Word lengths are optimized for efficient communication
We demonstrate a substantial improvement on one of the most celebrated empirical laws in the study of language, Zipf's 75-y-old theory that word length is primarily determined by frequency of use. In accord with rational theories of communication, we show across 10 languages that average inform...
Main Authors: | , , |
---|---|
Other Authors: | |
Format: | Article |
Language: | en_US |
Published: |
National Academy of Sciences (U.S.)
2011
|
Online Access: | http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/65880 https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5912-883X |