Abstract

This article begins with a conceptualization of language and speech that invites to the reflection on its deep communicative implications and its access to knowledge. Afterwards, a historical tour is made from the philosophy and psychology that shows the great diversity of approaches in the understanding of the concepts of language and speech. It continues emphasizing the power that lies in a correct language development, as well as its negative and limited access allowed by school system. From sociology and linguistics’ points of view the practical consequences derivative from a malign use of language are analysed, expressing how and why the educative model is maintained in which language has a high degree of unintelligible abstraction for the student body that, however, passes “successfully” according the used assessment system. Through authors like Nietzsche, Austin and Bourdieu the hierarchical relationships of domination created among people through the use of language are shown. It ends showing a practical proposal consistent in the Universal plain language project, expects everybody’s access to knowledge and critical awareness by means of understandable communication. The paper considers teachers’ training as the engine of the project, the renovator element of the whole system to change the sociolinguistic paradigm, from being purely bureaucratic-technical to pedagogical-educational, with the communicative competence as one of the main aspects. This project is based on the theoretical framework described in the article and the Easy reading programmes already developed nowadays.