Can a mute scream or whine?

Ria L

New member
An odd question, I know. I am a writer and I have a character who's voice box and vocal cords are essentially damaged beyond repair. Would someone with such damage be able to scream, whine, moan...I'm not sure. Would it just be the sound of air escaping his throat?

This would be very helpful, it's hard to continue writing my book at this point. I've tried looking this up online and I get iffy answers.
 
No, I do not believe so. Considering their vocal cords are, as you said, "damaged beyond repair", the actions you listed (i.e. scream, moan) require vocal cords. As many of us know, when we speak or make other oral noises, our vocal cord vibrate, producing the sound. A mute is incapable of making his or her vocal cords make that vibration.

In other words, no.
Hope I helped!
 
Yeah, I think the idea behind being "mute" is that they can't produce any sound from their vocal cords. So, I think it would just be the sound of air escaping his throat.

Suggestion: if you want your character to be capable of emitting a warning sign, then perhaps you should make him wise enough to carry a whistle with him at all times.
 
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