Anglia Ruskin Research Online (ARRO)
Browse

The language of siege: military metaphors in the spoken language of social work

Download (65.18 kB)
journal contribution
posted on 2023-08-30, 13:24 authored by Chris Beckett
This article discusses the language that is used by children and family social workers when talking about their work, and specifically the metaphors that such language draws upon. The question of the relationship between language and reality that has been raised by postmodernist theory is considered, but it is argued that it remains sensible to see language as ‘a reflection of reality’, however partial. Drawing on ideas about metaphor from other disciplines, it is suggested that by identifying the sources of metaphors used in spoken language it is possible to gain insights into underlying mental concepts. Metaphors in the language of social work are found to come from several sources, including medicine, business and industry, but attention is drawn here in particular to terms with military connotations, implying underlying conceptual metaphors that equate social work with war. The implications of this are discussed.

History

Refereed

  • Yes

Volume

33

Issue number

5

Page range

625-639

Publication title

British Journal of Social Work

ISSN

1468-263X

Publisher

Oxford University Press

File version

  • Accepted version

Language

  • eng

Legacy posted date

2010-07-01

Legacy creation date

2019-12-04

Legacy Faculty/School/Department

ARCHIVED Faculty of Health, Social Care & Education (until September 2018)

Usage metrics

    ARU Outputs

    Categories

    No categories selected

    Keywords

    Exports

    RefWorks
    BibTeX
    Ref. manager
    Endnote
    DataCite
    NLM
    DC