Roman Jakobson

Russian-American structuralist who co-founded the Prague Linguistic Circle and pioneered distinctive-feature phonology.

Core Principles & Analysis

• Co-founded both the Moscow and Prague Linguistic Circles.
• Analyzed speech sounds into binary distinctive features, influencing generative phonology.
• His 1960 model of six functions of language shaped communication theory.

Specifications & Metrics

• ERA: 1896 – 1982