Courtroom Questioning Adapted to Institutional Power

Abstract

This paper focuses on analyzing courtroom questioning as a dynamic process of adaptation to the institutional power by recourse to intimidation and topic management. Institutional power is the important factor which motivates the questioners’ linguistic choice. By adapting their questioning to the institutional power, questioners can succeed in bringing the defendant, especially the hardened criminals, under their control so that their authority as institutional representatives will be maintained, which is essential to ensure the solemnity and effectiveness of courtroom trial.