Now, Hear This

Sean Shannon is one of the world's fastest talkers. He can speak an average of 655 words per minute. That's about 11 words per second!

In 1988, Simon Robinson of Australia broke the world's record for the loudest scream. At 128 decibels, his scream was almost as loud as a jet engine!

Don Reynolds broke the world's record for the longest yodel in 1980, when he yodeled for 7 hours and 29 minutes!

More Than Hot Air

How do we talk, scream, or yodel? The answer lies in our larynx, an organ located in our throats, at the top of the trachea. It is also called a voice box.

Two elastic bands, called vocal cords, stretch across the opening of the larynx. When we breathe, our vocal cords separate, forming a V-like shape, and air flows freely between them. But when we speak or sing, our vocal cords come together. Air from our lungs pushes its way up through the vocal cords, causing them to vibrate. This produces sound. The faster the air passes through, the louder the sound.

The thickness, length, and tension of our vocal cords determine how high or low our voices are. Tight vocal cords produce high voices, while loose vocal cords produce low voices. If you've ever played a stringed instrument, you know that a tight, thin string plays a high note, while a loose, thick string plays a low note.

Your tongue, teeth, palate, and lips shape sound into vowels and consonants.

Good Vibrations
The gift of speech distinguishes us from all other creatures. Only humans can express their thoughts in words, but speech is a double-edged sword. We can use language carefully and become holy, or we can cause pain through gossip, rudeness, and obscenity. Rabbi Yisrael Meir Kagan (1838–1933), better known as the Chofetz Chaim, taught the importance of shmirat halashon, guarding one’s tongue. By watching what we say, he explained, we realize our greatest potential as human beings.