A

Phonation

Just two vocal folds make many sounds

Position of the larynx in the neck, where the vocal folds are located.

The brain commands. When we think about speaking, it sends an electrical impulse to the muscles in the larynx, vocal folds included. With the passage of the air that leaves the lungs they vibrate and make sound.

Production of the voice. Our voice tract can be compared to a musical instrument. For example: An oboe has a double reed and a tube that works as a resonance box. We have only two vocal folds (which would be the reed) and an adjustable resonance box formed by the larynx, pharynx, mouth, nose which produce a great amount of sounds.

The vocal folds can change thickness.  

B

Multiple performance. The vocal folds are formed by many layers of collagen and elastic fibers that act together with the muscles in the larynx allowing different tones of sound to be formed.

Faster vibration in women – The vibrations that happen in the vocal folds are very fast, in average they happen 100 times per second in male voices and twice that, 200 times, in female voices; women can reach over 1000 when singing.

C

Positions of the phonoarticulatory structures in the different sounds of the speech

With ‘CHE’ (as the pronunciation of ‘chef’) and ‘JE’ (as the pronunciation of jail) a longitudinal canal is formed in the tongue in which the air is conducted (ATTENTION FOR THE CHINESE TRANSLATION: A SIMILAR SOUND TO THESE SHOULD BE PUT IN THE CHINESE TRANSLATION.)

Different sounds of the speech. The movement of the lips, the tongue, the soft-palate (the back part of the palate) and the mandible are involved in the production of sound in the speech.  

D

Take care of your voice. Avoid screaming, it causes a friction in the vocal folds, which may harm them and make the voice hoarse. Stay away from alcohol and tobacco. There is a strong association with the intake of alcoholic beverages and tobacco with larynx cancer. Drink water in the environment temperature, this will keep your body well hydrated and the vocal folds will work better and produce a beautiful voice.

E

The projection of the cartilage of the larynx is bigger in men than in women

Low and high tones – Male voices are lower than females because their larynx and vocal folds grow more. The vibrating part of men measures from 11.5 to 16 mm and in women from 8 to 11.5 mm.

In the control of sound – By stretching the vocal folds, there is an increase in the tension and the reduction of the thickness, therefore, the vibration happens faster and the pitch is higher.

By shortening the vocal folds, there is a release in the tension and an increase in the thickness, thus the vibration is slower and the sound is lower.