You are answering a four-year-old.
2006-07-10 12:45:26 · 15 answers · asked by Anonymous in Science & Mathematics ➔ Biology
The better to kiss you with, my dear........
2006-07-10 12:49:05 · answer #1 · answered by -RKO- 7 · 2⤊ 4⤋
All the answers aren't really appropriate for a four year old.
An accurate and 'clean' answer would be better and more clear speech, many consonants depend on the way the lips are positioned. B, F, M, W and so on. Fleshy lips make it easier.
I've read an account of a guy who tried to teach an orangutan human words. It could only produce a few with difficulty, and could only really say 'cup' with clarity. It associated the word with him and only used it rarely. He took it to a lake and waded into the water carrying it. The creature was frightened and started repeating the word 'cup' urgently, like a child saying 'daddy' or 'mommy' over and over trying to get him to stop.
If you are four you'll want to avoid reading this next part.
The other answers concern signaling of arousal and fertility. A displacement of signals from areas that were obscured by the transition from quadrupedal to bipedal stature. Apes have what are rather yucky looking obvious signals from a human perspective on their posteriors for those purposes.
2006-07-11 18:35:06 · answer #2 · answered by corvis_9 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Lips are a tool and a method of social expression. Some species of mammals have prehensile(movable, like a monkey's tail) lips, such as the girraffe. The lips may also act as a seal for sucking liquids from a source or venom from a wound. As communication, lips provide a variety of positions, each with it's own meaning, much like eyebrows do.
2006-07-11 00:15:54 · answer #3 · answered by Nohbdy 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Our lips are basically doors. They are used to stop things getting into our mouths than we don't want in there, like dirt and dust which could then get into our bodies and make us ill.
Our lips also stop our food from spilling out when we chew it.
Our lips have developed to become very sensitive to texture (how things feel - like rough and smooth) and to heat and cold. This is to protect us from anything sharp or too rough or too hot getting into our mouths which might hurt us.
Because our lips are so sensitive we also find it pleasant to kiss with them.
Our lips are made of muscles which can be formed into all sorts of shapes - this helps us feel what is near our mouths and to get different shaped food into our mouths. Because we can move our lips into different shapes we have developed an ability to communicate using our lips - for example smiling and frowning, and also speaking. Try making a big wide grin and keeping it there on your face and then speaking and you will find how much you need your lips to help you talk properly.
2006-07-11 05:56:32 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
When dentists give us Novocain to numb tooth pain it sometimes numbs the lips and people drool. We have lips so that we don't drool and later we also discover they make great kissers too!
2006-07-10 20:46:51 · answer #5 · answered by Kes 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
its an intermediate boundary between a outer surface(skin) and an inner surface(mucous membrane). the skin is dry while the mouth is wet, so u need something in between. otherwise, its just weird
2006-07-10 20:46:26 · answer #6 · answered by Noel 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Your lips are muscles that hold your mouth closed and they can move and pucker so that you can whistle! ;)
2006-07-10 19:48:08 · answer #7 · answered by hizkid42 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
1- eat
2- talk, pronounce
3- close mouth
4- lick it when we are hungry
5- Kiss Kiss Kiss ( what else can we use otherwise?)
2006-07-10 20:21:37 · answer #8 · answered by Marty McFly 2 · 0⤊ 1⤋
So we can kiss and so we won't look like weirdos.
2006-07-10 19:48:28 · answer #9 · answered by Jina 4 · 0⤊ 1⤋
For smooching and smiling.
2006-07-10 20:06:51 · answer #10 · answered by KeM 2 · 0⤊ 1⤋
because elbows on our faces would look silly!
2006-07-10 19:48:17 · answer #11 · answered by alter_tygo 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋