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Dear Ginny B:
Let's begin at the beginning. When you inhale, you breathe air in and down a tube called your
windpipe to your lungs. Exhaling is the reverse. At the top of the windpipe, which is located at
the base of the throat, are a pair of folds, called vocal cords. It's these folds which are
sometimes called your voice box. When muscles attached to these folds are relaxed, there's a wide
space between the folds. When the muscles contract, however, the space between the folds narrows
enough that air passing through causes them to flutter or vibrate. That vibration is where the
sounds you make begin.
How tightly the muscles have been contracted affects exactly how far apart the folds are. But
the position of your lips not only changes the flow of air traveling through the folds, but also,
with your cheeks, teeth and tongue, the quality of the sound -- be it words, whispers, musical
arias, shouts, groans, and giggles (to name just a few) -- that come out of you. Who knew how
amazing the combination of a bunch of muscles, bones, skin and cartilage could be!
Signed,
Wendell
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