THE TEXTUAL AND CONTEXTUAL ANALYSIS OF THE LANGUAGE USED IN COURTROOMS DURING TRIALS

Abstract

This study offers a thorough textual and contextual analysis of language use during trials in courtroom contexts, emphasizing how linguistic decisions reflect, uphold, or contradict legal processes, power relations, and communicative clarity. Argumentation, evidence interpretation, witness examination, and the administration of justice all heavily rely on language in the highly regimented and ritualized institutional communication that is courtroom discourse. This study aims to investigate how various courtroom judges, attorneys, witnesses, and defendants, use language and how their communication tactics affects the public access to justice, perceptions of justice, and legal results. It is a common phenomenon that every case that is pursued by the advocates is due to the use of powerful language and explains, proves, give statements, and enlighten the matter in the most appropriate way to get the attention of the whole body. Using a qualitative approach, the study analyzes transcripts from a few chosen trial proceedings in different jurisdictions using critical linguistic frameworks and discourse analysis. It emphasizes the use of legal jargon, turn-taking patterns, questioning strategies, lexical choices, and the interaction between written and spoken courtroom language. Furthermore, the study places the textual results in the larger context of courtroom culture, legal customs, and sociolinguistic standards, providing insights into the ways in which social standing, legal knowledge, and institutional responsibilities affect communication. The study concludes that although courtroom language is necessary to preserve legal decorum and organization, lay participants frequently find it opaque and difficult to understand. It also suggests that greater linguistic sensitivity in courtrooms can contribute to more equitable legal proceedings and enhance public trust in judicial processes.

Keywords: Legal Discourse; Litigants; Testimony; prejudiced; subjudiced; Court-trials