Courtroom Discourse in China and the USA
Description
Offering the first comparative study of criminal courtroom discourse in China and the USA, this book explores the interactions that take place within two very different legal systems and cultures. Focusing on direct and cross examinations, sentencing, and judgment, discourse strategies and language patterns are analyzed at both the micro and macro levels in intrapersonal and interpersonal interactions.
Highlighting the similarities and differences in courtroom discourses between two distinct legal traditions, Meizhen Liao questions and explains the reasons behind them and examines the implications for legal practice and forensic linguistics. Based upon accurate and authentic courtroom trial transcripts of representative and important criminal cases, the data is analyzed using an integrated methodology model, the Goal-driven Principle, drawing together insights from speech act theory, discourse analysis, and conversation analysis. Through promoting comparative and contrastive approaches across languages and legal systems, this book opens up a new and promising area in the study of forensic linguistics.
Accessibility Information
Additional accessibility information
- EPUB 3.0
- Conforms with the requirements of EPUB Accessibility Spec v1.1
- WCAG level AA
- WCAG v2.2 compliant
- accessibility@bloomsbury.com
Hazards
The publication contains no hazards
Support for non-visual reading
- No accessibility features offered by the reading system, device or reading software are disabled or otherwise unusable with the product
- Has alternative text descriptions for images
Visual adjustments
Appearance of the text and page layout can be modified according to the capabilities of the reading system (font family and size, spaces, as well as color of background and text)
Navigation
- Page list to go to pages from the print source version
- Elements such as headings, tables, etc for structured navigation
- All or substantially all textual matter is arranged in a single logical reading order
- Content is enhanced with ARIA roles to optimize organization and facilitate navigation
- Purposes of all links are made clear
Rich content
Language tagging provided
Table of Contents
1. The Theoretical and Analytical Framework
2. An Introduction to Chinese and American Legal Systems and Traditions
3. Courtroom Questioning as Micro and Macro Speech Acts and Patterns
4. Courtroom Interaction and Patterns
5. Linguistic Politeness Strategies in the Courtroom
6. Sentencing Discourse
Conclusion
References
Index
Product details
| Published | 03 Sep 2026 |
|---|---|
| Format | Ebook (Epub & Mobi) |
| Edition | 1st |
| Pages | 288 |
| ISBN | 9781350204812 |
| Imprint | Bloomsbury Academic |
| Illustrations | 10 b/w illus |
| Series | Bloomsbury Advances in Forensic and Legal Linguistics |
| Publisher | Bloomsbury Publishing |
Related Titles
