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Glottis
Arytenoid cartilage.png
Arytenoid cartilage
Glottis positions.png
Glottis positions
MeSH Glottis
Dorlands/Elsevier Glottis

The glottis is defined as the combination of the vocal folds and the space in between the folds (the rima glottidis).[1]

Function

As the vocal folds vibrate, the resulting vibration produces a "buzzing" quality to the speech, called voice or voicing or pronunciation.

Sound production involving only the glottis is called glottal. English has a voiceless glottal fricative spelled "h". In many accents of English the glottal stop (made by pressing the folds together) is used as a variant allophone of the phoneme /t/ (and in some dialects, occasionally of /k/ and /p/); in some languages, this sound is a phoneme of its own.

Skilled players of the Australian didgeridoo restrict their glottal opening in order to produce the full range of timbres available on the instrument. [2]

The vibration produced is an essential component of voiced consonants as well as vowels. If the vocal folds are drawn apart, air flows between them causing no vibration, as in the production of voiceless consonants.

The glottis is also important in the valsalva maneuver.

Additional images

Larynx

The entrance to the larynx, viewed from behind.

The entrance to the larynx.


See also

References

  1. ^ Glottis at eMedicine Dictionary
  2. ^ See "Acoustics: The vocal tract and the sound of a didgeridoo", by Tarnopolsky et al. in Nature 436, 39 (7 July 2005))

References of Glottis Simulator

Head and neck anatomy, Upper RT: Larynx (TA A06.2, GA 11.1072)
Cartilages
major/unpaired: Epiglottis (Vallecula) · Thyroid (Laryngeal prominence, Oblique line, Superior thyroid notch, Superior horn, Inferior horn) · Cricoid
minor/paired: Arytenoid (Vocal process, Muscular process) · Corniculate · Cuneiform

Ligaments/folds

extrinsic ligaments: Hyoepiglottic ligament · Thyrohyoid membrane (Lateral ligament, Median ligament) · Thyroepiglottic ligament · Cricotracheal ligament

intrinsic ligaments · upper: Quadrangular membrane (Aryepiglottic, Vestibular ligament/Vestibular fold)

intrinsic ligaments · lower: Cricothyroid ligament (Median, Lateral/Conus elasticus, Vocal ligament/Vocal folds)

Laryngeal cavity
Laryngeal inlet · Vestibule · Rima vestibuli · Ventricle · Rima glottidis/Glottis · Infraglottic cavity

Other
Muscles of larynx · Cricothyroid articulation · Cricoarytenoid articulation

respiratory system navs: anat nose, larynx/lower+thoracic cavity/physio/dev, noncongen/congen/tumors, symptoms+signs/eponymous, proc, meds:R (1/2/3/5/6/7)
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