The larynx is suspended from the hyoid bone above and attached to the trachea below by membranes and ligaments. It is highly mobile in the neck and can be moved up and down and forward and backward by the action of extrinsic muscles that attach either to the larynx itself or to the hyoid bone.
During swallowing, the dramatic upward and forward movements of the larynx facilitate closing the laryngeal inlet and opening the esophagus.