Larynx Anatomy

Larynx Anatomy helps us to understand that how sound is produced, its pitch, loudness and quality.Larynx is also known as voice box as it consists of vocal cords which are responsible for the pitch and quality of the voice.It is a small organ with thin walls. It extends from the root of the tongue to the trachea. Males have a deeper voice as the size of larynx grows larger in them after puberty.This is a topic related to biology class 12.

Larynx Anatomy

There are four cartilages that support the wall of the larynx. These are -

1.Thyroid cartilage -This cartilage is C-shaped and is large in size. The anterior and lateral sides of the upper part of the larynx are supported by this cartilage. It is incomplete from the posterior side.

2.Circoid Cartilage - It is ring shaped and encircles the lower part of the larynx. It is present below the thyroid cartilage. It is narrow from the anterior side and broad from the posterior side.

3.Arytenoid cartilages - These are small in size and occur in a pair. They are triangular shaped. They support the posterior wall of the upper part of the larynx. Cartilage of Santorini is found on each arytenoid cartilage on its upper end.

There are two pairs of vocal cords present on the inner side of the larynx. They occur as folds of mucous membrane. They extend from the inner wall of the thyroid on the anterior side to the arytenoid cartilages on the posterior side. The two pairs of vocal cords are -

(a) False vocal cords - These are the upper pair of vocal cords

(b) True vocal cords - These are the lower pair of vocal cords.

An aperture called glottis is present between the two pairs of vocal cords. This aperture remains open to allow the supply of air into the lungs. Glottis is closed by epiglottis during the swallowing of food. The muscles of the larynx help in stretching and relaxing the vocal cords. Due to which the size of glottis is also changed.

How sound is produced?

The vocal cords are pulled together due to the contraction of the laryngeal muscles which narrows the gap between them. This forms a chink of the glottis. When air is forced through the chink of this glottis, there occurs vibration of the cords producing sounds. The relaxation of laryngeal muscles separates the vocal cords and no sound is produced. The length and the tightness of the cords decide the pitch of the voice. Males have deeper pitch as their vocal cords are longer than females. The force with which the vocal cords vibrate decides the loudness of the voice. Many other factors such as the position of tongue and lips, the shape of the mouth, the muscles of face and and air sinuses decide the quality and the resonance of the voice.

Hope this article about Larynx Anatomy for notes of biology class 12 would be quite helpful to you. Please share it and comment if you want article on any other topic. You can also find Worksheets for Science for this topic.

Related Topics

The Human Brain Anatomy

Infection in Kidneys

Liver Function

Structure of the Teeth

The Human Digestive System

Healthy Diet Plan

Minerals Types

Which vitamins are soluble in water?

Worksheets for Science Topic - The Human Brain Anatomy

Worksheets for Science Topic- Infection in Kidneys

Worksheets for Science Topic- Liver Function