User:Johnson gracee/sandbox

In reading the Sociolinguistics article, I noticed that some sections were lacking references, especially the Social Language Codes section. I want to focus on editing this particular section, first by doing a close reading of the attached sources and comparing the information they provide with the article, making edits if any of the information is unfounded or incorrect according to the sources, and then providing references for the remaining, source-based information.

Sources:

Bernstein, Basil B. Elaborated and restricted codes: their social origins and some consequences. Bobbs-Merrill, 1967.

Bernstein, B. (2003). Class, codes and control. Applied studies towards a sociology of language. London: Routledge.

Basil, B. B. (1960). Language and social class. British Journal of Sociology, 11, 271-276.

Basil, B. B. (1958). Some sociological determinants of perception. British Journal of Sociology, 9, 159-174.

Ravenette, T. (1963). Intelligence, personality and social class: An investigation into the patterns of intelligence and personality of working-class secondary school children (Unpublished master's thesis). University of London Library.

Report of the Central Advisory Council for Education. (1958). Fifteen to eighteen. (Vol. I, p. 376, Rep.). London, H.M.S.O.

Venables, E. C. (1962). The Reserve Of Ability In Part-Time Technical College Courses. Higher Education Quarterly, 17(1), 60-75. doi:10.1111/j.1468-2273.1962.tb00980.x

Social language codes
Basil Bernstein, a well-known British socio-linguist, devised in his book, 'Elaborated and restricted codes: their social origins and some consequences,' a social code system he used to classify the various speech patterns for different social classes. He claimed that members of the middle class have ways of organizing their speech that is fundamentally very different from the ways adopted by the working class.

Restricted code
In Basil Bernstein's theory, the restricted code was an example of the speech patterns used by the working class. He stated that this type of code allows strong bonds between group members, who tend to behave largely on the basis of distinctions such as 'male', 'female', 'older', and 'younger'. This social group also uses language in a way that brings unity between people, and members often do not need to be explicit about meaning, as their shared knowledge and common understanding often bring them together in a way that other social language groups do not experience. The difference with the restricted code is the emphasis on 'we' as a social group, which fosters greater solidarity than an emphasis on 'I'.

The time when "restricted-code" matters are the day when children start school where the standard variety of language is used. Moreover, the written form of a language is already very different from the everyday form. Children with restricted-code, therefore, struggle at school more than those who speak an "elaborated-code".

However, this type of communicative skills may not be understood by other children who belong to other classes. What's more, children with restricted-code may have difficulty in understanding the teacher, the only source of information for them at school. Therefore, it is suggested that working-class children should have pre-school training within their early childhood period. Early schooling may provide them with opportunities to acquire a manner of speaking that is considered appropriate at school.

Elaborated code
Basil Bernstein also studied what he named the 'elaborated code' explaining that in this type of speech pattern the middle and upper classes use this language style to gain access to education and career advancement. Bonds within this social group are not as well defined and people achieve their social identity largely on the basis of individual disposition and temperament. There is no obvious division of tasks according to sex or age and generally, within this social formation members negotiate and achieve their roles, rather than have them there ready-made in advance. Due to the lack of solidarity the elaborated social language code requires individual intentions and viewpoints to be made explicit as the 'I' has a greater emphasis on this social group than the working class.

Notes for Improvement:
This section fails to communicate Bernstein's theory in its fullness. Bernstein spends very little time in his argument defining the two codes based on social class, because studies on the codes used by middle/working classes used small samples and were subject to significant variability. That fact needs to be addressed here. Additionally, this section should spend more time clearly defining the two codes in terms of their relative emphasis on verbal vs. extraverbal channels for communication. I would like to rework both the Restricted Code and the Elaborate Code section to, first, include Basil's definition of the codes without reference to social class, according to focus on verbal/extraverbal channels, and provide examples of common situations for both codes. Then patterns for child development according to both codes, with an appropriately cautious reference to social class, can be presented. I would also like to mention the difficulty presented to speakers of both codes in trying to switch between the two. Finally, in-text citation of Basil's "Elaborated and restricted codes: their social origins and some consequences" is necessary in both the Restricted Code and the Elaborate code sections.

Social language codes
Basil Bernstein, a well-known British socio-linguist, devised in his book, 'Elaborated and restricted codes: their social origins and some consequences,' a method for categorizing language codes according to variable emphases on verbal and extraverbal communication. He claimed that factors like family orientation, social control, verbal feedback, and possibly social class contributed to the development of the two codes: elaborate and restricted.

Restricted code
According to Basil Bernstein, the restricted code exemplified the predominance of extraverbal communication, with an emphasis on interpersonal connection over individual expression. His theory places this code within environments that operate according to established social structures that predetermine the roles of their members, in which the commonality of interests and intents due to a shared local identity creates a predictability of discrete intent and therefore a simplification of verbal utterances. Such environments may include military, religious, and legal atmospheres, criminal and prison subcultures, long-term married relationships and friendships between children. Due to the strong bonds between speakers, explicit verbal communication is often rendered unnecessary and individual expression irrelevant. However, simplification is not a sign of a lack of intelligence or complexity within the code; rather, communication is performed more through extraverbal means (facial expression, touch, etc.) in order to affirm the speakers' bond. Bernstein notes the example of a young man asking a stranger to dance: there is an established manner of asking, and yet communication is performed through physical graces and the exchange of glances. As such, implied meaning plays a greater role in this code than in the elaborated code. Restricted code also operates to unify speakers and foster solidarity.

Elaborated code
Basil Bernstein defined 'elaborated code' according to its emphasis on verbal communication over extraverbal. This code is typical in environments where a variety of social roles are available to the individual, to be chosen based upon disposition and temperament. Most of the time, speakers of elaborated code utilize a broader lexicon and demonstrate less syntactic predictability than speakers of restricted code. The lack of predetermined structure and solidarity requires explicit verbal communication of discrete intent by the individual in order to achieve educational and career success. Bernstein notes, with caution, the association of this code with upper classes (while restricted code is associated with lower classes), where the abundance of available resources allows persons to choose their social roles, warning, however, that studies associating the codes with separate social classes used small samples and were subject to significant variation. He also asserts that elaborated code originates due to differences in social context rather than intellectual advantages; as such, elaborated code differs from restricted code according to the context-based emphasis on individual advancement over assertion of communal bonds.

The codes and child development
Bernstein explains language development according to the two codes in light of their fundamentally different values. For instance, a child exposed solely to restricted code learns extraverbal communication over verbal, and therefore may have a less extensive vocabulary than a child raised with exposure to both codes. While there is no inherent lack of value to restricted code, a child without exposure to elaborated code may encounter difficulties upon entering formal education, in which standard, clear verbal communication and comprehension is necessary for learning and effective interaction both with instructors and other students from differing backgrounds.As such, it may be beneficial for children who have been exposed solely to restricted code to enter pre-school training in elaborated code in order to acquire a manner of speaking that is considered appropriate and widely comprehensible within the education environment. Additionally, Bernstein notes several studies in language development according to social class. In 1963, the Committee for Higher Education conducted a study on verbal IQ that showed a deterioration in individuals from lower working classes ages 8-11 and 11-15 years in comparison to those from middle classes (having been exposed to both restricted and elaborated codes). Additionally, studies by Bernstein (1958, 1960), Venables (1962), Report (1958), and Ravenette (1963) show a relative lack of success on verbal tasks in comparison to extraverbal in children from lower working classes (having been exposed solely to restricted code) (Bernstein 1967: 55-67).