Publication details
Turn-taking management during cross-examination: Lay people as cross-examiners
| Authors | |
|---|---|
| Year of publication | 2008 |
| Type | Article in Proceedings |
| Conference | Topics in Linguistics. Politeness and Interaction. |
| MU Faculty or unit | |
| Citation | |
| Field | Linguistics |
| Keywords | cross-examination; courtroom discourse; institutional talk; turn-taking; overlapping speech; speaker selection; three-part structure of interaction |
| Description | The paper compares the turn-taking management (i.e. simultaneous speech, interruptions, third turns) of two self-represented litigants with the turn-taking management a professional lawyer. The data are drawn from the libel case McDonald's corporation v. H. Steel and D. Morris, which was tried in Great Britain. Turn-taking in Steel and Morris's cross-examination parts is similar to the conversational turn-taking due to frequent overlaps and follow-ups that are sometimes too supportive and not challenging enough. In contrast to the self-represented litigants, the professional lawyer preserves the pre-allocated character of cross-examination turn-taking (i.e. turn order and distribution of turns). As a result, his cross-examination is more orderly and professional. |