The glottis (pl.: glottises or glottides) is the opening between the vocal folds[1] (the rima glottidis).[2] The glottis is crucial in producing sound from the vocal folds.
Etymology
From Ancient Greek γλωττίς (glōttís), derived from γλῶττα (glôtta), variant of γλῶσσα (glôssa, "tongue").[3]
As the vocal folds vibrate, the resulting vibration produces a "buzzing" quality to the speech, called voice or voicing or pronunciation.
Sound production that involves moving the vocal folds close together is called glottal.[4] English has a voiceless glottal transition spelled "h". This sound is produced by keeping the vocal folds spread somewhat, resulting in non-turbulent airflow through the glottis.[4] In many accents of English the glottal stop (made by pressing the folds together) is used as a variant allophone of the phoneme /t/ (and in some dialects, occasionally of /k/ and /p/); in some languages, this sound is a phoneme of its own. This is the case with the Klingon language developed for the science fiction series Star Trek, which treats the glottal stop as its own letter, represented by the apostrophe. [5]
Skilled players of the Australian didgeridoo restrict their glottal opening in order to produce the full range of timbres available on the instrument.[6]
The vibration produced is an essential component of voicedconsonants as well as vowels. If the vocal folds are drawn apart, air flows between them causing no vibration, as in the production of voiceless consonants.[citation needed][7]
Larynx
The entrance to the larynx, viewed from behind.
The entrance to the larynx.
Glottis
Larynx, pharynx and tongue. Deep dissection. Posterior view.
Larynx, pharynx and tongue. Deep dissection. Posterior view.
Larynx, pharynx and tongue. Deep dissection. Posterior view.
