Redundancy (communication theory)

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Redundant signage in Berlin.

Under Redundancy (of Latin redundare be present in abundance ' ; plural: redundancies) is understood in the language theory multiple naming of information that are not necessary for an understanding of the overall context. It is an important means of rhetoric and repeats content that is not immediately taken up by the individual listener. A fundamental distinction is made between beneficial redundancy , the aim of which is to ensure the existence of the information content, and empty redundancy , which lacks this intention.

Under syntactic redundancy , however mean, for example, a transitive verb which categorically object mentally implies .

In communication science - as opposed to information and language theoretical redundancy terms - redundancy can be understood as the opposite of novelty.

The information-theoretical redundancy (1st order) relates to signs (symbols 1st order).

Linguistic (grammatical) redundancy (2nd order) relates to words (symbols 2nd order).

The communication-scientific redundancy (3rd order) relates to whole statements.

The communication science redundancy concept is derived from the communication science information concept. This defines information as a statement that is newsworthy.

This means that information must meet two conditions:

  1. it must contain a statement, it must not be meaningless (empty);
  2. she must not repeat what is already known. In this sense, Harry Pross defined information as the correlate of ignorance .

From a communication science point of view, redundancy (usually) constitutes itself among the recipients (readers, recipients, listeners, etc.) of a communication, since only they can decide whether information is new or already known.

Redundancy is achieved that information is at the recipient better impresses and can be received by recipients in the event of a fault or short distraction.

There are some rhetorical figures based on the principle of redundancy:

Even if the linguistic levels of the reference are differentiated, the information to be read here from a Deutsche Bahn ticket machine can be perceived as redundant by the recipient.

Examples:

  • beneficial redundancy :
“The most important thing for you is the red button. As you can see, there is also a green and a blue here. But the red button is most important to you. "
  • empty redundancy :
"There will be lots of tax cuts, lots of structural reforms, lots of improvements."
"He bought an open convertible."
"The situation is mixed up." ( Tagesspiegel of December 13, 2009 p. 10)
  • syntactic redundancy : "I write" (mentally implies a text / letter ...)
  • Linguistic redundancy : "D Rdndnz ntrlchr Sprchn st zmlch big." Even without vowels still understandable.

literature

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ cf. Bernd Pomino-Marschall: Redundancy . In: Helmut Glück (Hrsg.): Metzler Lexikon Sprache . 4th edition. Stuttgart / Weimar 2010, p. 552 .
  2. ↑ Rudolf Stöber: No connection communication without redundancy. On the relationship between information and communication . In: Media and Communication Studies . Vol. 59, No. 3 , 2011, p. 307-323 .
  3. ↑ Harry Pross: Communication Policy and New Media . In: Helga Reimann, Horst Reimann (Hrsg.): Information (=  The scientific pocket book. Dept. Sociology . Volume 26 ). Munich 1977, p. 21-36 .