This document discusses Bernstein's theories of restricted and elaborated codes and analyzes examples from articles in The Sun and BBC. The Sun article uses more restricted code through context-dependent language and shared knowledge with its working-class readership. The BBC article relies less on restricted code due to its public service mandate for inclusiveness. Both articles demonstrate a mix of codes, with The Sun emphasizing attitudes and the BBC focusing on conveying facts through elaborated explanations.

1. Bernstein’s Restricted
and Elaborated Codes

2. Article from The Sun

13. The Sun + Restricted Code
• more informal
• used by working class readers (i.e. The Sun
readership)
• relies on context and gestures
• used to convey attitudes and feelings, as opposed
to facts and abstract ideas

14. The Sun + Restricted Code
• relies on shared and taken-for-granted knowledge
• = a reference to The Walking Dead - a zombie apocalypse TV show
• Red = colours of the Labour Party + a derogatory term for Communism.
• This is used because The Sun is owned by Fox Group, which is owned by
Rupert Murdoch, who is Tory.
• there are many zombie puns throughout the article, e.g.

15. The Sun + Restricted Code
• economical + rich. Connotations, leaving things unsaid
context - in the 1970s Workers’ Unions had a lot
of power
The Sun likes Margaret Thatcher, they use her
full name rather than a name like ‘Jezza’
All of these quotes are
examples of consonance
- where the audience’s
opinion agrees with the
writer’s opinion/slant

16. The Sun + Restricted Code
• the restricted code comes from a restricted community
like a family group, but also a readership. This creates a
feeling of belonging, e.g.
• use of cliches, e.g.

17. The Sun’s article is in
restricted code because:
• it uses intonation:
• intonation is the rise and fall of the voice either
naturally, or to emphasise a specific word

18. The Sun’s article is in
restricted code because:
• it uses a high proportion of pronouns:
• this is more commonly used in speech as this relies on
gestures and context to convey meaning, e.g.

19. The Sun’s article is in
restricted code because:
• the sentences and language are highly predictable:
• nearly all sentences start with the noun/subject,
rather than using passives and starting the
sentence with the noun being acted upon
• the language is predictable because of limitations
of vocabulary

20. The Sun + Elaborated Code
• the elaborated code spells things out because it’s necessary so everyone
can understand. (NB: the middle class have access to both codes, but
Bernstein thought the working class didn’t have as much information so they
relied on the restricted code) For example, these two lists of what Corbyn
said in his speech in case the reader didn’t know:

21. The Sun + Elaborated Code
a picture of Diane Abbott as the
audience won’t know who she is
another list of what Corbyn
said in his speech

22. The Sun + Elaborated Code
• The article gives everyone’s job/position as well as their
name
• it also has pictures of Theresa May, in
case people don’t know who she is:

23. The Sun + Elaborated Code
• the elaborated code also uses more original ideas
and language; there are fewer cliches; longer, more
complicated sentence structures are used; and it
uses uncommon words and thoughts.
• elaborated code is used to convey facts and
abstract ideas

24. The Sun’s article is also a mix of
restricted and elaborated because:
• it uses subordinate clauses and a mix of simple,
compound and complex sentences:
Two simple sentences
from the article
Two compound
sentences from the
article
Two complex sentences
from the article

25. Article from the BBC

28. The BBC + Restricted Code
• relies on taken for granted knowledge:
doesn’t explain what the RSPB and
Greenpeace are because they assume that
their target audience are well educated and
passionate about nature as they’re reading
this article - so they’ll know what it means
doesn’t elaborate on what
the Great British Oceans is
assumes that the audience have
seen series 2 of Planet Earth
and know which scene they’re
talking about

29. The BBC + Restricted Code
• the restricted code is elaborated and rich, is uses
lots of connotations and leaves things unsaid
doesn’t elaborate on this as the mass target
audience will know about Planet Earth as it was
very popular with a mass target audience
doesn’t tell you what is
meant by “an impact”

30. The BBC + Restricted Code
• the restricted code comes from a restricted community
like a family group, but also a readership. This creates a
feeling of belonging, e.g.
• use of cliches, e.g.
readers will know what the
RSPB and Greenpeace mean
readers will probably know what
PenguinWatch is if they’re
passionate about wildlife and
reading the article

31. The BBC + Restricted Code
• The BBC doesn’t use much of the restricted code
because it is a PSB so it must appeal to a mass
target audience.
• Using the restricted code will prevent some people
from accessing and understanding the article, and
the BBC strives to be as inclusive as possible.
• The BBC also cannot put any kind of slant on a
story and must remain politically neutral so using
restricted code isn’t in their best interest

32. The BBC’s article is in
restricted code because:
• a lot of the sentences are predictable:
• a lot of sentences start with the noun/subject, rather than using
passives and starting the sentence with the noun being acted upon

33. The BBC + Elaborated Code
• the BBC uses a lot of the elaborated code because
it is inclusive. Part of the elaborated code is
spelling things out not because it’s better, but
because it’s necessary so everyone can
understand. The more people who can understand
and access an article, the more people will read it.

34. The BBC + Elaborated Code
• examples of spelling things out:

35. The BBC + Elaborated Code
• the elaborated code uses more original ideas and
language, e.g.
• the elaborated code uses uncommon words and
thoughts, which this article demonstrates

36. The BBC + Elaborated Code
• the elaborated code is used to convey facts and
abstract ideas. Whereas the restricted code is
used to convey attitudes and feelings
• this fits with the BBC’s article as it is just presenting
facts about the Antarctic islands - whereas The
Sun’s article is presenting attitudes and feelings as
they are clearly against Jeremy Corbyn and the
Labour party

37. The BBC’s article is in a mix of restricted
and elaborated code because:
• it uses subordinate clauses and a mix of simple,
compound and complex sentences:
Two simple sentences
from the article
I could only find one
example of a compound
sentence from the article
Two complex sentences
from the article