Language Codes
The construct of elaborated and restricted language codes was
introduced by Basil Bernstein in 1971, as a way of accounting for the
relatively poor performance of working-class pupils on language-based
subjects, when they were achieving as well as their middle-class
counterparts on mathematical topics. Interestingly, it was stimulated
directly by his experience of teaching in further education.
It is frequently misunderstood, largely because of Bernstein's
unfortunate choice of labels. The "restricted" code does not refer to
restricted vocabulary, and the "elaborated" code does not entail
flowery use of language. There is an issue of "linguistic
impoverishment" in the educational problems of some pupils, but
Bernstein is not on the whole concerned with such extreme cases.
One of Bernstein's research studies involved showing a group of
children a strip cartoon and recording their account of what it
depicted. Some said things like:
"They're playing football
and he kicks it and it goes through there
it breaks the window and they're looking at it
and he comes out
and shouts at them
because they've broken it
so they run away
and then she looks out
and she tells them off"
while others said:
"Three boys are playing football and one boy kicks the ball
and it goes through the window
the ball breaks the window
and the boys are looking at it
and a man comes out and shouts at them
because they've broken the window
so they run away
and then that lady looks out of her window
and she tells the boys off."
(from Bernstein, 1971 p 203 [re-arranged])
As Bernstein points out, the first account makes good sense if you
have the strip cartoon in front of you, but means much less without
it. This is an example of restricted code. The second can "stand on
its own", and is an example of elaborated code. See Bernstein's own
work for detailed accounts of the research behind the construct.
As a result of many negative stereotypes associated with certain variations of English many students have adapted codeswitching. When this concept came up in the book it made me think about my own language. I realized that I code switch quite often between what is seen as Standard English and African American English or Ebonics. Usually with family or other friends that speak Ebonics I use that Ebonics to communicate, but when I am in school, in a
Wheeler, Rebecca S., and Rachel Swords. Code-switching: teaching standard English in urban classrooms. Urbana, Ill.: National Council of Teachers of English, 2006. Print.
It is important for teachers to realize that everyone communicates differently. Some people have different dialects, vocabularies, and some people even communicate without using words. As a teacher, it is our job to support and teach the concept that there is no such thing as a superior language. According to Stubbs, people all have their own basic language and it is what we do with those languages that matter (????). We should not judge someone and try to make them change just because they sound funny to the supposed superior language. Did anyone ever stop to consider that for some of these children, they think that there teacher sounds funny? Instead of trying to make students change we should be helping these students embrace their
Throughout the span of the past few weeks I have traversed the globe, visiting several countries and regions, only to realize that although new methods develop, language as a way of expressing ones self has remained the most effective. Despite this fact, language still has its pitfalls. Neil Postman, in his essay “Defending Against the Indefensible,'; outlines seven concepts that can be used to aid a student in better understanding the language as a means of communication. He describes how modern teaching methods leave a student vulnerable to the “prejudices of their elders';, further stating that a good teacher must always be skeptical. He urges teachers of all subjects to break free from traditional teachings as well as “linguistical tyranny';
The American couple is the fourth culture that was portrayed in this film. Their children are shown in the scenes with the Mexican nanny, while they are vacationing in Morocco. The couple is taking the trip to try to safe their marriage. While they are trying to eat we witness how the wife does not trust any of the people there. When she is given water and ice she throws it out and complains she wants a bottled water instead. Focusing on the semiotics her actions can indicate she does not trust anyone or anything from a different country. Also she is shown wearing fancy jewels and relaxing clean clothes, which makes her seem wealthy. The wife is the only blonde in the country which makes her stand out. Her husband and she had typical
A new law will probably be introduced into state legislatures which will govern all contracts for the development, sale, licensing, and support of computer software. This law, which has been in development for about ten years, will be an amendment to the Uniform Commercial Code. The amendment is called Article 2B (Law of Licensing) and is loosely based on UCC Article 2 (Law of Sales), which governs sales of goods in all 50 states. A joint committee of the National Conference of Commissioners on Uniform State Laws (NCCUSL) and the American Law Institute is drafting the changes to the UCC.
Gunshots whistle overhead. Their screams combining with the patterned explosion of guns, and land mines, enfolding all in a column of death and smoke. The symphony of sounds, seamlessly morphing into a ghastly melody: one of lament and agony. Harsh sounds saturating the shredded landscape with a nightmarish quality. Your tortured senses protest, their cries of indignation lost amidst the clamour of soldiers. Fixed and rigid in place, soldiers’ minds and bodies slowly succumbing to the inevitability of death. All previous remnants of glory, of patriotism- gone, obliterated by the incessant screaming of the battlefield. This is an environment to cause trauma for any soldier. Now try and image you are not a soldier, but instead a Code Talker. As hell rages all around you, you must possess the intense concentration and stamina to flawlessly translate encoded messages; your ears ever straining to catch every last audible sound. Your hands tremble as you hold the bulky and heavy radio away from gunfire, but you must put aside your terror and fear because you are responsible for the lives of countless Americans if you fail.
the three men. After the men do not respond to her she states, “Funny thing... If I catch one man, and he’s alone, I
Day 1: Conflict - A Navajo boy, from the book Code Talker was in an Indian tribe, and attending a boarding school for many years. It was very hard for him because he couldn't speak his native language, nor act the way he normally does. As the years go by he was in a school assembly, and it was about going to the marines and he seemed so into the idea he decided to join, his family and friends were really sad. That he was leaving, and he was a bit young for the military and was going to lie about his age.
Although admitting he does not know what is best, he concludes that it is the
Cultural deprivation comes under three main aspects the first one is ‘Language’ as shown in item A ‘social class differences in educational achievement’ is one of the main reasons for the gap between the working class and middle class. The importance of language in education is portrayed by the sociologist Carl Bereiter and Siegfried Engelmann (1966) as they believe the lower class family use different language and mostly use hand gestural. Basil Bernstein (1975) has also shown differences between working class and middle class he shows this by the two speech codes. The restricted code is the speech used by working class, it limits the vocabulary a...
In the article, “Public and Private Language”, Richard Rodriguez argues that bilingual education delays learning a “public language” and developing a public identity”. I can relate to Richard’s story because my family and me moved to America when I was young and we also had the same struggle learning a new language. I agreed with Rodriguez when he expressed that he didn’t feel like a true American until he mastered the English language because English is the first and main language in America.
Twelfth Night” or “What You Will” is one of Shakespeare’s many comedic plays. This essay will attempt to critically analyse a passage in Act 1, Scene 5 of “Twelfth Night.” The passage centres on a conversation primarily between Feste and Olivia about the mourning of her brother. This conversation adds comicality to the play, which contributes to the shape of it as a whole. The passage also briefly involves the character, Malvolio, who contributes to an underlining truth in the play. This essay will explain the meaning of the passage, attempt to unpack the language uses and determine the ideas behind the language. It will then try to justify why and how those ideas in the passage contribute to the play as a whole.
Andrew Sampson states that total proscription of mother tongue is detrimental to some extent, suggesting that code switching of mother tongue and English, under a good strategy of control, is useful for academic needs and even communicating purposes by concluding, “The results of this study suggest that code-switching is not necessarily connected to learners’ ability level and rarely signals an unwillingness to communicate in L2, but rather serves communicative classroom functions such as expressing equivalence, discussing procedural concerns, floor holding, reiterating concepts, and forming group relationships” (302). Code-switching not only improves the learner’s proficiency in English, but also allows the students to learn. In most cases, English language is meant for English-speaking students’ at level L2 or L3. Therefore, teachers should help non-native English-speaking students to code-switch in their communications. Code switching would improve the learner’s ability to identify his or her mistakes and correct those mistakes while she or he continues to learn English. At the same time, if possible, the teachers might use code switching to illustrate particular concepts and subjects. In other words, the teachers themselves can use the learner’s L1 or any other language to explain concepts or offer examples on the subjects in the learner’s L1. However, the teachers should avoid using oversimplified English words and vocabularies. This is because such approach would not help the learner to perfect his or her English
Bourdieu (1974) argues that the education system is biased towards those from middle and upper-class backgrounds. The culture of the ‘dominant classes’; the upper-classes, is imposed on young people in education, pupils from the upper-classes have an advantage as they have been socialised into the dominant culture and acquired skills and knowledge relevant to learning before entering the education system. These young people possess ‘cultural capital’; cultural capital includes mannerisms, a knowledge of creative and artistic parts of culture, the closer a young person presents themselves and their work to the style of the dominant classes the more likely they are to succeed as teachers are influenced by cultural capital. Also the grammar used by teachers disadvantages working class pupils as they cannot understand it. Bernstein (1961) argues teachers use elaborated speech codes; which is detailed and explanatory, working-class pupils are limited to using restricted codes; clear-cut and easy to understand speech, whereas middle an...