| Efficiency of coding in macaque vocal communication. | |
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MedLine Citation:
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PMID: 20106854 Owner: NLM Status: MEDLINE |
Abstract/OtherAbstract:
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A key characteristic of human language efficiency is that more frequently used words tend to be shorter in length-the 'law of brevity'. To date, no test of this relationship between frequency of use and length has been carried out on non-human animal vocal communication. We show here that the vocal repertoire of the Formosan macaque (Macaca cyclopis) conforms to the pattern predicted by the law of brevity, with an inverse relationship found between call duration and rate of utterance. This finding provides evidence for coding efficiency in the vocal communication system of this species, and indicates commonality in the basic structure of the coding system between human language and vocal communication in this non-human primate. |
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Authors:
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Stuart Semple; Minna J Hsu; Govindasamy Agoramoorthy |
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Publication Detail:
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Type: Journal Article; Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't Date: 2010-01-27 |
Journal Detail:
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Title: Biology letters Volume: 6 ISSN: 1744-957X ISO Abbreviation: Biol. Lett. Publication Date: 2010 Aug |
Date Detail:
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Created Date: 2010-07-13 Completed Date: 2010-10-19 Revised Date: 2011-08-29 |
Medline Journal Info:
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Nlm Unique ID: 101247722 Medline TA: Biol Lett Country: England |
Other Details:
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Languages: eng Pagination: 469-71 Citation Subset: IM |
Affiliation:
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Centre for Research in Evolutionary Anthropology, Roehampton University, London, UK. |
Export Citation:
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| MeSH Terms | |
Descriptor/Qualifier:
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Animals Language* Macaca / physiology* Semantics Taiwan Time Factors Vocalization, Animal / physiology* |
| Comments/Corrections | |
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