Understanding Resonance And How It Shapes The Voice

Author: Roselyn Mathew, Reg. CASLPO, Speech-Language Pathologist
Date: Wednesday, May 29, 2024

Table of Contents

1. Introduction 

2. Different resonating cavities or resonators 

   • Nasal cavity

   • Hyponasality

   • Sinuses

   • Oral cavity

   • Hypernasality

   • Pharynx 

   • Larynx

   • Chest

   • Head resonance

3. The impact of resonance on voice

4. Resonance variations while speaking and singing

5. Conclusion

Introduction

The meaning of resonance in physics, in very simple terms, is the maximum vibration of a body due to an external force. The resonance in voice is called vocal resonance. Vocal resonance as defined by McKinney and James in 1994 is “the  process by which the basic product of phonation is enhanced in timbre and/or  intensity by the air-filled cavities through which it passes on its way to the outside  air.”  

The air-filled cavities that are mentioned in the above definition are the different  resonating chambers. Some examples of these resonating chambers are the nasal  cavities, pharyngeal cavity (a muscular tube that originates from the back of the  nose till the larynx or voice box), mouth, throat, chest etc.  

The characteristics of voice changes based on the changes in resonances in these  resonating cavities. It is possible to use a single resonating cavity or multiple  resonating cavities simultaneously. Again, the multiple resonating cavities can be  made to have equal degrees of resonance or different degrees of resonance at  the same time.  

We will further discuss the various resonance cavities and their effects on voice.

DIFFERENT RESONATING CAVITIES OR RESONATORS

NASAL CAVITY 

The nasal cavity is an air-filled space that is situated behind and above the nose.  Each nostril continues to the nasal cavity. The nasal cavity is divided into two by  the nasal septum, which also divides the nostrils.  

There are certain sounds called nasal sounds, where the nasal resonance should  be high in order for them to be enunciated well and with a good quality. The nasal  sounds in the English language are /m/ (as in meat), /n/ (as in night) and /ng/ (as  in sing). Air passes through the nostrils when these sounds are made.  

HYPONASALITY 

If you pinch your nose and say the sounds m, n and ng, you could feel the air  getting blocked in the nose. You will also be able to hear that these sounds are 

not enunciated well. This is because of the lack of nasal resonance due to pinching  of the nose.  

The lack of adequate nasal resonance is called hyponasality. Hyponasality results  in nasal sounds not being enunciated correctly. This affects voice quality as well as  clarity and speech intelligibility.  

Hyponasality is generally caused due to a block in the nostrils or nasal area. This  could be due a cold (which is temporary), nasal polyps or any kind of a growth or  a deviated nasal septum. 

Hyponasality can be generally treated by correcting the deviated nasal septum or  by undergoing a removal of the growth or polyp. If it is caused by a cold or allergy,  taking medications would help in relieving the symptoms.  

SINUSES 

Sinuses are air- filled cavities in the forehead, cheek area as well as near the nose.  There are four pairs of sinuses. These are maxillary, ethmoid, sphenoid and  frontal sinuses. The resonances of these sinuses can cause a shift in the voice  quality and make it sound brighter or higher sounding. A study done by Soo Kwen  Koo et al.in 2015 has concluded that maxillary sinus has a role in the modification  of voice quality.  

ORAL CAVITY 

Oral cavity is the area in the mouth. It includes the lips, the interior part of the  cheeks, gums, teeth, tongue, floor of the mouth and the roof of the mouth (soft  palate and hard palate).  

The resonance in the oral cavity is called the oral resonance. In oral resonance,  the vibrations are generally felt on the lips, cheeks, tongue, teeth, and the roof of  the mouth. It is also reported to be felt in the space that is between the roof and  floor of the mouth towards the middle part of the mouth. 

All the sounds in the English language, except for /m/, /n/ and /ng/, are produced  with an oral resonance. Therefore, these are called oral sounds. 

HYPERNASALITY

While making oral sounds, minimal or no air should pass through the nose. If you  try to say an oral sound while forcefully passing air though the nose, you can hear  that the quality of the voice is different. This is called hypernasality or nasality. In  hypernasality, the oral sounds are produced with a nasal resonance. This disrupts  the quality and the intelligibility and clarity of the oral sounds.  

Some causes of hypernasality are cleft lip/palate, oral fissure, short or a weak  velum (a part of the roof of the mouth). Hypernasality can also occur due to faulty  mislearning, where a person by habit uses nasal resonance for oral sounds.  

PHARYNX 

Pharynx is a muscular tube that starts from the back of the nose and extends till  the back of the throat, just above the esophagus or food pipe. The pharynx is  divided into 3 based on the area it is in. These are: nasopharynx (area behind the  nose), oropharynx (area behind the mouth) and laryngopharynx or hypopharynx  (area behind the larynx or voice box). The resonance felt in the pharynx is called  the pharyngeal resonance. Pharyngeal resonance also causes a shift in the voice.  Generally, pharyngeal resonance is felt in the nasopharynx and oropharynx, but it  has also been reported to be felt in the laryngopharynx. 

LARYNX OR THE VOICE BOX 

The larynx or voice box is a structure that is situated in the throat. It is composed  of cartilages and muscles. The larynx houses the vocal folds, which are the  muscles that produce voice, which is why it is also known as voice box. The largest  laryngeal cartilage, known as the thyroid cartilage, is the cartilage that can be felt  while touching the throat.

The resonance in the larynx is known as laryngeal resonance. It is not much easy  to feel the laryngeal resonance because vocal folds vibrate continuously to  produce voice, which might be mistaken as laryngeal resonance. For example, if  you make a nasal sound /m/ and touch your throat, you will be able to feel  vibrations in the throat which is due to the vocal fold vibrations. Vocal folds vibrations can be felt for all vowel sounds and for certain consonant sounds like  /b/, /d/, /v/, /g/, voiced /th/, /l/, /m/, /n/, /w/, /r/ etc. These sounds are called  voiced sounds as the vocal folds vibrates in order to produce these sounds. Due to  this reason, it is hard to differentiate whether it is related to vocal folds or  resonance. It would be beneficial to consult a trained professional to understand  whether you are speaking with a laryngeal or throat resonance.  

CHEST 

The chest is the region that starts from the end of the neck till the stomach or  abdomen. The chest consists of different organs, bones, muscles and cartilages.  The resonance of the chest is called chest resonance. It is felt by having vibrations  in the chest cavity while using voice. Chest resonance sounds like a bass or low pitch sound. It is also called a darker resonance. Generally, males use a chest resonance while speaking although there are women who prefer using chest  resonance. There are also men who do not prefer using a chest resonance.  

HEAD RESONANCE 

Head resonance is a term used to indicate that a person is using a brighter  resonance while speaking, singing or using voice in non-speech activities. The  cavities that are generally used for a head resonance are nasal cavity, sinuses, oral  cavity and pharynx (nasopharynx and oropharynx). Generally, women speak with  a head resonance, although some women speak with a throat or chest resonance. 

THE IMPACT OF RESONANCE ON VOICE

As mentioned previously, a person can speak while focusing on only one  resonance cavity or can use multiple resonance cavities while speaking. The  power of resonance is often overlooked. A good voice quality should have a good  balance between nasal and oral resonance. Resonance is also important in  changing the brightness of a voice. Trained singers often use their chest  resonance to aim for lower notes and use head resonance for higher notes. This is  done in order to prevent the vocal folds from being strained due to frequent wide  alterations in the pitch.

RESONANCE VARIATIONS WHILE SPEAKING AND SINGING

In order to have a good voice quality, nasal sounds should be enunciated with a  nasal resonance and oral sounds must be enunciated with an oral resonance.  Inappropriate nasal and oral resonance variations would affect the quality, clarity  and intelligibility of speech. 

Conclusion

There are various resonating cavities in our body. The voice quality changes due  to the difference in resonation of these cavities. Certain sounds are enunciated  with a nasal resonance and some other sounds are enunciated with an oral  resonance. It is important to have an appropriate nasal and oral resonance to  have clear, intelligible speech with a good voice quality.

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