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tongue
/tʌŋ/
The primary image is a flexible, elongated muscle capable of precise movement. In its physical sense, it carries connotations of sensory exploration, taste, and the visceral act of speaking. When used to mean language, it evokes a more ancestral or intimate connection than the word 'language' itself. It suggests an organic, inherited identity rather than a formal system of study. In geographical contexts, it describes a specific shape—tapering and protruding—creating a visual metaphor of something reaching out into a larger space.
Countable when referring to the physical organ in a mouth or a strip of land ('a tongue of sand'). Uncountable when referring to a spoken language, typically seen in phrases like 'mother tongue'.