Voice (disambiguation) facts for kids

Voice is a word with many meanings! It can be the sound you make when you talk or sing. It can also describe how sentences are built in grammar. In music, "voice" can mean a separate melody line. Plus, there's a special job called voice acting, where people use their voices to bring characters to life.

What is the Human Voice?

The human voice is the sound we make when we speak, sing, or even shout. It's how we communicate with each other every day. Our voices let us share ideas, tell stories, and express our feelings.

How Do We Make Voice Sounds?

Our voices are made using our lungs, vocal cords, and mouth. When we breathe out, air from our lungs passes through our vocal cords. These are two small folds of muscle in our larynx, also known as the voice box. The air makes the vocal cords vibrate very quickly. These vibrations create sound waves. We then shape these sounds into words using our tongue, teeth, and lips.

Different Types of Voices

Everyone's voice is unique! Voices can be high-pitched or low-pitched. They can be loud or soft. The way our vocal cords vibrate and the size of our voice box affect the sound. For example, children usually have higher voices than adults. Singers train their voices to hit different notes and create beautiful melodies.

Voice in Grammar

In grammar, "voice" describes how the subject of a sentence relates to the action of the verb. There are two main types of voice: active voice and passive voice. Understanding them helps you write more clearly.

Active Voice

In the active voice, the subject of the sentence performs the action. It's usually the most direct and clear way to write.

• Example: The dog chased the ball.

* Here, "the dog" is the subject, and it is doing the action of "chasing."

Passive Voice

In the passive voice, the subject of the sentence receives the action. The action is done to the subject. Sometimes, the person or thing doing the action isn't even mentioned.

• Example: The ball was chased by the dog.

* Here, "the ball" is the subject, but it is not doing the chasing. The action of "chasing" is happening to the ball.

• Another example: Mistakes were made.

* In this sentence, we don't know who made the mistakes.

When to Use Each Voice

Most of the time, it's best to use the active voice because it's clearer and more direct. However, the passive voice can be useful when you don't know who performed an action, or when you want to focus on the action itself rather than who did it.

Voice in Music (Polyphony)

In music, especially classical music, "voice" can mean a single, independent melodic line. When you hear several of these melodic lines being played or sung at the same time, it's called polyphony.

What is Polyphony?

Polyphony means "many sounds." It's a type of musical texture where two or more different melodies are played or sung together. Each melody is important and moves independently, but they sound good when combined.

• Example: Imagine a choir where different groups of singers (sopranos, altos, tenors, basses) are all singing different, but related, tunes at the same time. Each of those separate tunes is considered a "voice."

How is it Different from Other Music?

This is different from monophony, which is just one melody without any other parts (like singing a song by yourself). It's also different from homophony, where there's one main melody and other parts just provide chords or harmony to support it (like a singer with a guitar playing chords). In polyphony, every "voice" is a star!

Voice Acting

Voice acting is a special type of acting where performers use only their voices to create characters. They don't appear on screen, but their voices are crucial to the performance.

What Do Voice Actors Do?

Voice actors bring characters to life in many different ways. They change their pitch, tone, speed, and accent to sound like different people, animals, or even imaginary creatures. They also use their voices to show emotions like happiness, sadness, anger, or fear.

Where Can You Hear Voice Acting?

You hear voice acting all the time!

• Cartoons and Animated Movies: Think of all your favorite cartoon characters. They are all voiced by talented voice actors.
• Video Games: The characters in video games, from heroes to villains, speak thanks to voice actors.
• Audiobooks: When you listen to a book instead of reading it, a voice actor is narrating the story.
• Commercials: Many advertisements on TV and radio use voice actors to deliver their messages.
• Dubbing: Voice actors also re-record dialogue for foreign films and TV shows so they can be understood in other languages.

Voice acting requires a lot of skill and creativity. Voice actors often spend years training their voices and learning how to perform with just sound.