How to Pronounce Essential Tremor of the Voice

Say it like this: eh-SEN-shal TREE-mor uv thuh VOYS. The stress falls on the second syllable of 'essential' (SEN), and on the first syllable of 'tremor' (TREE). Think of it as three separate words: the adjective 'essential,' the noun 'tremor,' and the phrase 'of the voice.'

In medical language, 'essential' means 'primary' or 'happening on its own without being caused by something else.' It comes from the Latin word 'essentia,' meaning 'being' or 'existence.' When doctors say 'essential tremor,' they're saying this shaking occurs as its own condition, not as a side effect of another disease.

Tremor comes from Latin and means 'shaking' or 'trembling.' In medical terms, it refers to rhythmic, involuntary shaking movements. You'll hear this word in many other conditions too, like 'hand tremor' or 'Parkinson's tremor.'

Here's the breakdown: eh-SEN-shal (3 syllables) TREE-mor (2 syllables) uv (1 syllable) thuh (1 syllable) VOYS (1 syllable). That's 8 syllables total, with the main stress on SEN in 'essential' and TREE in 'tremor.'

Many people stress the first syllable and say 'ES-sen-shal' instead of the correct 'eh-SEN-shal.' Another common mistake is rushing through 'tremor' and saying 'TREM-or' instead of 'TREE-mor.' Remember: the 'e' in 'tremor' sounds like a long 'ee' sound.

Essential tremor of the voice is a condition where your voice shakes or quivers when you speak or hold a sound. It creates a wobbly, unsteady quality in your voice that happens involuntarily—meaning you cannot control it.

You'll see 'tremor' in other medical terms like 'hand tremor,' 'tremulous' (meaning shaky or quivering), and 'trembling.' All of these words come from the same Latin root meaning 'to shake.'

Here's an example: 'The speech-language pathologist explained that essential tremor of the voice is different from other voice disorders.' This shows how the term is used when discussing different types of voice conditions.