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vocal cords
the thin, reedlike folds of mucous membrane in the larynx, consisting of an upper pair called the false vocal cords and a lower pair called the true vocal cords. They vibrate to make vocal sounds during speech and can produce a wide range of sounds. Each cord has one end attached to the front wall of the larynx, close to that of the other cord, and the other end connected to tiny cartilages near the back wall of the larynx. The cartilages
can be rotated so as to swing the cords far apart or bring them together. When they are apart, the breath passes through silently and unobstructed; when they are closer together, they partly obstruct the air passage, and as the
air is forced through them they vibrate like the reeds of a pipe organ and produce sound waves to make what we call the voice. See also speech.
Copyright 2007. An Elsevier publication. All rights reserved.
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