Voice

A comprehensive set of vocabulary flashcards covering incidence, anatomy, physiology, disorders, evaluation, and therapy topics from the CDIS 301 Voice lecture.

Incidence of Voice Problems

About 28 million U.S. workers experience daily voice problems.

Heavy Occupational Voice Users

5 %–10 % of the U.S. workforce who rely heavily on their voices for work.

Lifetime Prevalence of Voice Disorder

Nearly 30 % of people will have a voice disorder at some point in life.

Voice Disorder

Abnormal production or absence of vocal quality, pitch, loudness, resonance, or duration for age/sex.

Voice

Glottal tone created by vibration of the vocal folds within the larynx (phonation).

Resonance

Sound shaping that occurs above the vocal folds, determined by vocal-tract shape and velar action.

Respiration

Inhalation and exhalation that supply airflow for phonation.

Phonation

Process of vocal-fold vibration that produces voiced sound.

Articulation

Movements of the tongue, lips, and other structures to form speech sounds.

Larynx

Cartilaginous, muscular, and neural structure that protects the airway, stabilizes the body, and produces voice.

Thyroid Cartilage

Largest unpaired cartilage of the larynx; forms the ‘Adam’s apple.’

Cricoid Cartilage

Ring-shaped unpaired cartilage located below the thyroid cartilage.

Epiglottis

Leaf-shaped cartilage that folds to protect the airway during swallowing.

Arytenoid Cartilages

Paired cartilages that rock, glide, adduct, and abduct the vocal folds.

Corniculate Cartilages

Small paired cartilages that sit atop the arytenoids.

Cuneiform Cartilages

Paired cartilages embedded in aryepiglottic folds providing support.

Extrinsic Laryngeal Muscles

Three pairs (thyrohyoid, sternothyroid, inferior constrictor) that position the larynx.

Intrinsic Laryngeal Muscles

Muscles within the larynx that control vocal-fold movement and tension.

Cricothyroid Muscle

Intrinsic muscle that lengthens and tenses the vocal folds; raises pitch.

Posterior Cricoarytenoid Muscle

Only abductor of the vocal folds; opens the glottis for breathing.

Lateral Cricoarytenoid Muscle

Adducts and internally rotates arytenoids to close the vocal folds.

Transverse Arytenoid Muscle

Adducts arytenoids, aiding full vocal-fold closure.

Oblique Arytenoid Muscle

Narrows the laryngeal inlet by drawing arytenoids together with the epiglottis.

Vocalis (Medial Thyroarytenoid)

Adjusts fine tension within the vocal folds for pitch modulation.

Recurrent Laryngeal Nerve

Branch of the vagus nerve that innervates all intrinsic laryngeal muscles except cricothyroid.

External Laryngeal Nerve

Branch of the vagus that supplies the cricothyroid muscle.

Fundamental Frequency (F0)

Rate of vocal-fold vibration, measured in Hertz.

Pitch

Psychological perception of frequency; changes with vocal-fold tension, mass, and length.

Loudness

Perceptual correlate of sound intensity; measured in decibels.

Voice Quality

Subjective attribute influenced by closure adequacy, timing, and fold tonicity.

Hyperfunctional Voice

Voice produced with excessive laryngeal tension or forcing.

Hypofunctional Voice

Voice produced with insufficient laryngeal tension or capacity.

Functional Voice Disorder

Voice problem arising from faulty use of the mechanism without structural changes.

Neurological Voice Disorder

Voice problem caused by impaired muscle control or innervation.

Organic Voice Disorder

Voice problem due to physical changes in the laryngeal structure.

Laryngitis

Inflammation of vocal folds causing hoarseness and lowered pitch.

Chronic Laryngitis

Inflammation lasting longer than 10 days; often linked to abuse, allergies, smoking, or reflux.

Vocal Nodules

Bilateral benign lesions at the anterior-middle third of vocal folds from chronic abuse.

Vocal Polyps

Unilateral benign lesions at the same locus as nodules, often after acute trauma.

Functional Dysphonia

Voice disorder (hyper- or hypofunctional) with no organic cause; treated by SLP.

Functional Aphonia

Psychogenic loss of voice producing a whisper with normal laryngeal structure.

Falsetto

High-pitched, breathy voice produced by vibration of anterior third of vocal folds.

Papillomas

HPV-related wart-like growths, mainly in children, causing hoarseness.

Contact Ulcers

Small ulcers at middle-posterior vocal folds from hard glottal attacks, reflux, or intubation.

Traumatic Voice Injury

Laryngeal damage from external trauma or surgery affecting airway and voice.

Laryngeal Cancer

Malignancy requiring medical and surgical intervention, often leading to laryngectomy.

Hypoadduction

Difficulty approximating vocal folds; may result in breathy paralysis.

Hyperadduction

Excessive closure of vocal folds; characteristic of spasmodic dysphonia.

Vocal Fold Paresis

Partial weakness of a vocal fold, producing breathy, low-intensity voice and diplophonia.

Spasmodic Dysphonia

Neurological disorder with strained, strangled voice; often treated with Botox.

Hypernasality

Excessive nasal resonance due to velopharyngeal dysfunction.

Hyponasality

Insufficient nasal resonance, often from nasal obstruction.

Cul-de-sac Resonance

Muffled sound due to trapped resonance in a closed oral or nasal cavity.

Nasal Emission

Audible escape of air through the nose during speech.

Indirect Laryngoscopy

Mirror examination of vocal folds using reflected light.

Videoendoscopy

Direct visualization of larynx via oral or nasal endoscope.

Videostroboscopy

Strobe-light endoscopy showing apparent slow-motion vocal-fold vibration.

Aerodynamic Assessment

Measurement of airflow and air pressure during phonation.

Hygienic Voice Therapy

Therapy focusing on eliminating harmful vocal behaviors and instilling healthy habits.

Symptomatic Voice Therapy

Uses facilitating techniques to reduce misuse and alter specific voice symptoms.

Psychogenic Voice Therapy

Targets emotional and psychological factors contributing to a voice disorder.

Physiological Voice Therapy

Directly modifies the physical aspects of the vocal mechanism.

Laryngectomy

Surgical removal of the larynx, often for cancer treatment.

Tracheoesophageal Puncture (TEP)

Surgically created fistula with a one-way valve diverting pulmonary air into esophagus for speech.

Esophageal Speech

Voice produced by injecting and releasing air from the esophagus to vibrate the PE segment.

Electrolarynx

Hand-held vibrating device producing sound that is shaped into speech by the articulators.

Boyle’s Law

Principle stating pressure and volume are inversely related in a closed system—relevant to respiration.

Bernoulli Principle

Aerodynamic law explaining that increased airflow velocity results in decreased pressure, aiding vocal-fold closure.

Voice Screening

Brief tasks (counting, conversation, vowels) to decide if full evaluation is needed.

Self-Perception of Voice

Patient’s subjective rating of how their voice sounds and affects life.

Levator Veli Palatini

Primary muscle elevating the velum for VP closure.

Passavant’s Pad

Bulge on posterior pharyngeal wall aiding velopharyngeal closure.

Hyperfunctional Speech in Children

Common pediatric voice misuse often addressed beginning in kindergarten with parent counseling.

AAC for Laryngectomees

Augmentative-alternative communication methods used immediately post-surgery.