Literary notes about tongue (AI summary)
The term "tongue" in literature operates on several levels, functioning both as a literal anatomical reference and as a potent metaphor for language and expression. In some works, it embodies the means of conveying cultural identity and knowledge, as when a language is described as stemming from an ancient mother‐tongue ([1]) or when learning multiple tongues signals intellectual prowess ([2], [3]). At the same time, the word is used quite literally to evoke vivid physical imagery, such as the depiction of a dog's dangling tongue ([4]) or its scientific measurement in the study of sensation ([5]). Moreover, dramatic utterances like “hold your tongue” ([6], [7]) and references to a “tongue-tied” state ([8], [9]) reveal its role as a metaphor for restraint or unexpressed emotion. Thus, whether symbolizing the power of speech or the bodily means of communication, the tongue is a versatile device that deepens both characterization and thematic nuance.
- All are believed to be derived from one very ancient mother-tongue.
— from A History of the Philippines by David P. Barrows - From the perpetual practice of the synagogue of expounding the Hebrew lesson by a paraphrase in the vulgar tongue of the country
— from The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire by Edward Gibbon - She was not ignorant of the Latin tongue, but possessed in equal perfection the Greek, the Syriac, and the Egyptian languages.
— from The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire by Edward Gibbon - He was wearing a red cotton shirt and high boots; a setter dog with its long tongue hanging out, followed behind him.
— from Project Gutenberg Compilation of Short Stories by Chekhov by Anton Pavlovich Chekhov - In another, upon the base of the tongue, the reaction to touch being 0''.141, that to sugar was 0''.552 (Vintschgau, quoted by Buccola, p. 103).
— from The Principles of Psychology, Volume 1 (of 2) by William James - ‘Hold your tongue!’ said the Queen, turning purple.
— from Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll - ‘Sam,’ said Mr. Pickwick, with great severity, ‘hold your tongue.’
— from The Pickwick Papers by Charles Dickens - He had never been so tongue-tied in his life.
— from Martin Eden by Jack London - She was unwilling to speak; she wanted to make Frederick understand what kind of person Mr. Thornton was—but she was tongue-tied.
— from North and South by Elizabeth Cleghorn Gaskell
