# Compression and the origins of Zipf's law for word frequencies

arXiv: https://arxiv.org/abs/1605.01326 · HTML: https://mlsanity.com/paper/1605.01326/

## Key facts

- Cited by 2 papers in the map (data through 14 Oct 2026).
- First posted on arXiv 4 May 2016.

## Built on by (most cited first, 2 of 2)

- [Linguistic laws in biology](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2310.07387/) (2023)
- [The advent and fall of a vocabulary learning bias from communicative efficiency](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2105.11519/) (2021)

## Abstract (arXiv)

Here we sketch a new derivation of Zipf's law for word frequencies based on optimal coding. The structure of the derivation is reminiscent of Mandelbrot's random typing model but it has multiple advantages over random typing: (1) it starts from realistic cognitive pressures (2) it does not require fine tuning of parameters and (3) it sheds light on the origins of other statistical laws of language and thus can lead to a compact theory of linguistic laws. Our findings suggest that the recurrence of Zipf's law in human languages could originate from pressure for easy and fast communication.