VOICE AND SPEECH 437 



instead of passing right through to the thyroid. It is supposed 

 that by their contraction they throw the posterior portion of 

 the cord even, it is asserted, as much as its posterior two- 

 thirds in the higher head-notes out of vibration. (3) It 

 appears that the width (thickness) of the cord vibrating is also 

 regulated by the contraction of the thyro-arytenoid muscle. 

 Those who regard the diminution in the thickness and width of 

 the vibrating fold of mucous membrane and underlying elastic 

 tissue as the chief factor in the adaptation of the larynx for 

 the middle register lay great stress upon the sense of relief 

 from muscular effort which accompanies the transition. Less 

 force is needed to tighten the thinner cord. They also call 

 attention to the loss in volume of the voice when the lower 

 register is left, and to its greater softness. The lower is spoken 

 of as the thick register, the middle as thin, and the upper (on 

 the hypothesis that part only of the cord vibrates) as the small 

 register. 



Singing reveals the possibilities of the larynx as a musical 

 instrument. In speech the larynx plays a part, but the form 

 of the syllabic sounds and the relative prominence of over- 

 tones in the vowels is of more importance than pitch. Flexi- 

 bility of voice is dependent upon ability to increase or diminish 

 at will the size of the resonating chambers of the throat, 

 mouth, and nose, or the freedom of access to them. Con- 

 versation is carried on in the lower or chest-register. When 

 a practised speaker mounts a platform, he spends the first few 

 minutes in ascertaining the pitch of the hall that is to say, 

 the pitch of his voice to which the room resonates most freely. 

 Having found the proper tone, he endeavours to maintain a 

 uniform tension of his vocal cords, and therefore a uniform 

 pitch. He relieves the monotony of speech by suitable varia- 

 tions of its overtones. Nothing is more uncomfortable to 

 listen to than an oration delivered in cadences. The speaking 

 voice should be full, round, and musical, and free from affecta- 

 tion as guiltless of the intoning or preaching quality as it is 

 of harshness or of vulgar flatness. A flexible voice is capable 

 of producing, as occasion calls for them, tones of any and every 

 quality. With the throat and mouth set for the syllable 

 " haw," it is impossible to do justice to such words as " king " 

 and " queen." The voice-tones of a superior person are as 



