Vocal folds (or vocal cords):
Thin strips of muscle in the larynx which can be open, in voiceless sounds, or close
together, creating vibration in voiced sounds.
Voiced sounds:
Speech sounds produced with vibration of the vocal folds.
Produce sounds such as Z-Z-Z-Z or V-V-V-V. Because these are voiced sounds, you should
be able to feel some vibration.
Voiceless sounds:
Speech sounds produced without vibration of the vocal folds.
Sounds S-S-S-S or F-F-F-F. Because these are voiceless sounds, there should be no
vibration.
To make a consonant sound, we start with the air pushed out by the lungs up through the
trachea (or windpipe) to the larynx. Inside the larynx are your vocal folds (or vocal cords),
which take two basic positions:
1. When the vocal folds are spread apart, the air from the lungs passes between them
with no obstruction, producing voiceless sounds.
2. When the vocal folds are drawn together, the air from the lungs repeatedly pushes
them apart as it passes through, with a vibration effect, producing voiced sounds.