Physiology of the female larynx

Abstract

The Recording and Research Center, The Denver Center for the Performing Arts, 1245 Champa Street, Denver, CO 80204 Anatomically, the female larynx differs from the male in vocal fold length, thickness, angle of the thyroid laminae, resting angle of the glottis, vertical convergence angle in the glottis, and a number of other ways. The vocal fold tissue itself differs with respect to the thickness of the mucosa and fiber composition, e.g., the ratio of connective tissue to muscle tissue. Biomechanically, it has been found that the stress-strain curves are slightly more linear in females than males. Based on these and other known differences in morphology and viscoelastic properties, a scaling procedure is attempted for fundamental frequency, intensity, and other acoustic properties. Some rationale is give also for why females develop pathology at different sites in the larynx, given what is currently known about mechanical stress in the tissues.