Talk:Basil Bernstein

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Was Bernstein really a linguist? I don't think so. A lot of the criticisms of his elaborated and restricted code theory is based on its sociolinguistic and linguistic naivete. mnewmanqc 14:25, 5 March 2007 (UTC)

I have just deleted the claim that he was a linguist - it is completely wrong. He was a sociologist, although he worked with some linguists. 60.225.97.70 (talk) 19:46, 19 December 2012 (UTC)

Many of the references cited are completely absent in this article. --151.202.67.188 (talk) 14:33, 31 March 2008 (UTC)

This article is incredibly one-sided, passing off quite valid criticisms of Bernstein's classism as "misunderstandings" on the part of the critics without ever engaging with those criticism. Despite unbacked assertions to the contrary, Bernstein was making a class-based cognitive deficit argument. For all Bernstein's hedging, the restricted code ultimately did restrict working class children in their ability to acquire literacy skills, and thus limit their upward mobility, explaining, via the restrictions of the restricted code, why they were lower class. Possession of an elaborated code also explained why middle and upper class children tended to be better readers according to the studies, which in turn explained their class position. Other variables, such as school funding and access to resources are never considered, in a sort of blame-the-victim approach to inequality not unfamiliar to those who have read the Moynihan Report, which ran into similar criticisms in the US. --Rcrath (talk) 15:34, 5 June 2008 (UTC)

Criticism of the theory of codes

Basil Bernstein's theory of 'restricted' and 'elaborated' codes came under sharp and sustained attack from c. 1975 onwards. This together with some of the actual criticisms need discussion. After all, some of the criticisms are devastating. See, for example, J C B Gordon, Verbal Deficit: A Critique, Croom Helm, London 1981, pages 66-89. ISBN 0-85664-990-2 Norvo (talk) 02:12, 13 August 2008 (UTC)

I think the page needs a more extended explanation of his work, which references primary not secondary sources. Bernstein was not a linguist, although his work has been much debated in sociolinguistics and his important particular to Labov and Hasan, and to an important debate in sociolinguistics about the existence or not of 'semantic variation'. As noted above, there have been important critiques of his work, some of these though are misreadings. The entry should reflect those criticisms which 'have legs' so to speak. User: Annabelle Lukin

Suggested edits

I would like to make some edits of this entry. I note that the bibliography for this entry contains NO articles/books by Bernstein. The definition of code, for instance, comes from Littlejohn, not from the original. This needs attention. — Preceding unsigned comment added by Annabelle Lukin (talk • contribs) 21:45, 4 October 2015 (UTC)

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elaborated/restricted code own page?

i'm surprised his theory of elaborated and restricted code does not have it's own wikipedia page. would it be reasonable to create one? we could still have a section about it here, but i'd've thought it'd deserve it's own page. Farleigheditor (talk) 20:02, 28 August 2020 (UTC)