Just words?: Purpose, translation, and metaphor in framing sexual and domestic violence through language

Abstract

This book examines how sexual and domestic violence against women is framed through language. The contributors are concerned with the expressions used to name abuse, the meanings suggested by these expressions, and their implications for research, policy, and practice. Language use, for better or worse, shapes the process of perceiving, interpreting, and responding to abuse. From the phrasing of survey questions to news coverage, police reports, policy directives, and everyday day talk, how things are said is not a matter of “just words” but of the right words.