Intended Audience: Readers of The Guardian 'Comment is Free' section
How Using Work Language At Home Can Help You Get Ahead
Think bringing work-speak home will hold you back? In fact, it's quite the opposite, and here's why:
It is often said that work language should stay in the workplace, and that it has negative influence on those it is used frequently around at home, particularly children.
In a recent Guardian article, I must admit, a very good point for this case was made. The article focused on the use of working language in a children's care home. The article included a poignant interview with a young girl in care. This girl said that, in her care home environment, the use of professional terms such as; 'On shift', 'Risk Assessment' and 'LAC Review' were commonplace, and that this made it difficult for her to consider the environment a 'home'. In the face of this, I must concede, it is impossible to deny the negative effects that being surrounded by such language would have on a child in the care system, or any child for that matter. However, it is important that, as with all language, we take work-place language into context.
In the case presented in the article, it is clear that the use of workplace language was severely detrimental to the happiness and well-being of the child, and especially around people as vulnerable as those in care. In situations like this, people should look at the context and potential consequences of using language like this, and decide against it. However, just because it is not appropriate in one particular context doesn't mean that it's wrong in all situations!
The reason i'm arguing for the use of work language at home is due to personal experience. For me, the pursuit of knowledge is something that has played a key role in almost all aspects of my life. As pretentious as that may sound, I don't mean my goal is to become an academic genius or anything like that, but as they say: 'knowing is half the battle' and knowing as much as possible, no matter how trivial is something I take great joy in. It is probably because of this that I have always taken great interest in the details of my parents work (they are a nurse and a substance misuse counselor, respectively) and have learned a lot of, technically useless, but fascinating language and other information.
To me, this can only be a good thing. Why would you not want to broaden your range of vocabulary and knowledge? For this purpose, I support the use of work language in the home. However, I acknowledge that the use of said language should be considered based on situational context because, as stated in the referenced article, using cold, detached and impersonal care system language in an environment with such vulnerable individuals present is invariably a bad thing.
To conclude, I do not think this wonderful and varied language should be kept strictly within the discourse communities from whence it came, and that it should be shared with anyone with an interest!
In a recent Guardian article, I must admit, a very good point for this case was made. The article focused on the use of working language in a children's care home. The article included a poignant interview with a young girl in care. This girl said that, in her care home environment, the use of professional terms such as; 'On shift', 'Risk Assessment' and 'LAC Review' were commonplace, and that this made it difficult for her to consider the environment a 'home'. In the face of this, I must concede, it is impossible to deny the negative effects that being surrounded by such language would have on a child in the care system, or any child for that matter. However, it is important that, as with all language, we take work-place language into context.
In the case presented in the article, it is clear that the use of workplace language was severely detrimental to the happiness and well-being of the child, and especially around people as vulnerable as those in care. In situations like this, people should look at the context and potential consequences of using language like this, and decide against it. However, just because it is not appropriate in one particular context doesn't mean that it's wrong in all situations!
The reason i'm arguing for the use of work language at home is due to personal experience. For me, the pursuit of knowledge is something that has played a key role in almost all aspects of my life. As pretentious as that may sound, I don't mean my goal is to become an academic genius or anything like that, but as they say: 'knowing is half the battle' and knowing as much as possible, no matter how trivial is something I take great joy in. It is probably because of this that I have always taken great interest in the details of my parents work (they are a nurse and a substance misuse counselor, respectively) and have learned a lot of, technically useless, but fascinating language and other information.
To me, this can only be a good thing. Why would you not want to broaden your range of vocabulary and knowledge? For this purpose, I support the use of work language in the home. However, I acknowledge that the use of said language should be considered based on situational context because, as stated in the referenced article, using cold, detached and impersonal care system language in an environment with such vulnerable individuals present is invariably a bad thing.
To conclude, I do not think this wonderful and varied language should be kept strictly within the discourse communities from whence it came, and that it should be shared with anyone with an interest!
A strong opinion and a good hook. I would use an ellipsis rather than a colon in the strapline because grammatically you wouldn't follow a colon with a capital letter. "Hold you back" where? At home? It suggests you mean at work but how it could make an impact isn't obvious enough to support an assertion that readers would think that.
ReplyDeleteUse square brackets to add in [hyperlink to the article on speech in care homes, highlighting "recent Guardian article"] to show more awareness of key conventions - where is your image and caption too?
The last half of para one could be more concise - how could you get the idea across more succinctly?
You mention discourse communities but don't explain it so the second half has no language theory that I can spot - you need to do some research e.g. the idea that working in a discourse community (give examples) could make you a more effective or considerate communicator at home (give examples) and to take the best aspects of it and teach them to your children to make them confident, effective communicators. Politeness strategies you learned from having a scary boss? Think of other theories that might describe something that work language teaches you.