Whale song more similar to human language than previously thought – study

Sign up for our free Health Check email to receive exclusive analysis on the week in health Get our free Health Check email Get our free Health Check email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Whale song is more similar to human language than previously thought, research has found. The study, led by the University of St Andrews, revealed a previously undetected “language-like structure” in whale song that was thought to be unique to human language. These findings challenge long-held assumptions about the uniqueness of human language, uncovering deep commonalities between evolutionarily distant species Professor Simon Kirby All human languages follow a universal pattern where a few words are used very frequently, while most words appear rarely. Revealing this hidden language-like structure in whale song was unexpected, but it strongly suggests this cultural behaviour holds crucial insight into the evolution of complex communication across the animal kingdom Dr Ellen Garland Professor Simon Kirby, from the University of Edinburgh, said: “These findings challenge long-held assumptions about the uniqueness of human language, uncovering deep commonalities between evolutionarily distant species.” Dr Ellen Garland, who led the research, said: “Revealing this hidden language-like structure in whale song was unexpected, but it strongly suggests this cultural behaviour holds crucial insight into the evolution of complex communication across the animal kingdom.” The research, which is published in the journal Science, was conducted by linguists, developmental scientists, marine biologists and behavioural ecologists from the University of St Andrews, University of Edinburgh, Hebrew University, IRD New Caledonia, Griffith University and University of Auckland.