stinkychops said:
Incorrect. The definition of mutilation I am using, as it comes from wordnetweb is:
an injury that causes disfigurement or that deprives you of a limb or other important body part.
It is disfigurement by nature. Regardless, I assume that it has significant draw backs, as all mammals I've seen have a non-split tongue. Eating is probably worse and it is likely seen as generally ugly. It is most certainly mutilation.
The definition of words isn't subjective, although it does change over time.
The definition isn't subjective, the interpritation is.
"Generally ugly" That is an opinion, not a fact and you cannot presume that most people will find it ugly, as you don't know most people, I for one find it attractive as do a large number of my friends, which if I used the same logic that you are using would mean that most people do find it attractive.
The human tongue is made up of three sections, on the left and right there are seperate muscles (which are what allow people to curl their tongues) in the middle there is a thin membrane that joins the segments of tongue.
Eating IS effected, but with a correctly done split it does not make it harder. Taste buds will grow along the inside of the split, which would leave a new way of tasting things.
"disfigurement by nature" well, that logic dictates that cutting your hair and trimming your toenails is also a mutilation.