Science Bytes
Do Sperm Whales Have Vowels? The Hidden Phonology of Clicks
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Sperm whales communicate in rapid clicks, but a Proceedings of the Royal Society B paper finds those clicks carry a structured phonology that mirrors human speech. Using a source-filter model of the whales' phonic lips and air sacs, researchers show the clicks contain distinct formant patterns that sort into two vowel-like categories, an 'a' and an 'i', layered beneath the rhythm. This episode…