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A BASIC OVERVIEW OF VOICE PRODUCTION
HOW WE MAKE SOUND
The source of the sound in human speaking and singing is the vibration of
the vocal cords, which are inside the larynx, and the production of the
sounds is called phonation. The vocal cords are set into vibration by air
from the lungs that moves through the windpipe passing over them, and
they in turn produce resonance in the column of air enclosed by the
pharynx. The mouth and throat are variable in size and shape, thus
permitting alteration of vowel sound and pitch. At puberty the vocal cords
of the male become approximately double their original length, with the
result that the average adult male voice is about an octave lower in pitch
than the female.
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PHONATION
To utter speech sounds; vocalize.
VOCAL TRACT The airway used in the production of
speech, especially the passage above the larynx,
including the pharynx, mouth, and nasal cavities.
LUNGS
Either of two spongy organs in the
chest of air-breathing animals that serve as the
organs of gas exchange. Blood flowing through the
lungs picks up oxygen from inhaled air and releases
carbon dioxide, which is exhaled. Air enters and
leaves the lungs through the bronchial tubes.
RESPIRATION
breathing
inhalation and exhalation of air;
PHARYNX
the tube or cavity, with its
surrounding membrane and muscles, that connects the
mouth and nasal passages with the esophagus.
LARYNX
part of the respiratory tract, having
walls of cartilage and muscle and containing the
vocal cords enveloped in folds of mucous membrane.
Sound is produced by air passing through the larynx
on the way to the lungs, causing the walls of the
larynx to vibrate. The pitch of the sound that is
produced can be altered by the pull of muscles,
which changes the tension of the vocal cords. Also
called voice box.
ESOPHAGUS
The muscular membranous tube for the
passage of food from the pharynx to the stomach;
the gullet.
RESONANCE
Acoustics. Intensification and
prolongation of sound, produced by vibration.
Intensification of vocal tones during articulation,
as by the air cavities of the mouth and nasal
passages.
DICTION
Degree of clarity and distinctness of
pronunciation in speech or singing; enunciation.
DIAPHRAGM
The LARGE, DOME-SHAPED muscle that
separates the chest (thoracic) cavity from the
abdomen and is located at the base of the lungs.
The diaphragm is the central muscle of the human
body and is the principal muscle of breathing. When
you inhale the diaphragm descends. Your lungs are
useless without your diaphragm muscle, which does
the pushing and pulling on your lungs to make them
work.
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