VOCAL CORDS EXPLAINED
How the folds within your voice box give you the ability to shout, talk and sing
WORDS JAMES HORTON
The power to generate sounds and form words is one of humankind’s most important assets. Without speech we simply wouldn’t have been able to build the world we live in today. Our power of voice comes from three interacting systems: airflow from the lungs, vibration from the voice box and resonance from the head and neck. At the centre of these systems, nestled within the voice box, are the vocal cords. The vocal cords, or vocal folds, are the origin of sound, generating the vibrations that are later refined into a plethora of nuanced noises. The vocal cords consist of two main muscular folds of tissue. These are attached to either side of the cavity air travels through as it goes to and from the lungs, known as the glottis. Using intrinsic muscles, the vocal folds can be stretched, shortened, retracted from and used to cover the glottis. All these actions work to generate different vibrations and sounds.