A Matter of Principle concerning Integral Linguistics: Man as a Cultural Being

Integral linguistics resides on an inner, fundamental truth that has to be revealed and justified. The leap from intuition to reflexivity is subtly designated by Eugenio Coseriu in terms of ―grain of truth‖ (which implies knowing and understanding a theory from within, in order for researchers to be able to emphasize its strong points, its sustainable cores of knowledge, and, at the same time, its weak points). All disciplinary fields are governed by the limits of their concept, therefore contemplating them needs to be done on philosophical grounds. In this respect, we revisit Coseriu‘s doctrine regarding linguistics as a science that states man as its central point of reference. We aim to discuss one of the most challenging ideas Coseriu developed in this respect, namely that human consciousness emerges through language and unfolds intuitive knowledge, as opposed to the biological perspectives that derive consciousness from instincts, perceptions or sensory representations.