí Donoval
Photos: Erik Mowinckel