Examples include forming words, swallowing, and keeping out of the way of the teeth. The study goes on to describe the role of the tongue in many unconscious processes involving the mouth. Infants go through a stage of gesturing before they can form words, so language and gestures evolve together. One theory behind this is that it could stem from the evolution of human communication, as it transitioned from hand gestures to voice.īabies can further demonstrate this link between human gestures and speech.
It is common to see this behavior in someone concentrating on another task or lost in thought. Some people may stick their tongue out compulsively, without any thought.