Summary
Most of the literature on voice quality focuses on the vocal folds while six other gestures involving the laryngeal entry and epilaryngeal structures are largely ignored. Whole organ tracer series histograms of the larynx are examined and suggestions are made as to which muscles and/or forces might cause these gestures. An examination of photographs of the larynx indicates that the latter must be described in three dimensions: (1) medio-lateral, (2) antero-posterior, and (3) vestibule cross-sectional area. The article is aimed at laryngologists in general, not surgeons in particular, and has implications for laryngology (being a putative model of diagnostic procedures), physiology (what forces create epilaryngeal configurations?), neuroscience (does the motor cortex control single muscles or whole gestures?), speech pathology (what is the ragbag called “hypertenseness”?), linguistics (how is one to describe lower pharynx phenomena?) and paralinguistics (what is the extrasystemic laryngeal component of voice quality?).
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Anderson J (ed)(1983) Grant's atlas of anatomy. Williams and Wilkins, Baltimore
Camper P (1779) Account of the organs of speech of the orangoutan. Philos Trans R Soc Lond 69:139–159
Fant G (1970) Acoustic theory of speech production. Mouton, The Hague
Feder R (1983) The voice of the impersonator. Audio-visual cassette. The Voice Foundation, New York
Fink R (1975) The human larynx. Raven Press, New York
Fink BR (1978) Energy and the larynx. “Fourth Daniel C. Baker, Jr. Lecture” — 99th Annual Meeting ALA, April 22–23, 1978, Palm Beach, FL
Fink BR, Demarest RJ (1978) Laryngeal biomechanics. Harvard University Press, Cambridge, Mass.
Kahane J, Folkins J (1984) Atlas of speech and hearing anatomy. Charles E.Merrill, Columbus, Ohio
Laver J (1979) Voice quality: a classified research bibliography. Benjamins, Amsterdam
Laver J (1980) The phonetic description of voice quality. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK
McMinn RMH, Hutchings RT, Cogan BM (1981) Color atlas of head and neck anatomy. Year Book Medical Publishers, Chicago
Morgagni GB (1719) Adversaria anatomica omnia (part Prima). Josephus Cominus, Patavii (Padua). (1762 edition at Washington University)
Sundberg J (1977) The acoustics of the singing voice. Sci Am 236:82–91
Tucker G (1971) Human larynx coronal section atlas. Armed Forces Institute of Pathology, Washington, DC
Wrisberg (ed) (1780) Haller A (1786) First lines of physiology. Elliot, Edinburgh
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Painter, C. The laryngeal vestibule and voice quality. Arch Otorhinolaryngol 243, 329–337 (1986). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00460212
Received:
Accepted:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00460212