Preface To Weeping: What Is The Difference Between Weeping & Crying?

There does appear to be a difference.  According to these people over at English forums, "Weeping accompanies grief, loss, & intense sadness, whereas crying can result from a wider range of emotional states - rage or frustration, for example."

A good example on the page is the use of the word "weeping" when describing an upset child.  You say, "The child is crying" not "The child is weeping" - that verb makes no sense when it's not something related to actual sorrow.

Is there a continuum of crying?  Is it sobbing, crying, weeping?  What about blubbering, whining, bewailing, keening, whimpering, sniveling?  Perhaps this week's Self Help Radio will attempt to create a flowchart!