Semiotics: Addresser and Addressee

Welcome Dear colleagues and fellow researchers.

Today, in the discussion on Semiotics, I would like to elaborate upon the concepts of addresser and addressee.

Roman Jakobson (1896 - 1982)

Definition:

Jakobson used these terms to refer to what, in transmission models of communication, are called the ‘sender’ and the ‘receiver’ of a message. Other commentators have used them to refer more specifically to constructions of these two roles within the text, so that addresser refers to an authorial persona, while addressee refers to an ‘ideal reader’.

Addresser: This is the person who delivers a message to a specific audience. 

Addressee: This is the audience that receives the message.

Background:

Addresser and addressee are alternative terms to sender and receiver originated by Bühler and employed in Jakobson's model of communication.

Roman Jakobson was a linguist who studied the structure of language and was particularly interested in the difficulties that appear in many languages.

Jakobson was also interested in philology—the study of literary texts, and oral and written records, as well as establishing their authenticity. His work eventually led to creating a theory of communication in which he established what he called the six functions of language.

In Jakobson’s theory, there are six factors that are required for communication, two factors, out of these six, are addresser and addressee:

• Addresser: This is the person who delivers a message to a specific audience.
• Addressee: This is the audience that receives the message. Must consist of at least one person but could include many people.

Detailed Explanation:

The concepts of Addresser and Addressee describe the roles of the participants in a communicative act.

Addresser:

The addresser is the sender or speaker who initiates the communication. This is the person or entity producing the message with the intent to convey meaning, emotion, or information. In Jakobson's model, the addresser's role is tied to the emotive function of language, where the focus is on expressing the sender's feelings, attitudes, or intentions.

For example, in the statement "I’m so excited!", the addresser conveys their emotional state.

Addressee:

The addressee is the recipient or intended audience of the message. This is the person or group for whom the communication is directed. The addressee's role corresponds to the conative function, also called the persuasive or appellative function, where the message aims to influence, persuade, or elicit a response from the recipient.

For example, in the command "Please close the door," the addressee is the person being asked to act.

The addresser and addressee are central to the communicative process, as they represent the source and target of the message, respectively. Effective communication depends on the alignment of their intentions, the clarity of the message, and the shared understanding of the code and context.

Jakobson’s framework highlights how communication is not just about transmitting information but involves dynamic roles and purposes, with the addresser and addressee shaping the interaction’s meaning and effect.

Example

In a conversation where someone says, "I need your help with this project," the addresser is the speaker expressing a need (emotive function), and the addressee is the listener being asked to respond or act (conative function).

That is all for today. Let me know in comments which concepts you'd like to know in more details.

Thank you.