Self-similarity in the taxonomic classification of human languages

Details Self-similarity in the taxonomic classification of human languages Self-similarity in the taxonomic classification of human languages

2001-03-08

arxiv.org/abs/nlin/0103005v2

Nonlinear Sciences

Adaptation and Self-Organizing Systems

final version, to appear in Adv. Complex Systems

Scientific paper

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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