Linguistics and Poetics

by Roman Jakobson
Summary
Jakobson begins his article by identifying the six functions of language and what each
involve. The first function is the referential function, which deals with the context. The context is
often the primary charge of the message; however, Jakobson asserts that to study linguistics one
must look at all six functions of language. The second function is the emotive function, which
involves the speaker. This function allows one to get a sense of how the speaker feels about the
topic. The third function, conative, involves the addressee. The fourth function, phatic, involves
contact. This function serves to establish, prolong, or discontinue communication. The fifth
function, metalingual, involves the code of the message. This is used to make sure the addresser
and the addressee are using the same code to communicate. The final function, the poetic
function, which deals with the message, is what Jakobson devotes the rest of the article to. The
poetic function focuses on the message for its own sake (Jakobson, 50).
Reaction
This piece was complicated and took a lot of effort to understand it. After reading it three
times, I went through and tried to pull the main idea out of each paragraph. This method proved
to be most useful. I also made an outline and discovered that Jakobson is mainly talking about
the sixth function, the poetic function. That helped me to see what all the later examples were
referring to.
Poetic function is not the sole function of verbal art but only its dominate, determining
function, whereas in all other verbal activities it acts as a subsidiary, accessory constituent
Hence, when dealing with poetic function, linguistics cannot limit itself to the field of poetry
(Jakobson, 51).
The poetic function is not the only function of verbal art, but the dominate one. In other
verbal activities the poetic function becomes less important but still a part of it. I like the
distinction between verbal art and verbal activities. A verbal activity seems to have its own
purpose, a reason for existing; like to communicate an idea. I suppose that poetry is a form of
communication too, but it seems more superfluous- a verbal art. It improves life but one would
not die without it. The last part of this quote simply asserts that when looking at poetic function,
one must look further than just poetry. Poetic function is important when analyzing not just
poetry but other forms as well.