title: Code switching and sexual orientation: a test of Bernstein's sociolinguistic theory.
abstract: Bernstein's theory was tested in the homosexual's "closed" community to determine code-switching ability and its relationship to jargon. Subjects told a story based on homoerotic photographs where knowledge of sexual orientation was varied. Rather than finding the restricted code associated with in-group communication, an analysis of data trends (since all hypotheses were rejected) suggests that homosexual hemophyly encouraged elaboration, and status differentiation resulted in a more restricted code. Story length was the most significant variable across groups. Some of Bernstein's theoretical explanations require modification to account for subjects' behavior in stigmatized social groups.
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D006716:Homosexuality / Q000175:diagnosis; D006801:Humans; D008019:Life Style; D008037:Linguistics; D008297:Male; D008960:Models, Psychological; D010555:Personality Inventory; D012725:Sexual Behavior; D012931:Social Environment; D014705:Verbal Behavior