杏吧原创

Why do I become hoarse if I shout? And how does my voice recover?

鈥� Shouting injures the vocal cords mechanically as it requires a large volume of air to pass at high velocity through the windpipe from the lungs. The injury is in the form of inflammation and swelling of the mucous membrane of the vocal cords. This causes the voice to become hoarse. Vocal rest for a few days will allow recovery as the inflammation subsides.

Kameshawar Rao Matcha, London, UK

鈥� People with trained voices, such as singers and actors, can often produce amazing volumes of sound without much effort and with very little harm or discomfort to their throats.

鈥淧eople with trained voices can produce amazing volumes without much effort or harm鈥�

Roughly speaking they form their mouths and throat from the upwards, into an exponential horn, the most efficient shape for sound production. Suitably coupled with the vibration of air, a small amount of vocal energy can produce a formidable volume.

The untrained voice produces louder sounds by brute force rather than technique. We force air more violently between our vocal cords, thereby damaging them. Cords react largely by coating themselves with more and gummier protective mucus, and by fluid swelling. Both effects interfere with their correct, efficient vibration and stop them closing and opening in the proper way, causing hoarseness.

If you are lucky enough to escape bacterial infection in the damaged tissues, then a little rest 鈥� perhaps a day or two 鈥� will give the tissues time to recover. Should you persist in such abuse, you risk permanent injury, though your vocal cords will very likely become calloused and you will stop becoming hoarse.

However, if you are in a profession that demands continual shouting, I strongly recommend taking a course of voice training. Apart from escaping injury, you will be able to make yourself heard with considerably less effort.

Jon Richfield, Somerset West, South Africa