Explorations of Courtroom Discourse

Abstract

The foremost aim of this chapter is to introduce the reader into courtroom discourse. The chapter commences with a statement of the major objectives of this book and an explanation of the rationale for research in this field. It concisely reviews previous explorations into courtroom discourse and describes how the current study diverges from prior contributions. It also delineates the key concepts from different branches of science, including: theory and philosophy of law, comparative law, sociology and anthropology of law, and anthropological linguistics relevant for the proper perception of the investigations of courtroom discourse. Finally, it demonstrates the general perspective of the research, explains the origin of the data, and justifies the methodology employed to investigate courtroom discourse.