Self-similarity in the taxonomic classification of human languages

From: Bruce Edmonds (b.edmonds@mmu.ac.uk)
Date: Fri Mar 09 2001 - 11:22:26 GMT

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Subject: Self-similarity in the taxonomic classification of human languages
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    See http://arXiv.org/abs/nlin/0103005

    Regards.

    --------------------------------------------------
    Bruce Edmonds,
    Centre for Policy Modelling,
    Manchester Metropolitan University, Aytoun Bldg.,
    Aytoun St., Manchester, M1 3GH. UK.
    Tel: +44 161 247 6479 Fax: +44 161 247 6802
    http://www.cpm.mmu.ac.uk/~bruce 

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    abstract nlin/0103005

    Nonlinear Sciences, abstract
    nlin.AO/0103005

    From: "=?iso-8859-1?Q?Dami=E1n?= H. Zanette" <zanette@cab.cnea.gov.ar>
Date: Thu, 8 Mar 2001 15:58:51 GMT   (32kb)

    Self-similarity in the taxonomic classification of human languages

    Author: Damian H. Zanette (Centro Atomico Bariloche)
    Comments: 11 pages, 2 figures, 1 table
    Subj-class: Adaptation and Self-Organizing Systems

    Statistical properties of the taxonomic classification of human languages are studied. It is shown that, at the highest levels of the taxonomic hierarchy, the frequency of taxon members as a function of the number of languages belonging to each member decays as a power law. This feature reveals that a self-similar structure underlies the taxonomy of languages, exactly as observed in the taxonomic classification of biological species. Such an analogy is a clue to the evolutionary foundation of language classification based on long-range comparison.

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