Prague Structuralism and the Poetic Function

Structuralism has impacted the humanities and sciences, including biology. A limitation of structuralist models is their static nature. Saussure's linguistic theory firmly separated synchrony and diachrony, as changes were inconsistent with the functionality of the system (langue). Formalist models, such as Cuvier's organism, are also fixed, giving no account of change. Saussure's deprioritisation of diachronic changes in language was addressed by the Prague Linguistics Circle. Language was reconstituted as a dynamic, transformative system that could adjust itself to change. Six functions were identified, including the poetic function, which was concerned with language (or the message) itself. Relations between elements, including foregrounded and background devices, determined their function. Saussure's paradigmatic and syntagmatic axes were reformulated by Roman Jakobson as the metaphoric and metonymic poles of language. Functional language depends on both aspects (metaphor and metonym) working together. Jakobson linked two kinds of aphasia to a loss of function associated with either of these poles. He associated the poetic function with metaphor, and gave it a pre-contextual priority in language development. A parallel situation occurs in biology: an internal overproduction of responses (enabled by pre-existing systems in the phenotype) is followed by selection depending on the particular context. This, much like Jakobson's metaphoric axis in language, provides a range of possible choices to apply depending on external factors. While appearing to be an inefficient use of resources, it enables a rapid response to changing circumstances.