The larynx, voicing and voice quality

Introduction: the production of voicing

We will look at the production of voicing, the construction of the larynx, and the mechanism which gets the vocal folds vibrating. We will then move on to look at ways this vibration can be controlled to produce different pitches and voice qualities.

Good examples of pairs of sounds distinguished by voicing in English are [s f] (voiceless) and [z v] (voiced). Produce a [s] or [f] sound; close your eyes and concentrate on how it feels to produce this sound; and then make a [z] or [v] sound instead. Now produce chains of sounds like [s z s z s …] or [f v f v …] without inserting a pause between them. If you put your fingers in your ears, you will notice a humming or buzzing for [z v] which is not there for [s f]. With the fingers resting very lightly on your larynx, you will notice that [z v] involve a vibration that you do not feel for [s f].

Voicing is produced when the vocal folds vibrate. The vocal folds are located in the larynx (Figure 4.1), which sits just below where your jaw meets your neck. For males, there is a rather prominent notch at the front of the larynx, and it is a couple of centimeters below the jawbone; for females, the larynx is less prominent and may be a bit higher up the neck. If you watch yourself in a mirror, you will probably be able to see your larynx bob down and then up again as you swallow.

The larynx is constructed from three main cartilages: the thyroid, cricoid and arytenoid cartilages. Of these three, the thyroid is the most obvious. It is the largest and is at the front of the larynx, and forms the ‘box’ of the larynx. It consists of two plates which are joined at an angle at the front. Female thyroids are at a wider angle than male thyroids, so the notch where the plates meet is more obvious in males than in females. The thyroid cartilage is attached by muscles to the hyoid bone higher up in the neck.

The cricoid cartilage is a sort of ring shape underneath the thyroid. It forms the bottom part of the ‘box’. It has two spurs at the back, one on each side, which reach up to behind the bottom part of the thyroid. The two artytenoid cartilages sit on top of the back of the cricoid cartilage. They can move together and apart, rock backwards and forwards as well as rotate.

The vocal folds are two ligaments (fibrous tissues) which are covered in mucous membrane. They are attached to the arytenoids at the back and the thyroid at the front. At the side, they are attached to muscle in the larynx. In the middle they are free, so that there is a gap or a space between them, known as the glottis. The arytenoids can move, but the thyroid is static; by manipulating the arytenoids, the tension across the vocal folds can be changed, as can their thickness and the way they vibrate.

اخر الاخبار

اخبار العتبة العباسية المقدسة

ملتقى الكوثر الثالث يشهد عرض مشهد حواري بعنوان شريك العمر أم شريك الفكر؟

إقامة مسابقة (مرفأ النور) العلمية للمشاركات في فعاليات ملتقى الكوثر بنسخته الثالثة

ضمن ملتقى الكوثر الثالث.. ورشة تسلط الضوء على بناء الوعي القرآني لدى النساء

شعبة فاطمة بنت أسد (عليها السلام): ملتقى الكوثر منصةً لتحقيق وعي أسري مستند للقرآن الكريم

المزيد

الآخبار الصحية

نظام غذائي شائع قد يؤدي إلى ارتفاع الكوليسترول الضار

تحذيرات هامة من عواقب تناول "أيبوبروفين" مع أدوية شائعة

علامات مبكرة للإيبولا يمكن الخلط بينها وبين الإنفلونزا

خبراء: الفيروسات مثل هانتا وإيبولا أصبحت أكثر شيوعا وفتكاً

المزيد

الآخبار التكنلوجية

الليلة.. هلال القمر يلتقي كوكبي الزهرة والمشتري

إيلون ماسك يخسر دعواه القضائية أمام أوبن إيه.آي

مهمة فضائية "أوروبية صينية" لكشف أسرار الرياح الشمسية

انتهاء رحلة "السفينة الموبوءة".. وهذا مصير من بقي على متنها

المزيد

مواضيع ذات صلة

The International Phonetic Alphabet

Phonetic Transcription

Phonetics

Word sharing and dialects: Dialects generally borrow from dialects

Dialects—Where Do You Draw the Line?

The standard

Koinés

Externally motivated change

Chain shifts

Changes to make life easier

Systemic changes

Weakening of intervocalic unvoiced stops