A small group of people in Sydney has been working on these problems. Our
interest is particularly in everyday forms of discourse used by caregivers and
children in different intra-cultural social class locations, in comparison
with forms of discourse used by teachers and children in the first year of
school. We use systemic functional (Hallidayean) linguistics as part of the
methodology to describe semantic variation.
The leader of this group is Ruqaiya Hasan. Some references to her work are:
1992. Speech genre, semiotic mediation and the development of higher mental
functions. Language sciences. 14(4). 489-528.
1989. Semantic variation and sociolinguistics. Australian Journal of
Linguistics. 9. 221-75.1995.
1995. On social conditions for semiotic mediation: The genesis of mind in
society. In Knowledge and pedagogy: the sociology of Basil Bernstein. ed. Alan
R. Sadnovik. Ablex.
1990. Hasan and Cloran, C. A sociolinguistic interpretation of everyday talk
between mothers and children. In Learning, keeping and using language. eds.
M.A.K. Halliday et al. John Benjamins.
There are many more references to the work of the group. If it is of any
interest please get in touch with me directly.
Geoff Williams
University of Sydney
geoffrey.williams who-is-at english.su.edu.au