Bernstein: Codes - Social Formation

Question 1

What is the theory by Bernstein?

Answer 1

Restricted and Elaborated Codes

Question 2

What do these codes allow?

Answer 2

A way of communication with each other

Question 3

What orientation does Restricted Code have?

Answer 3

Position (it has a hierarchy)

Question 4

What orientation does Elaborated Code have?

Answer 4

Person

Question 5

What are the roles of the family like with Restricted Code?

Answer 5

Roles within families are clearly defined:

man goes to work, woman does housework, children go to school.

Question 6

What are the roles of the family like with Elaborated Code?

Answer 6

Roles are less defined. They are more negotiable and have a variation in who does what.

Question 7

What class of people use Restricted Code?

Answer 7

(lower) working class people and families

Question 8

What class of people use Elaborated Code?

Answer 8

middle class people and families

Question 9

What sort of sentences does Restricted Code use a lot of in comparison to Elaborated Code?

Answer 9

Imperatives (Do this, do that) = RC.

Children are allowed to express theirselves and their opinions more = EC.

Question 10

What are common features of Restricted Code?

Answer 10

• grammatically simple
• simple/unfinished sentences
• little subordination, a few conjunctions used repeatedly
• limited use of adverbs and adjectives
• confuses reasons and conclusions
• frequent use of ‘sympathetic circularity’ = “you know?”
• frequent use of idioms
• implicit meanings: use of deictics
• use of pronouns without cohesion

Question 11

What are common features of Elaborated Code?

Answer 11

• accurate grammar order
• complex sentences
• range of both coordination and subordination
• frequent use of pronoun ‘I’
• Range of adverbs and adjectives
• explicit meaning

Question 12

What is the quote from Bernstein to describe a feature of Elaborated Code?

Answer 12

“language use the points to the possibilities inherent in a complex conceptual hierarchy for the organising of experience”

Question 13

What is believed about Restricted Code but not about Elaborated Code?

Answer 13

Every user has access to RC, however not everyone can access to EC

Question 14

What are the consequences of not being able to use Elaborated Code

Answer 14

You are unable to succeed in education. Working Class people do not have access to EC and this is why they are at a disadvantage at school.

Question 15

Who are the theorists that support Bernstein’s codes?

Answer 15

Henderson and Cook (1972)

Question 16

What were Henderson and Cooks findings to help support the codes?

Answer 16

They found that parents gave different commands to their children based on their class.

Question 17

What was found of the commands used in Working Class families?

Answer 17

Use of more imperatives

Question 18

What was found of the commands used in Middle Class families?

Answer 18

More negotiation

• discussed causes and affects more
• spent more time discussing moral principals

Question 19

Who is the theorist that criticised Bernstein?

Answer 19

Rosen (1972)

Question 20

What were Rosen’s reasons for criticising Bernstein?

Answer 20

• Bernstein didn’t define his terms properly
  (some linguistic markers were vague)
• Not gathering any imperial data himself`
• just produced stereotypes