Honk! Squeak! What the heck is that? A goose playing the
trumpet? If you're going through puberty (say:
pyoo-
ber-tee), it could be your voice. Both boys and girls experience
voice changes as they grow older, but girls' voices get only a
little deeper. A boy's voice, on the other hand, may change
quite a bit - from sounding like a little kid to sounding like
somebody's dad!
Your Leapin' Larynx
How does this happen? The
larynx
(say:
lahr-
inks), also known as your voice box, actually gets bigger during
puberty. The larynx, located in your throat, is a tube-shaped piece
of cartilage - the same stuff your ears and your nose are made
from. One of its jobs is to let you talk, sing, hum, yell, laugh,
and make all sorts of noises.
When a boy reaches puberty, his body begins making lots of
testosterone
(say: tes-
tass
-tuh-rone). The testosterone causes his larynx to grow and his
vocal cords to get longer and thicker. Vocal cords are thin muscles
that stretch across the larynx like rubber bands.
What Makes a Voice?
When you speak, air rushes from your lungs and makes your vocal
cords vibrate, producing the sound of your voice. If you've
ever plucked a small, thin rubber band, you've heard the
high-pitched twang it makes when it's stretched. A thicker
rubber band makes a deeper, lower-pitched twang. It's the same
sort of thing with vocal cords.
Before you reach puberty, your larynx is pretty small and your
vocal cords are kind of small and thin. That's why your voice
is higher than an adult's. As you go through puberty, the
larynx gets bigger and the vocal cords lengthen and thicken, so
your voice gets deeper. As your body adjusts to this changing
equipment, your voice may "crack" or "break."
But this process lasts only a few months. Once the larynx is
finished growing, your voice won't make those unpredictable,
funny noises anymore.
What About Eve's Apple?
Not only do older guys and men sound different from boys, but
you can also see the difference in their necks. When the larynx
grows bigger, it tilts to a different angle and part of it sticks
out inside the neck. You can see it at the front of the throat.
This is known as the Adam's apple. For girls, the larynx also
grows bigger but not as much as in boys, so you can't see it
through a girl's skin. There is no "Eve's apple"
in a woman's neck.
Voice Your Changing Voice
Everyone's timetable is different, so some kids' voices
might start to change earlier and some might start a little later.
Some voices might drop gradually, whereas others might drop
quickly. If this hasn't happened to you yet, don't worry.
And if you're going through this now, try not to stress too
much about the funny noises you make. It can help to talk to a
parent, an older sibling, or a friend who's already gone
through the voice change. Before you know it, your voice will sound
clear, strong, and more grown-up!
Reviewed by:
Mary L. Gavin, MD
Date reviewed: August 2007
Note: All information is for educational purposes only. For specific medical advice,
diagnoses, and treatment, consult your doctor.
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