Bernstein Restricted and Elaborated Codes (1971)

The construct of elaborated and restricted language codes was introduced by Basil Bernstein in 1971 and was stimulated by his experience teaching in further education. The codes further explained that working-class pupils' performance in English-based subjects was relatively poor; whereas, they were achieving middle-class counterparts on mathematical-based subjects.

There are two different codes :

• The restricted code - was assumed to be suitable to insiders who shared assumptions and common understandings about the topic at hand
• The elaborated code did not assume that the listener shared these common assumptions or understandings. Therefore elaborated language describes the person’s arrangement of language used as much more descriptive, complex and thorough - to enable outsiders to the conversation to understand more clearly.
• In the case of an elaborated code, the speaker will select from a relatively extensive range of alternatives.
• In the case of a restricted code the number of these alternatives is often severely limited.

An example of Bernstein's research:
Bernstein asked a group of young children describe a scene from a comic strip. He recorded their replies and saw how their use and arrangement of language differed - labelling each as restricted and elaborated
Some of the young children : "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've run away
                                    and then she looks out
                                    and she tells them off"

How the others described the comic strip :

                                  "Three boys are playing football and one boy kicks the ball

                                    and it goes through the window
                                    and the boys are looking at it
                                    and a man comes out and shout 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."

• restricted code requires the presence of someone from within the same social group or restricted community  as they must have background knowledge to be able to understand.
• However, elaborated code spells everything out to outside parties and is necessary so that everyone can understand.

Bibliography

http://www.doceo.co.uk/background/language_codes.htm
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Basil_Bernstein

Accents and Dialect Article

How are Accents and Dialect Changing in the Current Day?

Your dialect is different features of English Language and grammar that show you belong to a particular regional group. The UK has countless accents that have been formed and shaped by thousands of years of history. But in an age where so many people are migrating to different regional areas for jobs, universities or just a fresh start; often we find that their dialects and accents are moving, changing and adapting along with them (sometimes without them even knowing). We have reached a time where the language and dialects we use are so diverse that the once common accent of received pronunciation (standard English) is becoming archaic.

Frequently we use geographical and social dialect to judge different things we seemingly think we know about people; where they're from, what they like, what job they have, what personality traits they hold - many times very stereotypically. These very concepts help us to build relationships and gain a broader understanding of one another. However, we can also use each others accent and dialect together to feel closer to the person we are talking to; hence why we often find ourselves changing our dialect to imitate  the other person's through convergence, further explaining why dialects are changing in the current day.
Although, adapting the way we speak to suit new people and situations contradicts this very theory as changing your dialect - or 'putting it on' - can change the way that people judge your character based on regional accents and stereotypes.

The strong influence of reality television programmes such as 'Geordie Shore' can also have an enormous impact on the change in dialect and language, as research finds that Geordie was one of the most irritating accents to Brits; could that be because of the impact of this show? Many young teenagers that are some of the most frequent viewers of reality shows, will often adapt their dialect based on the influence of other peoples speech; possibly because it has become normal to them or that they do it to diverge away from another persons dialect to irritate them. But it can also be this reaction that causes a different change in dialect where, for example, those with strong Newcastle accents may shy away and tame their accent in different regional accents to create positive relationships with other people outside of their own region.

All in all, some people could argue that although our dialects are constantly changing to suit different situations and social groups; we each have our own individual idiolect that represents our personality and the way we were bought up, that can in fact be shaped and adapted, but never truly change into something that we are not.

used some information from : http://dialectblog.com/british-accents/

Questions and answers on the barrister transcript

1. What do you notice about the use of proper nouns and/or pronouns in referring to people and events concerned?
Firstly, the barrister addresses the intended audience (Mr Neil) by his name - e.g. according to you Mr Neil - and most likely does this so that people within the court room (including Mr Neil) know who is being spoken to. This is also a very formal way of speaking so supports the surroundings that they are in; they are in a Scottish court, therefore they will be discussing and important matter and representing the laws and officials of that country. The use of proper nouns could also be used by the barrister as he has a very important job that requires his to speak in a formal manner.
On line 15, the barrister once again uses the proper noun Mr Neil but this time puts emphasis on the words he uses. This could be done to create a more serious atmosphere where Mr Neil would be put under pressure; therefore, may be used as a tactic to make him crack under pressure so that he speaks truthfully and answers quickly. The emphasis on the name could also suggest that the barrister is becoming irritated by Mr Neil and impatient.

On the other hand, Mr Neil uses improper language and second person pronouns such as ''em' (when referring to the police) rather than 'them'; as it would be if in a form of written text. The use of this informal language may suggest that the character has a certain idiolect and most likely a regional Scottish accent that means he does not use correct English Language when speaking.


2. Which parts of the dialogue seem prepared or part of courtroom conventions and which seem spontaneous (said without thinking before hand)?
In this transcript it appears that the more spontaneous and unplanned speech comes from Mr Neil. The use of long pauses and fillers such as 'er' suggest this as it implies that Mr Neil is thinking of a reply and what to say as he is speaking. This would be expected as in a courtroom he would not know the sort of questions that the barrister would ask him therefore his answers would be unplanned.
However, you could argue that Mr Neil planned what he was going to say and what story he was going to tell; but he would not have been able to plan how he would say this as, prior to the courtroom scene, he would only be able to predict what the barrister was going to ask him.

On the other hand, the barristers speech seems more prepared and rehearsed. You would expect the questions that he is asking to be pre prepared as the use of interrogation seems to be a common convention of courtroom procedures. The only part of the barristers speech that you could argue may not be prepared is when he repeats new information that Mr Neil has given him.

3. who seems to have the most power in the dialogue and why?
In this dialogue it seems that the most power and authority lies with the barrister; which would be an expected convention of a courtroom procedure as he has one of the most important roles. The amount of power that he holds could be shown through the frequent amount of questions that he asks.
The barrister could also show power over Mr Neil as he seems to manipulate what he says to make him look guilty; and to try and lure the truth out of him. For example he uses what Mr Neil says to come up with 'you put two and two together Mr Neil and made five', which shows power as he uses manipulation to make Mr Neil seem guilty. This works in the barristers favour as Mr Neil becomes quickly agitated and then goes on to admit the truth.
In addition, the barrister seems to have possession over the conversation as he decides what is going to be spoken about and what he wants Mr Neil to say; once again shown through the use of questioning which seems to be a common courtroom procedure. This could also imply that Mr Neil has little power in the court room as he does not have a large amount of say in the discussion and what is being spoken about - it is almost as if he his being told what to say by the barrister?
Mr Neil also shows a lack of power in the courtroom as he often pauses and hesitates before he says things. This could be seen as lacking power as it makes him come across as nervous and unsure about what to say (cracking under pressure).

4. What else seems puzzling/interesting/unusual and why?
Personally I think that the language used in this transcript seems like a normal courtroom procedure; therefore, I do not find anything that unusual. I believe that frequent questioning form the barrister, and nervous and hesitant replies from Mr Neil are very expected of the type of language used in a courtroom.

Work set 02/10/2015 : Controversial issue Blogs

: Think of a controversial issue and imagine two characters who would have opposing views. They should write as if each of those characters were blogging their arguments, trying to create really different, realistic voice (idiolect) for each. One could be responding to the others ideas or not.

Blog One:
Andrew
42 years old
High school teacher

                                    PERSONAL VIEWS ON SAME SEX MARRIAGE

If you often read my blog you will know that I am a motivated and easily inspired teacher at a local high school. Therefore, I have decided to give my opinion on what I believe will be an important historical event that has recently hit our nation.

As I expect most will have heard; the big news is that same sex marriage has officially been made legal in the United States of America. As a devoted Catholic I understand that my views may anger others and for that I do apologise in advance. However, growing up more understanding towards the beliefs of others in regard to my Catholic beliefs, I am open to hear anyone's opinions and hopefully gain a better understanding of your thoughts.

Now, although I do believe that every person - no matter their sexuality - owns their right to live happily in marriage with another and deserve all respect from others, my beliefs have led me to the opinion that gay marriage is not acceptable within the Church of God.

Growing up as a part of a religious family, I was always taught that same sex marriage could destroy the sanctity of marriage, and more importantly is against the word God. In my opinion if we disregard one word of God by agreeing to the legalisation of same sex marriage in the Church - the home of God - then we are agreeing to forget other important religious teachings.

I was also taught that the tradition of marriage was that of a faithful and lifelong union between a man and woman, and together they shall be joined as husband and wife in a partnership based on love. I am not arguing that same sex marriage is not built upon faith and love, but only that it was not taught as right or part of the norm in my community.

However, all that said I am happy that at last everybody, besides their sexuality, has the freedom to unite with those they love in a precious and sacred ceremony; as love and forgiveness for all is also the most important teaching of God.

Also, as this seems such an important and controversial topic, I would like to try to engage with others who have different views; it would be fantastic is you have any comments or opinions that you would like to share :)

 

Blog Two:

Olivia

19 years old

Well known blogger - travels world and blogs about experiences

 

                                                                 YAYYYYYY!!!!!!!!!

Me again! how are all my little munchkins? I am as brilliant as ever (thank you for asking). Actually, I am over the moon! bcos (dramatic pause or drumroll or something) SAME SEX MARRIAGE IS FINALLY LEGAL IN THE USA!!!!
Sorry if this is a little different to my usual posts - because I know you nosy lot love knowing what I'm getting up to! - but I thought that this was just such an important situation to discuss.
So I've been travelling round the US for a little while now (it's incredible btw - check out my other posts and videos if you wanna know more :) ) and recently I stopped off in NYC. Whilst I was there I made the decision to attend a marriage equality pride march as all people being viewed as equal is something that I strongly believe in. My experience was really amazing - so many people from all around America (and some from across the globe; like me!) were there to represent a community; and there were smiles from ear to ear. The brilliant rainbows of colour were such a sight and amazing representation of what we were standing for; peace and happiness.
I met so many people that had so many stories (sadly sometimes very upsetting - but others beautifully heart warming) to share. This is why I am so happy and proud that we have finally reached a time where same sex marriage is accepted by the law, because it gives the wonderful people that I met a chance to live their lives together in happiness - and not have to hide who they are attracted to.
Another thing I wanted to speak about is another blog that I recently came across written by a man named Andrew. it shows views controversial to my own but I respect that the writer is taking other peoples feelings into consideration. I left the link below - Take a look and leave some comments sharing your opinion : I have too and I think it would be really helpful and interesting to see what you think:) I also left a link to my blog in the comments so if by any chance Andrew sees this - I hope it helps you understand the importance of marriage equality to others:)
Anyways im out now - big day ahead of me! bye bye.

 #Lovewins 💙💙💙💙

 

Bibliography:

http://www.americancatholic.org/News/Homosexuality/

http://college.usatoday.com/2015/07/01/nyc-pride-march-scotus-marriage-equality-ruling/

 

Article: The Change in English Language

Social Media is Influencing A Massive Change in English Language

The English Language is changing at a faster rate than ever an in the modern day, British teens are commonly using social media terms that even their own parents don't understand.
(21/09/2015)

By Jaye Hurcom
Recent research has revealed that the English Language is currently evolving at a faster rate than ever - leaving the old folk outside of the community of teens, just unable to understand.

Social media and instant messaging services were found to be the biggest explanation for pushing English Language towards a point where emoticons and slang terms are beginning to replace actual written words. And it is this massive influence that leaves bewildered parents so unable to understand the way that their teens talk.
Twitter - a social media site where you can express your thoughts using only 140 characters - is one of the most used sites by teens; with an everage of 320 M users; 80% on mobile devices. _______________________________________________________________________________

N/f

Article I used : http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/howaboutthat/11574196/new-forms-of-social-media-terms-which-parents-do-not-understand.html

DIVERSITY IN SPOKEN LANGUAGE

Articles on diversity in spoken language (young peoples' use of slang in schools)

 

SLANG BANNED FROM CROYDEN SCHOOL TO IMPROVE STUDENT SPEECH

Harris Academy Upper Norwood, South London, has implemented its decision to ban the use of slang such as 'like', 'bare and 'innit' during the school day. This decision was made to try and help students find future employment and to improve their performance and attitude towards education.

They have stated that students heard using the 'informal' slang will be asked to reflect on their decisions.

The school has also said that using 'basically' and 'so...yeah' in sentences has been considered informal and inappropriate. They say that the decision to ban slang words "is just one of the many ways in which we are building the vocabulary of our students and giving them the skills that they need to express themselves confidently and appropriately for a variety of audiences."

 

However there are many controversial views towards the schools decision; Terry Victor, editor of the New Partridge Dictionary of Slang and Unconventional English, has said "it's wrong", "you cannot censor a young person's language". He also mentioned that "[the word] 'ain't was around in the 19th century, even people like Dickens used it...and how many politicians have you heard use the word 'basically' at the beginning of a sentence?", "yes it is irritating, but it is part of deliberate language."  

link to article - http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-24522809

Similar/related article:
BAN ON BLACK COUNTRY SLANG HAS IMPROVED READING AND WRITING CLAIMS CONTROVERSIAL PRIMARY SCHOOL WHICH SPARKED ANGER BY PULLING UP PUPILS ON LOCAL DIALECT
A West-midlands primary school has banned the use of Black Country slang to improve children's academic ability. This sparks anger among local parents as they say, "it [Black Country slang] should be preserved to protect the young individuals and local identity"
: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2791261/ban-black-country-slang-improved-reading-writing-claims-controversial-primary-school-sparked-anger-pulling-pupils-local-dialect.html
PUPILS BANNED FROM USING SLANG IN SCHOOLS : pupils at Sheffield's Springs Academy have been ordered to stop using slang while at school to improve their job prospects.
: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/education/educationnews/9081943/Pupils-banned-from-using-slang-in-school.html
BANNING SLANG WILL ONLY FURTHER ALIENATE YOUNG PEOPLE, INNIT : similar article to 'Slang banned from Croyden School..." - explains why it would have a negative impact
: http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2013/oct/16/banning-slang-harris-academy-alienate-young-people

MULTIMODALITY (written text with spoken features)

If a text is multimodal it will have other features that contribute towards the language and purpose of the text. For example, text can be accompanied by images, videos and speech. Examples of texts that often use multimodal language are newspapers, online articles, social medias, televised reports etc.
Over the weekend we were set to individually look for examples of written language with spoken features about them (such as adverts on billboards and writing on T-shirts). Later on in lessons we shared our ideas with other groups in the class.
A common example of the way that written language used multimodality to enhance language was through synthetic personalisation. This method gives the expression that the implied writer (the company promoting a product) knows something about you - which is a persuasive technique as you become more comfortable with that concept and are more likely to purchase their product. Synthetic personalisation can be seen as multimodal as it gives the general idea that the text is in spoken form (as if someone is actually speaking to you).
Examples of texts found that used synthetic personalisation are :
"Welcome coffee lovers!" - Costa Coffee
"Share a coke with ..." - CocaCola
"Because you're worth it" - L'Oreal
"It's your street. Own it ..." - Harley Davidson
These examples all use synthetic personalisation through the use of second person pronouns and determiners such as you, your and you're. Also through the word 'welcome' as it gives the false impression that the person knows you well.
However, not all determiners and second person pronouns are used as synthetic personalisation, and if someone does not feel that these words are personally speaking to them then they are most likely not the target audience.

Another way that the texts we found that texts were multimodal was through the use of exaggeration in a way that it would not be used in normal written language. For example :
"It'll blow your mind" - Burger King
"Water never tasted so good"
"Taste the rainbow" - Skittles
"You can't get any more Ribenary" - Ribena

There were also other examples of written texts that played on sound (Frosties - "They're grrrreat" as the promotion for Frosties cereal is through the character of a cartoon tiger), used slang, misspelled words and words that were not in the dictionary ( such as Boots used the word "bootiful" in one of their advertisements)

The way that these texts captivate their audience is very important. For example, Costa's "Welcome coffee lovers" is very clear on who their target audience is - coffee lovers - as it personally adresses them in the text. Therefore, it is unlikely that someone who does not like coffee would take any interest in this text or the product being advertised.
Similarly, you could argue that Skittles text "taste the rainbow" and Frosties "they're grrreat" both use a play on words to captivate their target audience; which would most likely be younger children. Frosties does this using a play on sound with 'grrreat' and skittles may do this using the word 'rainbow' as it gives connotations of bright and happy colours that may be appealing to their target audiencce.

Attitudes towards English Language

In our first lesson of AS English Language we looked into peoples different attitudes towards English Language - specifically their liked and disliked words.
The information that we gathered shows that the most liked words among the class were adjectives. In fact there were only 2 adjectives that were disliked ( naïve and peng ).
On the other hand, words that the class most disliked were those that people change the meaning of, or use out of context. The most common examples were 'trust' 'sweat' 'like' and 'literally'. Explanations for disliking these words were that it was irritating when people use them in the wrong way, or if they are used too often.
To my surprise there were a number of people (half) that said they liked taboo words such as bell**d and cl**ge. The other half of taboo words that were disliked were c**t and sl*t - because of their negative connotative meanings.
Overall, it was found that there were more disliked words than liked words - possibly because people find it harder to think of a word that they like, than a word that they strongly dislike.

                                                                              :)