抄録
Nobody can deny that lubrication is one of the factors which influences the phonatory function of the larynx. However, no notable studies on the mechanism of lubrication have ever been carried out. This study is an effort to clarify how the larynx is lubricated.
In the present study, it is revealed that the secretory fluid from the tracheal and subglottic spaces passes instantly through the glottis at the moment of the onset of phonation. Thus, the initiation of the lubrication is accomplished. The fluid from the subglottis is then mixed with the supraglottic fluid which comes mainly from the ventricular gland. A lubricant column is bilaterally made by the mixed fluid on the upper surface of the vocal folds. This lubricant column is rotating perpendicularilly to the free edge of the folds. The lubricant column may lubricate the folds which vibrate during phonation. At the end of phonation, the column decomposes and mostly flows backward to the subglottis. By this flow, the glottis is lubricated again.
In this paper, the results mentioned above were discussed and analyzed from the viewpoint of phonodynamics.
