LEGAL DISCOURSE, POWER AND PRAGMATICS
LEGAL DISCOURSE, POWER AND PRAGMATICS
Author(s): Monika GyuróSubject(s): Law, Constitution, Jurisprudence, Pragmatics
Published by: Masarykova univerzita nakladatelství
Keywords: legal discourse; Critical Discourse Analysis; power; pragmatics; sociocognitive approach; presuppositions; implicatures; speech acts; turn-taking sequences;
Summary/Abstract: Since ancient times legal discourse has been of interest to both philosophers of language and lawyers. The paper seeks to reveal the interdisciplinary methods where language and law are intertwined. As a method of analysis, the author uses Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) as a linguistic tool to show the different power relationships, the pragmatic peculiarities, and syntactic complexities of the language of the law. The author aims to investigate how the question-answer sequences of a cross-examination reveal inequality, domination and control in the court proceedings. A methodological approach to CDA, sociocognitive approach (SCA) provides linguistic means to examine the examples in question. The paper reveals how power is expressed in language use by analyzing the presuppositions, implicatures, speech acts and turn-taking sequences. Moreover, the author adds information with regard to cross-examination as a discourse genre.
Journal: Discourse and Interaction
- Issue Year: 6/2013
- Issue No: 2
- Page Range: 5-13
- Page Count: 9
- Language: English