Larynx height and voicing

Abstract

Many studies argue that larynx lowering would effectively maintain the transglottal airflow necessary for voicing to continue during stop closure. The empirical support for this hypothesis is primarily the tendency of the larynx to be lower for voiced than for voiceless stops. Earlier discussions, however, frequently do not state that a larynx height difference affects glottal airflow only if it implies an increase in supraglottal volume during closure. To investigate larynx movement during closure and how it relates to oral pressure build‐up, larynx height and intraoral pressure were monitored while subjects produced intervocalic bilabial stops. The results are damaging to the hypothesis that speakers regularly lower the larynx during voiced stops to reduce the pressure‐equalizing effect of oral closure. Although differences in larynx height between voiced and voiceless stops were observed, there were no consistent differences in the magnitude or frequency of larynx lowering during closure between the st...