Recent studies reveal that both human language and whale vocalizations exhibit similar statistical patterns, particularly Zipf's law of frequency. This law predicts word-use frequencies, where the most common terms appear significantly more often than less common ones. Researchers analyzed extensive recordings of humpback whale songs from New Caledonia, discovering that these vocalizations follow similar principles, challenging the notion of human language as a unique phenomenon. The findings advocate for a broader understanding of communication systems across species, emphasizing shared characteristics rather than differences.
This mathematical power law, a hallmark of human language, is observed in word-use frequencies: the most common word in any language shows up twice as often as the second most common.
Despite the vast evolutionary distance between humans and whales, both communicate through sound using analogous statistical patterns.
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