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Abduction quotient: The ratio of
the glottal half-width at the vocal processes to the amplitude
of vibration of the vocal fold
Absolute pressure: The pressure applied by fluid
particles to adjacent particles or to the walls of the
container; this pressure is always positive except in
a perfect vacuum, where it is zero (measured in kPa)
Acceleration: The rate of change of velocity
with respect to time (measured in m/s2)
Acoustic power: The physical measure of the
amount of energy produced and radiated into the air per
second (measured in watts)
Actin: A protein molecule that reacts with myosin
to form an actomyosin, the contractile part of a myofilament
Abduct: To move apart, separate
Adduct: To bring together, approximate
Alveolar pressure: The pressure that is common
to all of the alveoli in the lungs (measured in kPa)
Alveoli: Tiny airsacs within the lungs where
the exchange of oxygen and carbon dioxide takes place
Amplitude: The maximum excursion from equilibrium
in an oscillatory movement or waveform
Amplitude spectrum: A display of relative amplitude
versus frequency of the sinusoidal components of a waveform
Amplitude to length ratio: The ratio of vibrational
amplitude at the center of the vocal fold to the length
of the vocal fold
Anatomy: The science of structure in organisms
Angular speed: The rate of change of angle with
time in circular or sinusoidal motion
Anisotropic: Property of a material that produces
different strains when identical stresses are applied
in different directions
Antagonist (muscle): An opposing muscle
Anterior: Toward the front
Anterior commissure: The joining together of
the vocal folds in the front of the larynx
Antinodes: The "peaks" in
a standing wave pattern
Aperiodicity: The absence of periodicity; no
portion of the waveform repeats exactly
Aphonia: The absence of vocal fold vibration;
the inability to set the vocal folds into vibration
Arthritis: Inflammation of joints in the body;
in particular, the cricoarytenoid joint
Arytenoid cartilages: Paired, pyramidal-shaped
cartilages to which the vocal folds are attached
Aspiration: The sound made by turbulent airflow
preceding or following vocal fold vibration, as in [ha]
or [ah]
Atmospheric pressure: The absolute pressure
of the atmosphere (measured in any convenient unit, e.g.,
760 mmHg)
Atresia: Occlusion of the airway due to failure
of the vocal folds to split apart
Atrophy: A wasting away of cells
Attractor: A trajectory in phase space
Bernoulli's Principle: If the energy in a confined
fluid stream is constant, an increase in particle velocity
must be accompanied by a decrease in pressure against the
wall
Bifurcation: A sudden qualitative change in
the behavior of a system
Bilateral vocal fold paralysis: Paralysis of
the thyroarytenoid muscle in both vocal folds
Biomechanics: The study of the mechanics of
biological tissue
Bleet: The result of nervousness or excessive
physical tension, manifested by a fast vibrato, like
the bleeting of a sheep
Body forces: Forces that act on all portions
of a distributed mass
Bottleneck: A region in a singer's pitch range
where a register change is mandatory
Boyle's law: In a soft-walled enclosure and
at a constant temperature, pressure and volume are inversely
related
Breathy voice: The result of a widened glottis
with excessive airflow that produces air turbulence
Bronchioli: A tree-like structure of small ducts
that connect the alveoli Bronchitis: Inflammation of the bronchial tubes
Carrier:A waveform (typically a sinusoid) whose
frequency or amplitude is modulated by a signal
Categorical perception: The perception of discrete
entities in a physical continuum (like a finite number
of colors in a rainbow)
Caudal: Toward the tail
Chaos: A qualitative description of a dynamical
system that seems unpredictable
Component frequency: Mathematically, a sinusoid;
perceptually, a pure tone. Also called partial.
Compression: A deformation
of a body that decreases its entire volume
Compressional stress: A stress that points toward
a surface, tending to squeeze an object
Condensation: An increase in density
Constitutive equation: The mathematical relation
between an applied stress and the resulting strain
Constructive interference: The interference
of two or more waves such that enhancement occurs
Contact ulcer: A lesion caused by irritation,
such as acidic liquids or mechanical stress, on the vocal
processes; usually acquired by people who have gastroesophageal
reflux or speak with a pressed voice
Continuum mechanics: The mechanics of objects
that are distributed continuously (in a macroscopic sense)
over space (e.g., gases, liquids, solids)
Contraction: A decrease in the dimension of
interest (i.e., length)
Convergent (glottal shape): The glottis narrows
from bottom to top
Conversion aphonia: A symptom in which muscle
activation patterns prevent the vocal folds from being
set into vibration; caused by extreme emotional distress,
hysteria
Corner vowels: [a], [i] and [u]; vowels at the
corners of a vowel triangle; they necessitate extreme
placements of the tongue
Creaky voice: The perceptual result of subharmonic
or chaotic patterns in the glottal waveform; if a subharmonic
is below about 70 Hz, creaky voice may be perceived as
pulse register
Cricoid cartilage: A solid ring of cartilage
that completely surrounds the laryngeal airway, located
directly below the thyroid cartilage
Cricothyroid muscle: An intrinsic laryngeal
muscle that is used primarily to control pitch (paired)
Crossover frequency: The fundamental frequency
for which there is an equal probability for perception
of two adjacent registers
Croup: A respiratory disorder brought about
by tissue swelling in the subglottal airway, creating
a severe constriction
Cycle: A 360o rotation; same as a period in
periodic motion
Cysts: Benign, sac-like lesions with a hardened
core
Damp:To diminish, or attenuate an oscillation
Deformation: The result of stress applied to
any surface of a continuous medium, unless the medium
is infinitely stiff. Examples are elongation, compression,
contraction, or shear .
Dehydration: A condition in which the body is
deprived of fluids, possibly affecting the viscous and
elastic properties of the vocal folds
Destructive interference: The interference of
two or more waves such that full or partial cancellation
occurs
Diaphragm: A large, dome-shaped structure at
the bottom of the ribcage that separates the lungs from
the viscera; it is composed of a sheet of muscle and
tendon
Differential control (of muscles): Gradual release
of a muscle with concomitant gradual contraction of an
antagonist muscle
Displacement: The distance between two points
in space, including the direction from one point to the
other
Displacement flow: Air in the glottis that is
squeezed out when the vocal folds come together
Divergent (glottal shape): The glottis widens
from bottom to top
Do di petto (Italian): "C in chest"
Dorsal: Toward the back
Dynamics: A branch of mechanics that deals with
the study of forces that accelerate object(s)
Dystrophy: A malfunctioning of cells
Edema: Excessive
accumulation of fluid in tissues, causing a "puffing up" or "bloating" effect.
Although edema does not necessarily impede vocal fold vibration,
it may add a crackly, noisy component to the voice.
Elastic recoil pressure: The alveolar pressure
derived from extended (strained) tissue in the lungs,
ribcage, and the entire thorax after inspiration (measured
in Pascals)
Electroglottogram: A display of the time-varying
electrical conductance through the larynx in the glottal
region
Elongation: An increase in one dimension of
interest (i.e., length)
Epiglottis: A flap of cartilage that seals the
entry-way to the larynx during swallowing and opens the
entry-way during breathing
Ergometrics: Engineering principles of machines
applied to the human body
Expansion: A deformation of a body such that
the entire volume increases
External forces: Forces imposed on all parts
of a material by outside influences (e.g., the earth's
gravity)
Fach (German): Literal meaning, job specialty
Fibrosis: Cross-linking between parallel strands
(fibers) in a reparative or reactive process, creating
an excess amount of fibers
Flow: The volume of fluid passing through a
given cross-section of a transport system (e.g., a tube
or a duct) per second; also called volume velocity (measured
in liters per second)
Flow resistance: The ratio of pressure to flow
(measured in kPa-s/l)
Fluctuation: A severe deviation from an expected
pattern or constant
Fluid: A substance that is either a liquid or
a gas
Fluid mechanics: The study of motion or deformation
of liquids and gases
Flutter: Modulation in the 10-12 Hz range
Force: A push or pull; the physical quantity
imparted to an object to change its momentum
Forced oscillation: Oscillation imposed on a
system by an external source
Formant: A resonance of
the vocal tract
Formant bandwidth: The difference in frequency
between the two half-power points on the slopes of a
resonance curve
Formant tuning: A boosting of vocal intensity
when Fo or one of its harmonics coincides exactly with
a formant frequency
Free-body diagram: A diagram in which all natural
attachments and influences of the environment are replaced
by equivalent forces acting on the body
Fricatives: Speech sounds produced
by turbulence in a constriction of the vocal tract, such
as an "s" produced
with the teeth
Frontal (or coronal) plane: An anatomical plane
that divides the body into anterior and posterior portions;
across the crown of the head
Functional vocal disorder: A disorder for which
there is no identifiable lesion, but the larynx functions
abnormally and the voice sounds abnormal
Fundamental Frequency (Fo): The lowest frequency
in a periodic waveform; also called the first harmonic
frequency
Gas: A substance that preserves neither shape nor
volume when acted upon by forces, but adapts readily to
the size and shape of its container
Gastroesophageal reflux: The spilling of digestive
acids onto laryngeal tissues, causing irritation
Geometry: The science of describing and measuring
objects in space
Glottal resistance: The pressure across the
glottis divided by the flow through the glottis
Glottal stop (or click): A transient sound caused
by the sudden onset or offset of phonation
Glottis: The airspace between the vocal folds
Granuloma: A large, grainy-surfaced growth,
often caused by prolonged intubation
Half-power frequencies: The two frequencies on opposite
sides of a resonant peak (or pass-band) where the power
transmitted by a filter is one half of its value at the
peak
Harmonic: Equally spaced in frequency; a component
whose frequency is an integer multiple of the fundamental
Hemorrhage (of the vocal fold): Rupture of one
or more blood vessels in vocal fold tissues
Hooke's Law: Stress is proportional to strain;
or, in simpler form, force is proportional to elongation
Hyoid bone: A horseshoe-shaped bone
that "floats" above
the larynx and serves as a connecting post to the tongue,
velum, etc.
In vivo: In the living body
In vitro: Outside the living body; for example,
in excised tissue, in a test tube, or on the lab bench
Incompressibility: Property of a substance that
conserves volume in a deformation
Inertia: Sluggishness; a property that resists
a change in its momentum
Inferior: Below
Infrahyoid muscle group: One of the two extrinsic
muscle groups that includes the sternohyoid, the sternothyroid,
the omohyoid and the thyrohyoid muscles
Intensity: A measure of power per unit area
Interarytenoid muscle: An intrinsic laryngeal
muscle that connects the two arytenoid cartilages
Internal forces: Forces due to interactions
(e.g., collisions) between particles of a substance
Inverse filtering: A technique used to study
the sound source at the glottis. Ideally, this technique
removes the filtering effect of the vocal tract on the
glottal source. The purpose isto study the source or
the vocal tract in isolation, although there are both
practical and theoretical limitations.
Inverse square law: Sound intensity is inversely
proportional to the square of the distance from the sound
source
Isometric: Constant geometric shape during a
muscle contraction; more specifically, constant length
Jitter: Short-term (cycle-to-cycle) variability
in fundamental frequency
Juvenile papillomatosis: A disease characterized
by the clustering of many papillomas (small blister-like
growths) over the vocal folds, and elsewhere in the larynx
and trachea
Keratosis: A build-up of keratin (a tough, fibrous
protein) on the surface of the vocal folds
Kinematics: The study of movement without reference
to forces
Kinetic energy: The energy of matter in motion
(measured in joules)
Kinetics: The study of movement as a consequence
of known or assumed forces
Laminar: Smooth or layered; in fluid mechanics,
indicating parallel flow lines
Laryngeal web: A web between the vocal folds;
in particular, failure of the vocal folds to split during
fetal development
Laryngectomy: Removal of the larynx; may be
conservative (larynx is partially removed) or radical
(entire larynx is removed)
Laryngitis: Inflammation of laryngeal tissues
Laryngocele: An enlargement of the ventricular
space between the false folds and the true folds
Laryngomalacia: A condition in which the epiglottis
is abnormally shaped, constricting the supraglottal airway
Larynx: An organ of the body, situated in the
neck, that houses the vocal folds
Lateral cricoarytenoid muscle: An intrinsic
laryngeal muscle that brings together the vocal processes
by rotation and forward rocking of the arytenoids on
the cricoarytenoid joint (paired)
Lateral: Toward the outside (away from the center)
Leukoplakia: A white, patchy membrane on the
vocal folds caused by chronic irritation
Lift: A transition point along a pitch scale
where vocal production becomes easier
Line spectrum: A spectrum that contains discrete
(line) frequencies only
Liquid: A substance that assumes the shape of
its container, but preserves its volume
Loft: A suggested term for the highest (loftiest)
register: usually referred to as falsetto voice
Lombard effect: The adjustment of vocal loudness
according to the level of auditory stimulation, particularly
in noisy environments
Longitudinal: Along a natural direction (e.g.,
in the direction of tissue fibers, or in the direction
of airflow)
Loudness: The amount of sound perceived by a
listener; a perceptual quantity that can only be assessed
with an auditory system
Macroscopic: Viewing on a larger scale; on a macroscopic
scale, a material is considered homogeneous rather than
molecular
MAP: Muscle Activation Plot, particularly for
the cricothyroid and thyroarytenoid muscles in Fo control
Mean squared error: The squared difference between
the actual values and the expected values of a data set,
averaged over the number of values
Mechanical equilibrium: The state in which all
forces acting on a body cancel each other out, leaving
a zero net force in all directions
Mechanics: The study of objects in motion and
the forces that produce the motion
Medial (or mesial): Toward the center (midline
or midplane)
Messa di voce (Italian): Placing of the voice;
singing a crescendo-decrescendo with a well-placed voice
Microscopic: Viewing on a small scale; in physics,
typically at the molecular level
Middle (or mixed) voice: The mixture
between chest voice and falsetto; another term for "head" voice
in singing
Modulation: The systematic change of a cyclic
parameter, such as amplitude or frequency
Momentum: Mass times velocity; a quantity that
determines the potential force that an object can impart
to another object by collision
Motor unit: A group of muscle fibers and the
single motor nerve that activates the fibers
Mucocele: A benign sac-like lesion with a liquid
core
Muscle fascicles: Groups of muscle fibers enclosed
by a sheath of connective tissue
Muscle fiber: A long, thin cell; the basic unit
of a muscle that is excited by a nerve ending
Muscular tension dysphonia: Excessive longitudinal
tensions or prephonatory positioning that impedes vibration
of the vocal folds
Mutational dysphonia: A voice disorder in which
vocal pitch and general pattern of vibration of vocal
folds, assume characteristics of the opposite gender
Myofibril: A subdivision of a muscle fiber;
composed by a number of myofilaments
Myofilament: A microstructure of periodically-arranged
actin and myosin molecules; a subdivision of a myofibril
Myosin: A protein molecule that reacts with
actin to form actomyosin, the contractile part of a myofilament
Natural oscillation: Oscillation without imposed
driving forces
Neutral equilibrium: The state in which a disturbance
may cause a body to be displaced from its rest position,
but left alone the body is neither accelerated toward
nor away from the original position
Nodes: The "valleys" in a
standing wave pattern, where pressure or displacement
is minimum
Nodule: A growth on the surface of the vocal
fold, believed to be caused by repeated and prolonged
collision between the tissue of opposing vocal folds
Organic voice disorder: Disorders for which a specific
lesion is identified in the larynx or elsewhere in the
body
Oscillation: A repeated back and forth movement
Ossify: Turn to bone
Papillomas: Small benign epithelial tumors that
my appear randomly or in clusters on the vocal folds, larynx
and trachea
Parietal pleura: The outermost of two membranes
surrounding the lungs
Particle mechanics: The mechanics of objects
that occupy essentially no space (point masses)
Particle: A finite mass with zero dimensions,
located at a single point in space
Pascal (Pa): International standard unit of
pressure; one newton (N) per meter squared (m2)
Pascal's Law: Pressure is transmitted rapidly
and uniformly throughout an enclosed fluid at rest
Pass band: A band of frequencies minimally affected
by a filter; it is the high flat region in a filter spectrum
Passaggi (Italian): Passages on a pitch scale
where the voice tends to change register involuntarily
Passive stress: The stress caused by straining
(typically elongating) non-muscular tissue or non-activated
muscular tissue
Pear-shape-down paradigm: A breath support technique
in which ribcage is free to move, and pressure is exerted
downward toward the pelvis and outward toward the abdomen
Pear-shape-up paradigm: A breath support technique
in which the ribcage is kept high and stable and the
diaphragm and abdomen are used primarily to pump the
air
Period: The time interval between repeating
events
Periodic: Repeating over and over again; having
a period
Perturbation: A minor disturbance, or small
change, from an expected behavior
Pharynx: The airway in the neck above the larynx
and below the velum
Phase: 1) The manner in which molecules are
arranged in a material, i.e., as a gas, liquid, or solid;
2) the angular separation between two events on periodic
waveforms
Phase space: A space created by two or more
independent dynamical variables, such as positions and
velocities, to plot the trajectory of a moving object
Phase spectrum: A display of the relative phases
versus frequency of the components of a waveform
Phonetogram: Alternate term for Voice Range
Profile
Pitch: A perception of how high versus low in
a sound
Pleural space: The fluid-filled space between
the parietal and visceral pleura
Plosive: A transient speech sound generated
by the sudden onset or offset of air movement in the
vocal tract
Point of origin: In anatomy, where a muscle
or other soft tissue begins
Point of insertion: In anatomy, where a muscle
or other soft tissue ends
Polyp: An edemic growth, brought about by irritation
of the epithelium. Specific types of polyps are: sessile,
pedunculated, and polypocorditis
Posterior cricoarytenoid muscle: An intrinsic
laryngeal muscle that is the primary abductor of the
vocal folds (paired)
Posterior: Toward the back
Power: The rate of delivery (or expenditure)
of energy (measured in watts)
Pressed voice: The result of a constricted glottis
with insufficient airflow
Pressure: Force per unit area; more precisely,
the magnitude of a compressional stress (measured in
kPa)
Primo passaggio (Italian): "The first passage";
the first register change perceived in a voice
Pulmonary system: The interrelated group of
body structures that includes the lungs and the respiratory
airways
Quasiperiodic: An imprecise term sometimes used
to suggest a small deviation from periodicity
Radian: The angular measure obtained when the arc
along the circumference of the circle is equal to the radius
Radian frequency: The number of radians per
second covered in circular or sinusoidal motion
Rarefaction: A decrease
in density
Reflection coefficient: A fraction of the incident
wave that is reflected
Registers: Perceptually distinct regions of
vocal quality as pitch or loudness is changed
Relative pressure: The change in pressure above
or below absolute pressure; also called gauge pressure
(measured in kPa)
Resonance: Reinforced natural oscillation; literally,
a resounding by echoes or other types of enhancement
Restoring force: A force that brings an object
back to a stable equilibrium position
Rostral: Toward the mouth (beak)
Sagittal: An anatomical plane that divides the body
into left and right sides
Sarcoplasmic reticulum: Connective tissue enveloping
groups of muscle fibers
Scalar: A quantity that scales, or adjusts size;
a single number
Secondo passaggio (Italian): "The second
passage"; the second register change perceived in
a voice
Self-sustained oscillation: An oscillation that
continues indefinitely without an external driving force;
since the net energy loss per cycle must be zero, self-oscillation
requires an internal energy source
Shear stress: A stress applied tangential to
a surface
Shimmer: Short-term (cycle-to-cycle) variability
in amplitude
Simple harmonic motion: Sinusoidal motion; the
smoothest back and forth motion possible
Singing registers: Chest, head, falsetto, whistle
Sinus of Morgagni: Another name for the laryngeal
ventricle; an airspace between the true and false vocal
folds
Sinusoid: A graph representing the sine or cosine
of a constantly increasing angle; the smoothest and simplest
back and forth movement, characterized by a single frequency,
an amplitude, and a phase
Sinusoidal motion: The projection of circular
motion (in a plane) at constant speed onto one axis in
the plane
Solid: A substance which maintains its shape,
independent of the shape of its container
Solid mechanics: The mechanics of solid objects,
those that move but do not easily deform
Sound propagation: The process of imparting
a pressure or density disturbance to adjacent parts of
a continuous medium, creating new disturbances at points
further away from the initial disturbance
Source-filter theory: A theory that assumes
the time-varying glottal airflow to be the primary sound
source and the vocal tract to be an acoustic filter of
the glottal source
Spasmodic dysphonia: A poorly-understood disorder
characterized by intermittent phonation with a strained-strangled
production; may be of the adductor or abductor type
Speaking registers: Pulse, modal and falsetto
Spectral slope: A measure of how rapidly energy
decreases with increasing frequency, or, for periodic
waveforms, with increasing harmonic number
Spectral slope transition: An abrupt voice quality
change that results from an abrupt acoustic change, specifically
from sudden loss or gain of high frequency sound energy
at the source
Spectrum: Short for "spectrum of frequencies":
a display of relative magnitudes or phases of the component
frequencies of a waveform
Speed: The rate of change of distance with time;
the magnitude of velocity
Stable equilibrium: A unique state to which
a system with a restoring force will return after it
has been displaced from rest
Standard deviation: The square root of the variance
Standing wave: A wave that appears to be standing
still; it occurs when waves with the same frequency (and
wavelength) moving in opposite directions interfere with
each other
Statics: A branch of mechanics that deals with
the study of objects in equilibrium (where there is no
acceleration)
Stop band: A band of frequencies rejected by
a filter; it is the low region in a filter spectrum
Strain: Deformation relative to a rest dimension,
including direction (e.g., elongation per unit length)
Strain creep: A continuous deformation (e.g.,
elongation) under constant applied stress
Strain rate: The rate of change of strain with
respect to time
Stress: Force per unit area, including the direction
in which the force is applied to the area
Stress relaxation: Reduction of tissue stress
over time at constant length
Strohbass (German): "Straw bass";
another term for pulse register
Subglottal: Below the glottis
Subharmonic: A component of a waveform whose
frequency is an integer fraction of the fundamental (e.g.,
1/2, 1/3, 1/4,. . .)
Sulcus (vocalis): A furrow or groove in the
vocal fold, particularly on the medial surface
Superior: Above
Supraglottal: Above the glottis
Suprahyoid muscle group: One of the two extrinsic
muscle groups that includes the stylohyoid muscle, anterior
and posterior bellies of the digastric muscle, geniohyoid,
the hyoglossus and mylohyoid
Surface forces: Forces that act only on the
surface of a distributed mass
Temporal gap transition: The transition from a continuous
sound to a series of pulses in the perception of vocal
registers
Tensile stress: A stress that points away from
a surface, tending to pull an object apart
Tessitura (Italian): Texture; the average pitch
level of a song or part of a song in relation to the
overall range of the instrument
Testosterone: The hormone responsible for development
of male sexual characteristics, which includes major
growth in the larynx
Thorax: The part of the body between the neck
and abdomen
Three-layer scheme (of vocal fold tissues): A
description of the tissues of the vocal fold inwhich
the mucosa consists of the epithelium and the superficial
layer of the lamina propria, the ligament consists of
the intermediate and deep layers of the lamina propria,
and muscle refers to the thyroarytenoid muscle
Thyroarytenoid muscle: An intrinsic laryngeal
muscle that comprises the bulk of the vocal fold (paired)
Thyroid cartilage: The largest cartilage
of the larynx; it is comprised of two plates joined anteriorly
at the midline. It's anterior prominence is called the "Adam's
apple"
Tidal volume: The amount of air breathed in
and out during respiration (measured in liters)
Timbre: The quality given to a sound by its
overtones
Tracheal stenosis: A constricted region in the
trachea
Tracheoesophageal fistula: A congenital condition
in which a hole is present between the trachea and the
esophagus
Transglottal flow: Air that is forced through
the glottis by a transglottal pressure
Transverse: 1) Referring to an anatomical
plane that divides the body crosswise, or 2) a characterization
of direction, indicating "perpendicular to the fibers
or flow"
Tremor: Modulation in the 4-6 Hz range
Trill: A deliberate attempt to alternate rapidly
between a base note and an adjacent higher note; a musical
ornament
Trillo (Italian): Originally a trill, but in
recent pedagogy a rapid repetition of the same note,
which usually includes repeated voice onset and offset
Turbulence: Irregular movement of air, similar
to white water which usually causes a hissing sound
Two-layer scheme (of vocal fold tissues): A
description of the tissues of the vocal fold in which
the body is equivalent to the deep layer of the lamina
propria and the muscle, while the term cover is used
to describe the combination of epithelium, superficial,
and intermediate layers of the lamina propria
Unilateral vocal fold paralysis: Paralysis of the
thyroarytenoid muscle of one vocal fold
Unstable equilibrium: The state in which a disturbance
of a mechanical system will cause a drift away from a
rest position
Variability: The ability of someone or something
to change, by design or by accident
Variance: The mean squared difference from the
average value in a data set
Vector: A quantity made up of two or more independent
items of information, always grouped together
Velocity: The rate of change of displacement
with respect to time (measured in meters per second,
with the appropriate direction)
Ventral: Toward the belly
Ventricular folds: The "false folds",
situated just above the vocal folds
Ventricular phonation: An abnormal muscle pattern
dysphonia associated with hyperactivity in the false
fold region
Vibrato (Italian): An ornament in singing; typically,
a 4-6 Hz undulation of pitch and intensity
Viscera: The midsection of the body containing
the stomach and the intestines
Visceral pleura: The innermost of two membranes
surrounding the lungs
Viscoelastic material: A material that exhibits
characteristics of both elastic solids and viscous liquids
(e.g., the vocal fold)
Viscosity: Property of a liquid that
measures resistance to speed of deformation; more formally,
the
ratio of shear stress to the rate of chane of shear
strain
Vital capacity: The maximum volume of air that
can be exchanged by the lungs with the outside; it includes
the expiratory reserve volume, tidal volume and inspiratory
reserve volume (measured in liters)
Vocal fold stiffness: The ratio of the effective
restoring force (in the medial-lateral direction) to
the displacement (in the same direction)
Vocal folds: A paired system of tissue layers
in the larynx that can vibrate to produce sound
Vocal fry: A register with perceived temporal
gaps; also known as pulse register
Vocal tract: The airway between the glottis
and the mouth; also called the upper respiratory tract
Vocal tract resonance: Constructive interference
(reinforcement) of waves experiencing multiple reflections
in the vocal tract
Voice Range Profile: A visual display of vocal
intensity range versus fundamental frequency
Volume: "Amount of sound",
best measured in terms of acoustic power or intensity
Volumetric strain: A change in volume divided
by the unstressed volume
Wave impedance (acoustic): In a sound propagating
medium, the ratio of acoustic pressure to the speed of
air particles driven by this pressure
Waveform: A plot of any variable (e.g. pressure,
flow, or displacement) changing as time progresses along
the horizontal axis; also known as a time-series
Wavefront: The initial disturbance in a propagating
wave
Whisper: Sound created by turbulent glottal
airflow in the absence of vocal fold vibration
Whistle register: The highest of all registers
(in pitch). It occurs in females, extending the pitch
range beyond F6
Wobble: A slow vibrato resulting from a lack
of excitement, poor muscle tone, or fatigue
Wow: Modulation in the 1-2 Hz range
Young's modulus: The ratio between the magnitudes
of stress and strain
|
~ National Center for Voice and Speech, www.ncvs.org
