vocal cords [Lat. vocalis ‘producing a sound’]

Cord-like folds of mucus membrane in the interior larynx composed of connective tissue and muscles that are used for phonation. ( also articulatory phonetics, phonetics)

The air passages above the larynx, in which speech sounds are produced: the laryngeal cavity, the pharynx, the nasal cavity, and the oral cavity. These four resonance chambers are connected on the inside to the vocal cords and on the outside to the openings in the nose and mouth. ( also articulatory phonetics)

Basic phonologic opposition in distinctive feature analysis, based on acoustically analyzed and spectrally defined criteria ( acoustic phonetics, spectral analysis). Acoustic characteristic: in vocalic sounds, sharply defined formants appear on the spectrogram. Articulatory characteristic: unconstricted vs constricted airflow through the vocal tract. The distinctions between vowels and consonants are universal. Liquids have both consonantal and vocalic features.