Language and Power in Court: A Linguistic Analysis of the O.J. Simpson Trial

Abstract

Ex-American footballer, actor and celebrity O J Simpson was indicted in late 1994 on two counts of murder, setting the scene for a real-life courtoom drama which came to be known as 'The Trial of the Century'. The trial lasted nine months, involved more than one hundred and twenty witnesses, and was watched on worldwide television by millions of fascinated viewers. This is the first full linguistic analysis of the trial, drawing on the official trial transcripts, police interviews with Simpson and media coverage of the case. Janet Cotterill analyses the language and discourse of the trial, exploring some of the linguistic strategies employed by the judge, lawyers and witnesses in the (re)construction and (re)presentation of the crimes, their victims and alleged perpetrator.

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