Don't know if this would be of use but I have written a Phd exploring
class-language variation in joint book-reading in homes and K school classes
using (in part) Bernstein's theory. One chapter interprets the findings in
terms of coding orientation theory and also re-reads Brice Heath's findings
about Roadville and Trackton through that theory. I noticed your references
to social class differences in HK children's literacy background, so maybe
there is a shared interest here. My conclusions are quite different from
those Gordon Wells reached in the Bristol study. The thesis has just been
published in micro fiche in CORE, Volume 19(3).
>
> The idea of linguistic play as subversion is a familiar one in children's
> literature, where some of the analyses are parallel to the one you proposed.
Do you have any handy refs. in children's literature?
One, which I don't think is very theoretically sophisticated but which is at
least quick is Alison Lurie's Don't tell the grown-ups. A subtle, rather
indirect discussion is Margaret Meek's How texts teach what readers learn -
see especially the story she quotes by Jan Mark, William's version.
>
> In the metalanguage development project here, which I mentioned in an
earlier
> post, we find play is central to children as they 'take on' metalinguistic
> description. Interestingly, when they can use the metadescriptions for
> critical purposes they often play derisively with the texts they are
> critiqueing. I am sure this is related to their sense of power in the new
> discursive practices.
Very interesting indeed... anything you've written on this I can read?
I gave a plenary to the Australian Systemic Functional Linguistics Conference
in October, which I am about to write up in a final form now that the academic
year has ended here. So I'll send you a copy if you like. The text we looked
at with 11 year olds is Anthony Browne's Piggybook.
Cheers
geoff