Children often attempt to master tongue twisters for fun, but articulation of the difficult phrases is also recommended as a cure for hiccups, lisps, and other speech impediments. Tongue twisters are sometimes used to eliminate an accent and to test potential broadcasters for elocution skills, as well.

The tongue is not only useful for speech in humans, but is important for chewing, swallowing, and sucking, and as the location of the taste buds. Many other vertebrates, however, use their tongues for additional purposes. Frogs, anteaters, and chameleons, for instance, have elongated, sticky tongues modified to capture prey. Giraffes are herbivores, but also have prehensile tongues, which they use to grasp leaves and twigs from treetops. Cats, on the other hand, have very rough tongues that they utilize to clean and groom themselves.

In humans, the surface of the top of the tongue is covered in many tiny projections called papillae that contain the taste buds. Food chemically stimulates the nerves of the tongue resulting in the sense of taste. Each section of the tongue has receptors for a specific taste sensation. The base of the tongue senses bitterness, the sides sense sourness, and the tip recognizes both sweetness and saltiness. The taste buds are responsible for sending the taste sensations, along with information regarding the consistency and temperature of food, to the nervous system.