: If it were possible to transplant vocal cords, would the recipient have their own voice, or the voice of the original host?
In: Biology
After such an operation, the recipient would no longer have their original voice, but nor would they have the original voice of the donor.
They would have a brand new voice.
This is because we make sound by tensing our vocal cords in particular ways. If the cords are different, our voice will be different. If the muscles are different, our voice will be different.
They would likely sound more like themselves than like the donor.
Your voice is made up of more than just your vocal chords: the shape of your throat, mouth, nose, and tongue. The recipient would have their own, unique voice.
There actually has been a successful vocal cord transplant. Much of the sound of a person’s voice comes from the surrounding structures such as the shape of the throat, mouth and sinus passages that affect how our voices resonate.
Vocal cords are a lot like guitar strings. If you replace the strings on a guitar, it might sound a little different. But the strings are only a small part of what gives the the guitar its unique sound. The rest of it is all about the guitar — the type of wood, the shape, and the design all affect the guitar’s sound just as much or more than the strings.
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