Editing Tongue (section)

===Function===
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| alt2      = Taste receptors in papillae
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====Taste====
{{main|Taste|Taste receptor|Supertaster}}
Chemicals that stimulate [[taste receptor]] cells are known as [[Gustatory cortex#Tastant concentration-dependent neuronal activity|tastants]]. Once a tastant is dissolved in [[saliva]], it can make contact with the [[plasma membrane]] of the gustatory hairs, which are the sites of taste [[transduction (physiology)|transduction]].<ref>{{cite book | last1 = Tortora | first1 = Gerard J. | first2 = Bryan H. | last2 = Derrickson | title = Principles of Anatomy and Physiology | edition = 12th | chapter = 17 | page = 602 | publisher = Wiley | year = 2008 | isbn = 978-0470084717}}</ref>

The tongue is equipped with many [[taste buds]] on its [[Anatomical terms of location|dorsal]] surface, and each taste bud is equipped with taste receptor cells that can sense particular classes of tastes. Distinct types of taste receptor cells respectively detect substances that are sweet, bitter, salty, sour, spicy, or taste of [[umami]].<ref>{{cite book | last1 = Silverhorn | first1 = Dee Unglaub | title = Human Physiology: An integrated approach | edition = 5th | chapter = 10 | page = 352 | publisher = Benjamin Cummings | year = 2009 | isbn = 978-0321559807}}</ref> Umami receptor cells are the least understood and accordingly are the type most intensively under research.<ref>{{cite book | last1 = Schacter | first1 = Daniel L. | first2 = Daniel Todd | last2 = Gilbert | first3 = Daniel M. | last3 = Wegner | chapter = Sensation and Perception | title = Psychology | url = https://archive.org/details/psychology0000scha_e2x8 | url-access = limited | edition = 2nd | location = New York | publisher = Worth | year = 2009 | page = [https://archive.org/details/psychology0000scha_e2x8/page/166 166]| isbn = 9780716752158 }}</ref> There is a [[common misconception]] that different sections of the tongue are exclusively responsible for different [[basic taste]]s. Although widely taught in schools in the form of the [[tongue map]], this is incorrect; all taste sensations come from all regions of the tongue, although certain parts are more sensitive to certain tastes.<ref name=times>{{cite news|date=November 10, 2008 |title=The Claim: The tongue is mapped into four areas of taste |first=Anahad |last=O'Connor |newspaper=[[The New York Times]] |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/11/health/11real.html?_r=1 |accessdate=June 24, 2011}}</ref>

====Mastication====
The tongue is an important accessory organ in the digestive system. The tongue is used for crushing food against the hard palate, during mastication and manipulation of food for softening prior to swallowing. The [[epithelium]] on the tongue's upper, or dorsal surface is [[keratin]]ised. Consequently, the tongue can grind against the hard palate without being itself damaged or irritated.<ref>{{cite book | last1 = Atkinson | first1 = Martin E. | quote = the tongue is also responsible for the shaping of the bolus as food passes from the mouth to the rest of the alimentary canal | title = Anatomy for Dental Students | edition = 4th | publisher = Oxford University Press | year = 2013 | isbn = 978-0199234462}}</ref>

====Speech====

The tongue is one of the primary articulators in the production of [[speech]], and this is facilitated by both the extrinsic muscles that move the tongue and the intrinsic muscles that change its shape. Specifically, different [[vowel]]s are [[articulatory phonetics|articulated]] by changing the tongue's height and retraction to alter the [[acoustic resonance|resonant]] properties of the [[vocal tract]]. These resonant properties amplify specific [[harmonic|harmonic frequencies]] ([[formant]]s) that are different for each vowel, while attenuating other harmonics. For example, [a] is produced with the tongue [[open central unrounded vowel|lowered and centered]] and [i] is produced with the tongue [[close front unrounded vowel|raised and fronted]]. [[Consonant]]s are articulated by constricting airflow through the vocal tract, and many consonants feature a constriction between the tongue and some other part of the vocal tract. For example, [[alveolar consonant]]s like [s] and [n] are articulated with the tongue against the [[alveolar ridge]], while [[velar consonants]] like [k] and [g] are articulated with the tongue dorsum against the soft palate (velum). Tongue shape is also relevant to speech articulation, for example in [[retroflex consonants]], where the tip of the tongue is curved backward.

====Intimacy====
The tongue plays a role in [[physical intimacy]] and [[human sexuality|sexuality]]. The tongue is part of the [[erogenous zone]] of the mouth and can be used in intimate contact, as in the [[French kiss]] and in [[oral sex]].