Coco and Issi`s Blog Site

Learning the American English Accent-What Are the Vocal Cords?Here is something to remember when learning the American accent. The vocal cords are two muscles that look like little rubber bands in the shape of a “v” and sit horizontally in your throat.  They have two very important functions:  they create each person’s unique voice, and they allow air to pass into our lungs to breathe.  When we speak, our vocal cords move together and apart very quickly.  When we breathe, our vocal cords are apart. In this position, we can breathe through our mouth or through our nose.  When the vocal cords are together, there is no space between them and we are holding our breath.  In this position, we can neither speak nor breathe.