Question

State the function of the tongue.

Answer 1

Hint: The tongue is a muscular organ in the mouth of most vertebrates. It has an important role in the digestive system. In the gustatory system, it acts as the primary organ of taste. It manipulates food for mastication and is used in the act of swallowing.

Complete answer:
The tongue is a vital organ for chewing and swallowing food, and for speech also. The taste buds cover the upper surface of the tongue. These taste buds are housed in numerous lingual papillae. The tongue can differentiate many tastes and flavors, which helps us tell whether the food is good or not. The nerves and blood vessels are supplied here richly which helps in sending and detecting signals to the brain. The saliva keeps it moist and is sensitive in nature that helps in cleaning the teeth as well. Another major function of the tongue is the enabling of speech in humans and vocalization in other animals. The human tongue is divided into anterior and posterior parts. The anterior oral part is the visible part situated at the front and the posterior pharyngeal part is the part closest to the throat.

Additional Information:
-Taste refers to the perception of the sensory cells in your taste buds. The brain detects the taste when the sensory cells of the tongue are activated by the food compounds activated.
-the different flavors of the food are detected by the sensory organs called the tongue. It can detect taste from salty to savory and more.
-The four common tastes are sweet, sour, bitter, salty, and savory.

Note:
A healthy tongue is typically pink in color, but it can vary slightly in dark and light shades. The small nodules called papillae are present on the top and bottom of the tongue. The unhealthy tongue has certain noticeable symptoms that include the change in the color of the tongue from the normal pink color.
-white patches on the tongue are one of the most common issues that can affect a healthy tongue.