Social Class Language Analysis

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The role of language in a child’s life cannot be underestimated, as language allows children the social and cognitive skills required to develop from an early age (Lal Banga, C 2015). Whether language is seen in books or articles, or heard through a certain Discourse or radio, it is understood by people through their own social and cultural backgrounds (Green, 2006, p. 2). Language can be diverse with different variations of English, including accents, dialects and even social classes which can all contribute to the diversity of language. Although diverse, it can also be standard. Depending on the formality of the situation, it can represent different registers, including academic writing and legal English.
The difference of a context is
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A child gathers their language habits and development of their language from their family very early on. Children from affluent backgrounds are often seen to be more successful at school, while children in low socio-economic backgrounds can be seen to be less successful. Different values between the school and home is important and creates opportunities for students to learn language types and the appropriate use. Bernstein, a British sociologist, believed there was a correlation between social class and language use. He argued that middle class language and upper class language differ greatly and that language difference halted the success at school for working-class students. He described middle class language as an elaborated code, or more formal language while the working class was more likely to use a restricted code, or public form of language (Emmitt, 2010, p. 58). Although either code can be used by a speaker of a different background, it is likely that there is a prominent code that will reveal itself. Bernstein suggested children from working-class homes who were subjected towards a restricted code were at a disadvantage at school as schools predominantly favour the elaborated …show more content…
Within a Discourse, there can be two or more insiders or it may contain an outsider. The role of the classroom should be to ensure that every child feels like an insider. A child may be left feeling excluded if their learning needs are not met by the breakdown of language. As a child can be from different cultures, communities, socio-economic backgrounds and even nationalities, a teacher must be aware of the issues that the child may face when it comes to schooling. This does not only mean in the classroom but out of the classroom also. With a child needing to grow intellectually and also socially it is imperative that a school environment welcomes all of these diverse children to accurately ensure a child can develop while at school. This can include from the early childhood years, the primary years and all the way through secondary education. With this in mind it can be very difficult for a student from another culture, such as an Aboriginal child. There are varieties of Aboriginal English spoken as a first language within the community and this presents a unique and challenging opportunity within the education system. A child that speaks Aboriginal English at home is often of mixed descent and they are very competent in todays world. (Eades, 1991, p. 85). The ever increasing involvement in education is a positive growth that

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