(ă-fō′nē-ă)
[Pronunciation]
[Gr. a-, not, + phone, voice]

Loss of speech sounds from the larynx, as may occur in chronic laryngitis.
It is not caused by a brain lesion. The condition may be caused by disease of the vocal cords, paralysis of the laryngeal nerves, or pressure on the recurrent laryngeal nerve; or it may be functional (due to psychiatric causes).
aphonic, (-fŏn′ĭk)
adj.

Subentries:
hysterical aphonia
aphonia paranoica
postoperative aphonia
spastic aphonia