This dictionary definition will cover all meanings of "voice" . 1. a. The sound produced by the vocal organs of a vertebrate, especially a human. b. The ability to produce such sounds. 2. A specified quality, condition, or pitch of vocal sound: a hoarse voice; the child's piping voice. 3. Linguistics Expiration of air through vibrating vocal cords, used in the production of vowels and voiced consonants. 4. A sound resembling or reminiscent of vocal utterance: the murmuring voice of the forest. 5. Music a. Musical sound produced by vibration of the human vocal cords and resonated within the throat and head cavities. b. The quality or condition of a person's singing: a baritone in excellent voice. c. A singer: a choir of excellent voices. d. One of the individual vocal or instrumental parts or strands in a composition: a fugue for four voices; string voices carrying the melody. Also called voice part. 6. a. Expression; utterance: gave voice to their feelings at the meeting. b. A medium or agency of expression: a newsletter that serves as a neighborhood voice. c. The right or opportunity to express a choice or opinion: a territory that has a voice, but not a vote, in Congress. 7. Grammar A property of verbs or a set of verb inflections indicating the relation between the subject and the action expressed by the verb: "Birds build nests" uses the active voice; "nests built by birds" uses the passive voice. Also called diathesis. 8. The distinctive style or manner of expression of an author or of a character in a book. tr.v. voiced, voic·ing, voic·es 1. To give voice to; utter: voice a grievance. See Synonyms at vent1. 2. Linguistics To pronounce with vibration of the vocal cords. 3. Music a. To provide (a composition) with voice parts. b. To regulate the tone of (the pipes of an organ, for example). 4. To provide the voice for (a cartoon character or show, for example): The animated series was voiced by famous actors. Idioms: at the top of (one's) voice As loudly as one's voice will allow. with one voice In complete agreement; unanimously.

"Give voice to"=Is what is called personification. Personification is an ontological metaphor in which a thing or abstraction is represented as a person. Example: "He gave voice to his pain/their desires/ etc." Neither the actual pain (a feeling) nor a desire (a want) have vocal cords or the ability to make noise. To give voice means that the writer or speaker is personifying what he/she thinks the object/thing would say or sound like if it could make sound. "Give *a* voice to". Nearly used the same way, but this is given attribute to something that **can actually make noise/speak**. Example: "He gave a voice to his love for her by speaking the truth to her, painting a picture of how he could never stop thinking of her." Meaning, he could give voice/equivocate (spoke clearly and [succinctly] effectively) his emotions in a vocal statement. Reference: http://books.google.com/books?id=5hJKE53rI1EC&pg=PA182&lpg=PA182&dq=%22give+voice+to%22+vs+%22give+a+voice+to%22&source=bl&ots=5N3apEQTBE&sig=yifS0RG5hEB_liGMflzIV3QDyWs&hl=en&ei=lGyRTZT4IIygsQOz4NWXDg&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=6&ved=0CDYQ6AEwBQ#v=onepage&q&f=false Personification [Defined and written in Chinese]: http://zh.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E8%BD%89%E5%8C%96_(%E4%BF%AE%E8%BE%AD)

You give voice to your opinion. That is, when you express your opinion to a lot of people, you are giving voice to your opinion. You give A voice to the people. Nelson Mandela gave a voice to the black people of South Africa. Technically, you enable other people to be involved in decision making or voting. If you don't have a voice, that means anything you say is irrelevant (e.g. in court).