Dialogic features and interpersonal management in the early courtroom action game
The case of the opening statement
Krisda Chaemsaithong | Hanyang University Seoul (South Korea)
There are certain areas where present-day studies of language use can learn from history. Using a dialogue-analytic approach, this
study investigates dialogic features and interpersonal management in the early English courtroom. Drawing upon a corpus of 81
opening statements from the Proceedings of the Old Bailey (1759–1799), the quantitative and qualitative analysis
reveals that this courtroom action game is highly dialogic and that an active jury was significantly presupposed in this
particular historical setting. The lawyers consistently endeavored to solicit solidarity and in-groupness through pronominal
choices, and to argumentatively negotiate agreement and secure consent through directives, shared knowledge markers, asides, and
questions. The findings testify to the central role of dialogism and interpersonal negotiation in historical courtroom action
games.
Keywords: audience orientation, early courtroom action games, engagement resources, interpersonal negotiation
Article outline
- 1.Introduction
- 2.Historical courtroom and opening statements
- 3.Dialogic features and interpersonal management
- 4.Method
- 5.Findings
- 5.1Building solidarity and fostering in-groupness
- 5.1.1Second-person pronouns
- 5.1.2Inclusive first-person plural pronouns
- 5.2Negotiating meaning and securing consent
- 5.2.1Appeals to shared knowledge
- 5.2.2Asides
- 5.2.3Directives
- 5.2.4Questions
- 5.1Building solidarity and fostering in-groupness
- 6.Conclusion
- Note
-
References
Published online: 02 November 2018
https://doi.org/10.1075/ld.00021.cha
https://doi.org/10.1075/ld.00021.cha
References
Aijmer, Karin
Alschuler, Albert
Archer, Dawn
Bogoch, Bryna
Briggs, Charles and Richard Bauman
Brown, Penelope and Stephen Levinson
Cairns, David
Carter, Ronald and Michael McCarthy
Cavalieri, Silvia
Cecconi, Elisabetta
Chaemsaithong, Krisda
Chang, Yanrong
Duszak, Anna
Fuller, Janet
Haydock, Roger and John Sonsteng
Hitchcock, Tim and Robert Shoemaker
2007 “The Value of the Proceedings as a Historical Source. Old Bailey Proceedings Online.” http://www.oldbaileyonline.org (accessed 5 Nov 2017)
Hobbs, Pamela
Hostettler, John
Huber, Magnus
2007 “The Old Bailey Proceedings (1674–1834): Evaluating and Annotating a Corpus of 18th and 19th Century Spoken English.” http://www.helsinki.fi/varieng/journal/volumes/01/huber
Hyland, Ken
Ilie, Cornelia
Kitagawa, Chisato and Adrienne Lehrer
Landsman, Stephen
Langbein, John
Ma, Yue
Martin, J. R. and Peter White
Matoesian, Gregory
May, Allyson
Pascual, Esther
Rosulek, Laura
Shoemaker, Robert
Stygall, Gail
Traugott, Elizabeth
Weigand, Edda