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Scientists discover surprising language 'shortcuts' in birdsong – like humans
Scientists have uncovered a hidden pattern in birdsong that mirrors a core rule of human language.A new study, led by researchers at The University of Manchester, in collaboration with Chester Zoo, found that birds appear to follow Zipf’s Law of Abbreviation (ZLA) – the idea that more frequently used sounds tend to be shorter. This rule, fou...
A new study, led by researchers at The University of Manchester, in collaboration with Chester Zoo, found that birds appear to follow Zipf’s Law of Abbreviation (ZLA) – the idea that more frequently used sounds tend to be shorter. The findings, published in the journal PLoS Computational Biology today, offer new insight into how animals communicate and provide a new foundation for researchers exploring whether birds, like humans, shape their vocal signals according to the 'principle of least effort'. Lead author Dr Tucker Gilman, Senior Lecturer at The University of Manchester said: “In human language, if we say something a lot, we tend to shorten it – like saying ‘TV’ instead of ‘television’.
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