Verbal Deficit

Originally published in 1981. This critique considers verbal deficit theories, especially Bernstein's, from a sociolinguistic viewpoint but with attention to the historical and educational context. It concludes that verbal deficit theories are educationally damaging, and proposes instead a linguistic ‘difference’ theory.

---

Originally published in 1981. Verbal deficit theories try to account for differential educational attainments in linguistic terms, suggesting that children reach varying levels of success in school as a result of their ability or inability to express themselves, and relate this to social class. This critique considers such theories, especially in the form propounded by Bernstein, primarily from a sociolinguistic viewpoint but with special attention to the historical and educational context behind the theories. It claims that verbal deficit theories are not only unscientific and non-linguistic, but are educationally damaging as well, and proposes instead a linguistic ‘difference’ theory.