Roman Jakobson, cybernetics and information theory: A critical assessment

Abstract

This article addresses the development of Roman Jakobson's linguistic theory from its origins in the Prague Circle through the 1940s and 1950s. During that period Jakobson adapted his theory to concepts of Information Theory and cybernetics, two new “hard sciences” that had emerged during the 1940s. It is argued that such a reinterpretation was possible because of both Jakobson's and the Prague linguists' particular perspective on language. Three core elements of Jakobson's view on language support this claim: teleology, functionality and binarism. Each has a counterpart in Information Theory and/or cybernetics, making it possible to reinterpret Jakobson's linguistic analysis in information theoretic terms.