ABSTRACT
This chapter outlines some of the theoretical formulations which underpin the analysis of professional discourse and which shape our investigation of social work text and talk. It discusses the concepts of accountability and categorisation. Facts, opinions and assessments have to be worked on and worked up in talk or in writing. The professional and the client will gather pieces of information and comment to support their version of events and to persuade others of its veracity. Such performances in meetings, interviews or in writing will require a range of persuasive and interactional devices. While the accountability of the professional is often talked of in terms of overall responsibilities enshrined in law or in professional codes of practice, in everyday interaction speakers are constantly attending to how their speech renders their actions accountable.
