The |tongue| is an extremely mobile muscle situated in the floor of the |mouth|. It is most often associated with tasting food, but is just as important to the process of chewing and swallowing food. The |tongue| helps push the food between the molars when chewing, and pushes it up and back for swallowing. It is also an important aid in articulating speech, especially consonants. While muscles make up the bulk of the |tongue|, it consist of many more components as well: fibrous tissue, fat and lymphoid masses, ~mucous~ producing |glands| and a covering of |mucous membrane|. The ,uscles of the tongue include the |genioglossus|, the |styloglossus|, and the |hyoglossus| (the term "glossus" means "tongue").
