The tongue

 

Question:

How does the tongue work to create the voice?

Answer:

The tongue does not create the voice — the exhalation of air passing through the vocal cords and causing them to vibrate creates the beginning of the sound. It is then enhanced as it gathers resonance from the trachea (or windpipe), bronchial tubes, larynx (or voice box), mouth, nose, and other open spaces in the head. The tongue, depending on how it is shaped, can influence the quality of the resonance as it directs the vibrations of the vocal cords more into some of the resonators or less into others. It is also used to articulate many of the consonants.