Traditionally, linguistics has been perceived as a tool serving Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP). This perception often limits this tool to the language used by the coach and the coachee, aiming to help the latter achieve the desired state.
But have we considered NLP as a tool serving linguistics ?
NLP offers linguists a vast field of research in applied linguistics. Our objective is to show that the interactions between linguistics and NLP are bidirectional and that the theory of the third articulation of language plays a considerable role in determining the effectiveness of a neuro-linguistic programming protocol.
In NLP, the choice of predicative units by the coachee is not arbitrary. It must take into account, on the one hand, the subject’s meta-programs, i.e., their “filters” and “thinking models” that influence their perception of the world, their behavior, and their reactions in various situations. On the other hand, it must consider their “belief universe” to ensure a better result. For example, it would be incongruous to talk to a kinesthetic person about the “power of speech” or what could be “a pleasure for the eyes,” as their filters differ from those of an auditory or visual subject. The units of the third articulation of language thus intervene to reinforce these filters, as they themselves are charged, at the level of their internal combination, with lexical anchors encapsulating the filters related to each type of subject. This study aims to examine the contribution of the theory of the third articulation of language in the constitution of a reference framework for predicates to facilitate the apprehension of the respective meta-programs of the subjects.