Subjects:

Criminal Law

Contents:

Acknowledgements - List of Figures and Tables - Introduction - A Crime Chronology: The Murders of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ron Goldman - Trial by Jury: Legal Frameworks and Linguistics Consequences - Macro-, Micro- and Multiple Narratives: Storytelling in Court - Framing Courtroom Narratives Through Strategic Lexicalisation: The Opening Statements - Interaction in the Criminal Trial: Participants and Processes, Roles and Relationships - Direct and Cross-Examination: Questions and Answers in Court - Mind the Gap: Negotiating Power, Knowledge and Status in Expert Witness Testimony - 'If it doesn't fit, you must acquit': Reframing the Story through Metaphorical Choice in the Closing Arguments - Judging the Jury: The Deliberation, The Verdict and The Aftermath - Notes - References - Index

Sociolinguists and lawyers should find insight and relevance in this account of the language of the courtroom, as exemplified in the criminal trial of O.J. Simpson. The trial is examined as the site of linguistic power and persuasion, focusing on the role of language in (re)presenting and (re)constructing the crime.

In addition to the trial transcripts, the book draws on Simpson's post-arrest interview, media reports and post-trial interviews with jurors. The result is a multi-dimensional insight into the ""Trial of the Century"" from a linguistic and discursive perspective.