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What is that condition called in English when I can't say anything, "lose my voice", due to shouting a lot?

I think it is related to my vocal chords. The usual treatment prescribed is just to stay silent for a period of one or two weeks.

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  • Is there some other language in which this exact phenomenon has a name?
    – ShreevatsaR
    Commented Dec 28, 2010 at 9:24
  • I'd just say "I've gone hoarse."
    – user730
    Commented Dec 29, 2010 at 10:00
  • "I've lost my voice" is also a common way to describe the condition in English.
    – zwol
    Commented Aug 27, 2013 at 0:26

4 Answers 4

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A technical term could be Dysphonia

Dysphonia is the medical term for disorders of the voice: an impairment in the ability to produce voice sounds using the vocal organs (it is distinct from dysarthria which means disorders of speech, that is, an impairment in the ability to produce spoken words). Thus, dysphonia is a phonation disorder. The dysphonic voice can be hoarse or weak, or excessively breathy, harsh, or rough, but some kind of phonation is still possible (contrasted with the more severe aphonia where phonation is impossible).

The other term (if you completely lose your voice) would be Aphonia: the inability to speak.
aphonia: loss of voice and of all but whispered speech.

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A rough or harsh voice, typically the result of a sore throat or shouting, is called hoarse, the state or quality of a hoarse voice being hoarseness.

If you shout for too long, your larynx will become inflamed. This condition is called laryngitis, although laryngitis can be caused by other things, such as a viral or bacterial infection. Often people with an inflamed larynx will have trouble speaking. The generic term for disorders of the voice is dysphonia.

So if you can't talk because you were shouting too much, you could say your voice is hoarse from shouting, or that you have dysphonia caused by laryngitis.

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It's called laryngitis.

http://oxforddictionaries.com/view/entry/m_en_gb0458130#m_en_gb0458130

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    But is laryngitis not due to catching a cold and the following process of inflammation rather then because of shouting for too long?
    – brilliant
    Commented Dec 28, 2010 at 7:27
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    "Using your voice excessively" may also be a cause. Here's a link to Merck's Manual: merckmanuals.com/home/sec19/ch222/ch222d.html
    – Tragicomic
    Commented Dec 28, 2010 at 9:05
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There is an idiom for that:

To have a frog in one's throat
(verb) to lose your voice and be unable to speak

Examples:

After her 21st birthday, Rachel had a frog in her throat because she stayed out all night singing Karaoke.

We will have to cancel the concert tonight if you have a frog in your throat.

David cannot come in to work today because he has a frog in his throat.

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  • "frog in one's throat" just means hoarseness or a lump in one's throat; it's not necessarily because of shouting too much. (It's even "often regarded as a sign of fear".) AFAIK it doesn't even necessarily mean you're unable to speak, only that you're speaking very hoarsely and with difficulty.
    – ShreevatsaR
    Commented Dec 28, 2010 at 9:22
  • It has multiple meanings as you said, but I heard it's used in cases when you lose your voice because of shouting, etc. One of its meanings is any temporary physical difficulty in speaking. I won't delete my answer as it's an alternative answer to the question. Anyway, thanks for your supplement.
    – Mehper C. Palavuzlar
    Commented Dec 28, 2010 at 9:44

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