Dueling Discourses by Laura Felton Rosulek

Dueling Discourses by Laura Felton Rosulek

Dueling Discourses offers qualitative and quantitative analyses of the linguistic and discursive forms utilized by opposing lawyers in their closing arguments during criminal trials. Laura Felton Rosulek analyzes how these arguments construct contrasting representations of the same realities, applying the insights and methodologies of critical discourse analysis and systemic functional linguistics to a corpus of arguments from seventeen trials. Her analysis suggests that silencing (omitting relevant information), de-emphasizing (giving information comparatively less attention and focus), and emphasizing (giving information comparatively more attention and focus) are the key communicative devices that lawyers rely on to create their summations. Through these processes, lawyers' lexical, syntactic, thematic, and discursive patterns, both within individual narratives and across whole arguments, function together to create versions of reality that reflect each individual lawyer's goals and biases. The first detailed analysis of closing arguments, this book will significantly improve our understanding of courtroom discourse. Furthermore, as previous research on all genres of discourse has examined exclusion/inclusion and de-emphasis/emphasis as separate issues rather than as steps on a continuum, this book will advance the field of discourse analysis by establishing the ubiquity of these phenomena.

While the book is heavily based in linguistics, including detailed analysis of the methodology in categorizing results, how a speaker includes or excludes through the use of language is defined for nonlinguistsTable 7.5 is particularly instructive in how to use and notice silencing, deemphasizing, and emphasizing in language in and out of the courtroom. * J. M. Keller, Florida Coastal School of Law, CHOICE *
Dueling Discourses is remarkably clear, systematic, and rigorous. * Corina Andone, Language and Dialogue *

Laura Felton Rosulek received her PhD from the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign. She has taught courses at the University of Montana and Oregon State University. Her research specializations are in sociolinguistics and discourse analysis (particularly Critical Discourse Analysis).

SKU	Unavailable
ISBN 13	9780199337613
ISBN 10	0199337616
Title	Dueling Discourses
Author	Laura Felton Rosulek
Series	Oxford Studies In Language And Law
Condition	Unavailable
Publisher	Oxford University Press Inc
Year published	2015-01-15
Number of pages	248
Cover note	Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary.