RSSZipf’s law: the curious aspect of human language and communication in nature
Aug 22
If words are ranked according to how often they are used, then a clear mathematical relationship arises. The third most common word occurs one-third as frequently as the most common. Similarly the tenth most common word occurs one-tenth as frequently as the most common. This observation was popularised by the American linguist George Zipf who tried to explain it. Curiously, the relationship is also found elsewhere in nature; in the sounds made by dolphins and humpback whales, and even in the chemicals some plants produce as signals for insects.
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