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Vocal Cords

View laryngoscopic vocal cord.

Animated image showing the vocal cords (or vocal folds "vocal fold") in motion during the phonation.

The vocal cords, or rather 'vocal folds', are essential (the) s in phonation. These folds of the mucous membranes of the larynx with the vibration produces sounds voice - art , language , singing.

Description anatomical

The vocal cords were strained in the larynx, the entering angle of the thyroid cartilage (the one that has an angle of 90 gives humans the relief of the Adam's apple) at the vocal apophysis arytenoids.

They are composed of several layers of different structures:

the vocal muscle (thyro-arytenoid muscle)
and the lamina propria, which consists of three layers: deep, medium and shallow.

The deep and medium are formed by the vocal ligament. The surface layer is a space called the sliding space of Reinke. These different layers are covered with mucous membrane more or less viscous.

The vocal cords are about 9-13 mm in women, and between 15 and 20 mm in men.

They are separated when the subject breathes, close when he swallows.

Function Language

The vocal apparatus includes the larynx, but the blower (abdomen and thorax) and resonators (oral cavity, nasal ...). The blocking of the vocal cords produced the "glottal stop" typical of Semitic languages. Their vibration can pronounce vowels and consonants or voiced sound. Their gaping hole allows the sound to aspire H.