Fonador apparatus

As we have seen, the set of anatomical organs involved in the production of the voice is
called the sounding device. These structures do not have an exclusively linguistic function
(Guitart, 2004). For didactic purposes it can be divided into three main compartments:
infraglottic cavities, glottic cavity and upraglottic cavities (Adrian, et al, 2002).

Infraglottic Cavities
They correspond to structures located in areas inferior to the vocal cords, where display
their main functions at the level of the respiratory system. These are: diaphragm,lungs,
trachea and bronchi, which provide the necessary air for the production of the voice, thus
modulating the intensity and duration of the emissions (Villayandre,2009). This is how the
voice is considered a sound expiration caused by the passage of an air current through the
space between the vocal cords or glottis (Adrian, et al., 2001).The mode of operation of
these structures in the production of air for phonation can be represented as a sequence. In
this way, the diaphragm acts by mobilizing the intra-abdominal structures to favor a correct
dilation of the lungs, which in turn act as storage and propellants of the air to be used. This
aerial column ascends through the bronchi, which correspond to cartilaginous rings
originating from a bifurcation of the trachea. The latter is a semi-rigid tube that directly
contacts the larynx, therefore it is the last structure of the in fraglottic scheme responsible
for providing the necessary air for phonation (Romero, 2007).
Glottic Cavity
Compartment constituted by the larynx, corresponding to the main organ of the human
being. This is a cartilaginous and muscular structure responsible for protecting the airway
during swallowing, regulating breathing and emitting sounds. Thanks to this one Physical
configuration, including both its extrinsic and intrinsic musculature, is capable of tensing,
adducing or abducting the vocal cords, as well as moving vertically to the inside of the
neck, according to respiratory, swallowing and / or phonatory requirements (Jackson-
Menaldi, 1992).
The larynx
Is formed by three basic anatomical units: cartilaginous skeleton, extrinsic musculature and
intrinsic musculature. (Married, 2002). First, the cartilaginous conformation of the
laryngeal organ is given by major cartilages (thyroid, epiglottis and cricoids) and minor
cartilages (arytenoids, corniculates and cuneiforms). In second, are the extrinsic muscles of
the larynx, both the infrahyoid like the suprahioids, both groups inserted in the superanial
bone of the larynx or hyoid. Thirdly, musculature is observed with insertions in the larynx
itself, so that take the name of intrinsic muscles of the larynx, which participate
synergistically in the proper functioning of the organ (Romero, 2007). Regarding the
production of the voice, the intrinsic muscles of the larynx stand out. make up the strings or
vocal folds. These are the thyroarytenoids, separated from each other by a triangular space
called glottis, through which the air passes as it rises from the infraglottic cavities. This
phonatory procedure has been tried to explain over the years and according to that various
theories have been generated. According to Jackson-Menaldi (1992), the most accepted
approach corresponds to the myoelastic - aerodynamic of Van den Berg, which divides the
production of chordal vibration into three steps: a) the vocal cords contact the midline of
the glottis, in an adduction process,b) the air pressure from the subglottic cavities produces
a force on the adducted vocal folds, which open momentarily, letting out the air column c)
after these stages the Bernouilli effect is produced, which generates a phenomenon of
aspiration of the vocal cords towards the midline, with the consequent sound production.
Supraglottic Cavities
As previously stated, vocal production is not enough with the passage of a column of air
through the larynx, but needs the action of various upper structures that highlight certain
parameters of the acoustic wave. These structures correspond to the Supraglottic cavities,
consisting of the pharynx, oral cavity and nasal cavities, also known as resonators. The air
flow from the glottic cavity is modified in these structures superior, thanks to the
establishment of contacts and narrowings in various points of its travel. These
transformations of the sound wave, resulting from joint movements of the supraglottic
organs, will be responsible for printing a characteristic timbre For each subject. In this way,
the portions of the tract superior to the glottis act as true filters, amplifying only frequencies
of the laryngeal wave spectrum that match With their own requencies. This procedure
results in a voice consisting of different formants or amplified frequencies (Obediente,
2007).In summary, the main function of supraglottic cavities corresponds to the process
known as resonance, in which the fundamental sound or tone produced in the larynx is
amplified and enriched, to obtain the voices we hear daily (Bustos, 2003).