The language of persuasion in courtroom discourse: A computer-aided text analysis

Abstract

This paper uses a Computer-Aided Text Analysis (CATA) and a Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) to investigate the language of persuasion in courtroom discourse. More specifically, the paper tries to explore the extent to which a computer-aided text analysis contributes to decoding the various persuasive strategies employed to control, defend or accuse within the framework of courtroom discourse. Two research questions are tackled in this paper: first, what are the strategies of persuasion employed in the selected data? Second, how can a computer-aided text analysis reveal these persuasive tools that influence the attitudes of recipients? By means of the adopted computer-assisted textual analysis, four CDA strategies are discussed in this study: questioning, repetition, emotive language, and justification. The paper reveals that language in courtroom discourse can be used to persuade or biased to manipulate. In both cases, a triadic relationship between language, law, and computer is emphasized.