1 hyoid bone 2 epiglottis 3 vestibular fold, false vocal fold/cord, (Plica vestibularis) 4 vocal fold, true vocal fold, (Plica vocalis) 5 Musculus ventricularis 6 ventricle of larynx (Ventriculus laryngis) 7 Musculus vocalis 8 Adam's apple (thyroid cartilage) 9 rings of cartilage (cricoid cartilage) 10 Cavum infraglotticum 11 first tracheal cartilage The vestibular fold (ventricular fold, superior or false vocal cord) is one of two thick folds of mucous membrane, each enclosing a narrow band of fibrous tissue, the vestibular ligament, which is attached in front to the angle of the thyroid cartilage immediately below the attachment of the epiglottis, and behind to the antero-lateral surface of the arytenoid cartilage, a short distance above the vocal process.
The lower border of this ligament, enclosed in mucous membrane, forms a free crescentic margin, which constitutes the upper boundary of the ventricle of the larynx.
The vestibular folds of the larynx play a significant role in the maintenance of the laryngeal functions of breathing and preventing food and drink from entering the airway during swallowing.
In some ethnic singing and chanting styles, such as in Tuva, Sardinia, Mongolia, South Africa, and Tibet (...) the vestibular folds may be used in co-oscillation with the vocal folds, producing very low or high pitched sounds (most of the time, one octave higher).
[citation needed] This article incorporates text in the public domain from page 1079 of the 20th edition of Gray's Anatomy (1918)