The Centrality of Language and Reading

Abstract

We’ve set out to explore the notion of “language centrality”, a notion virtually non-existent in linguistics, whose theoretical implications, at linguistic, semiotic and philosophical levels, deserve to be explored, but whose consequences for educational policies seem to us of the utmost importance. On a theoretical level, the notion of “centrality” leads to a radical change of perspective, and an absolute challenge to the semiotic triangle as a mode of representation of the relationships between the real world, ideas and words, a mode of representation that is so well established in people’s minds as to be common sense. At the political level, analysis reveals that many educational policies, by neglecting the importance of language skills in the child’s development process, are in fact dead ends, leading to disastrous social consequences. Decades of effort are needed to reverse the trend and correct errors that have been widely highlighted by advances in neuroscience.