EXAMINING THE IMPACT OF QUESTIONS AND QUESTIONING TECHNIQUES IN MALAWIAN MAGISTRATE COURTS: A CRITICAL DISCOURSE ANALYSIS APPROACH

Authors

  • Ephraim Kizito Dept. of Languages & Literature Mzuzu University, Malawi.
  • Wellman Kondowe Lecturer in Linguistics Dept. of Languages & Literature Mzuzu University, Malawi.

Keywords:

Questions, Questioning Technique, Courtroom Discourse, Conversational Implicature, Mood Choices

Abstract

By analysing questions asked in court by both court officials and lay persons, this paper argues that language of the court in Malawi is used to self-implicate suspects. The study employed the theory of Conversation Implicature supplemented by Halliday’s Interpersonal metafunction. The study reveals how the prosecution uses questions to indicate power dominance during court trials. Set of questions asked by the prosecution linguistically violates the maxim of relevance but the notion of implicature bridges the gap between what is being asked and the true meaning of the questions. The prosecution makes it even more difficult for the defendant by implying that the defendant violates maxims of quantity and manner by asking the witness questions that bring in more information at the same time irrelevant. This dominance in the court conversation may significantly affect the defence of the lay suspects since they have limited time to either build their case or attack the witness brought in court by the state. While such linguistic features used by court official serve a legal function, the outcome has a huge bearing on the laypersons who have no formal legal training. Findings of the study have huge implications in the field of law and linguistics.The study recommends that government should open up its legal system to its citizens. Aspects of legal language should also be integrated into Malawian school curricula so that the masses should be familiar with courtroom discourse, culture and its set-up, which are often times seen as strange and alien.

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Published

25-08-2021

How to Cite

Ephraim Kizito, & Wellman Kondowe. (2021). EXAMINING THE IMPACT OF QUESTIONS AND QUESTIONING TECHNIQUES IN MALAWIAN MAGISTRATE COURTS: A CRITICAL DISCOURSE ANALYSIS APPROACH. Researchers World - International Refereed Social Sciences Journal, 8(4), 133–141. Retrieved from https://researchersworld.com/index.php/rworld/article/view/374

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