Study finds sperm whale codas mirror human phonology

Beguš et al. published a study in Proceedings of the Royal Society B showing sperm whale Physeter macrocephalus coda clicks contain distinct "coda vowel" categories. The team used acoustic analysis to classify click spectral patterns and identified multiple discrete click types that function like human vowels within codas. The researchers found those coda vowels combine into ordered sequences governed by regular alternation patterns, which the authors compare to phonological rules in human speech. The paper argues this phonology-like organization reflects learned, culturally transmitted vocal patterns and raises questions about how calves acquire their vocal "vocabulary".