Vocal cords

From Citizendium
(Redirected from Vocal chords)
Jump to navigation Jump to search
This article is a stub and thus not approved.
Main Article
Discussion
Related Articles  [?]
Bibliography  [?]
External Links  [?]
Citable Version  [?]
 
This editable Main Article is under development and subject to a disclaimer.

The vocal folds or vocal cords are mucous membranes over the larynx that contribute to the production of sound in human articulation. The folds can vibrate as air is drawn up from the lungs, allowing distinctions in phonetics and phonology such as the difference between [b] and [p]; this is called voicing, and the folds plus the space between them are known as the glottis. When closed, the blockage of air can lead to the production of a glottal stop; other degrees of closure allow 'breathy voice' or 'creaky voice', which allows for further phonemic distinctions in many languages.