Israeli and UK Scientists Discover Structural Similarities Between Whale Songs, Human Speech
An international research team led by Israeli and British scientists has discovered that the complex songs of humpback whales share structural patterns with human language. The study, published in Science and announced by the Hebrew University of Jerusalem on Sunday, suggests that whales may learn their songs in a way similar to how human infants acquire speech.
The team, which included experts in linguistics, developmental science, marine biology, and behavioral ecology, analyzed humpback whale songs recorded over eight years in New Caledonia in the southwest Pacific Ocean. Using methods typically applied to studying how babies learn words, researchers found statistical structures in whale songs that resemble patterns seen in human languages.
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One of the key findings was that whale songs contain recurring elements that follow a skewed frequency, a characteristic previously observed only in human communication. Scientists also discovered that whales might segment their songs by tracking sound probabilities, much like human infants do when learning speech.
“These results provide evidence that whales and humans both use culturally transmitted communication systems,” the researchers noted. The study also supports the idea that language evolution can be examined beyond primates by studying convergent evolution in other species.
The findings add to ongoing research into the complexity of whale communication and suggest that analyzing nonhuman vocal patterns could offer insights into how language develops in different species.
