I can think of two possibilities. One is that the lower jaw is too small 
for the tongue to fit there, so the baby habitually keeps it on the roof 
of the mouth. If the tongue is just resting there, that would be my 
first guess. I sometimes have success with fingerfeeding these little 
"peanut butter tongue" (thanks Pat Gima for this evocative description) 
kids for a feeding or a day, to help them learn that food goes above the 
tongue!

The other possibility is that the baby has a respiratory instability and 
is fixing the tongue to the roof of the mouth to maintain airway 
patency. If this is the case, there will be significant muscle 
activation in the underside of the tongue (you will be able to see the 
difference, in a baby who rests the tongue up, the tongue is relaxed and 
smooth, in the baby who fixes it, the tongue looks like it's composed of 
concentric semicircles or ovals at different levels. The trying not to 
be on the back can be a sign of airway issues, laryngomalacia or 
tracheomalacia are more severe if the baby is supine or if the head is 
not extended. Perhaps the baby is trying to extend her head, and if she 
is still very small, this movement may be enough to flip her onto her 
side. (Fetuses use a whipping around of their head to turn their body in 
utero, that's why some newborns are able to turn onto their side, they 
are using their neck muscles, and their body is light enough to go 
along. When they deliberately roll at 3-5 mos or so, they are using 
muscles in their trunk, hips and limbs as well.) If there is an airway 
anomaly or instability, the baby will usually have some stridor (high 
pitched squeaky breathing during feeding, crying, or when stressed), 
will suck in very short bursts (3-5 sucks and then a long breathing 
pause) and may refuse to eat. Breastfeeding works best when these babies 
have their head well extended, mom is reclining so they are prone or 
semi-prone, and they are allowed to pace the feeding themselves (they 
often do well with short, frequent feedings).
Catherine Watson Genna, IBCLC  NYC

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