[Voice production is the result of a reflex process]

In phonation and partly also in intonation the vibration proper of vocal cords is accompanied by the active participation of a neuromuscular reflex. A vocal fold as an oscillator is connected with the thyroid, i.e. the resonator, by a firm mechanical bond. Increased demands upon the tightness of this bond occur during speech. Thus the defective mechanism of the radiation of energy is offered as a contribution to the explanation of the etiology of stuttering.