Basil Bernstein

Basil Bernard Bernstein ( born November 1, 1924 in London, † 24 September 2000) was a British sociologist, whose works were read widely in linguistics.

Basil Bernstein turned to the deficit hypothesis in sociolinguistics in the 1960s. He theorized that the language of the lower class inferior to the language of the middle and upper classes had. He distinguished the restricted code and elaborated code. The restricted code is, inter alia, stands for the rigid, limited use of adverbs and adjectives, while the elaborate code for a differentiated use of the two word forms. Bernstein himself rejected the term deficit hypothesis. He wanted the restricted code is not to be understood as a deficit, but only as "different". This he justified with the fact that alone the respective ruling class of society determines the legitimate code and it only temporarily could therefore be a superior and an inferior code.

See also Bernstein hypothesis.

Publications

• Social structure, socialization, and language behavior. Papers from 1958 to 1970. Amsterdam 1970. ( Black Series 8)
• Studies of language socialization. Dusseldorf 1972. ( Language and Learning 7)
• B. Bernstein / W. Brandis / D. Henderson: Social class, language and communication. Dusseldorf 1973. ( Primary socialization, language and education)