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The whole truth? Hypothetical questions and the (de)construction of knowledge in expert witness cross-examination

Publication date: 28.02.2023

Studia Linguistica Universitatis Iagellonicae Cracoviensis, 2023, Volume 140, Issue 1, pp. 67 - 93

https://doi.org/10.4467/20834624SL.23.004.17264

Authors

Magdalena Szczyrbak
Jagiellonian University in Kraków, Gołębia 24, 31-007 Kraków, Poland
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0182-0938 Orcid
All publications →

Titles

The whole truth? Hypothetical questions and the (de)construction of knowledge in expert witness cross-examination

Abstract

This paper examines the relation between hypotheticals and epistemic stance in jury trials, and it reveals how hypothetically framed questions (HQs) are used in cross- examination to construct “the admissible truth” (Gutheil et al. 2003) which is then turned into evidence. It looks at a selection of interactional exchanges identified in the transcripts and video recordings which document two days of expert witness cross- examination in two high-profile criminal cases. In the study, two approaches to data analysis were combined: a bottom-up approach focusing on markers of HQs offering “points of entry” into discourse through a corpus-assisted analysis and a top-down approach looking at cross-examination as a complex communicative event, providing a more holistic view of the interactional context in which HQs are used. The paper explains the role which such questions play in the positioning of opposing knowledge claims, as well as discusses the effect they create in hostile interaction with expert witnesses. As is revealed, HQs are used to elicit the witness’s assessments of alternative scenarios of past events and causal links involving the facts of the case; to elicit the witness’s assessments of general hypothetical scenarios not involving the facts of the case, or to undermine the validity of the witness’s method of analysis. In sum, the paper explains how the use of HQs aids cross-examining attorneys in deconstructing unfavourable testimony and constructing the “legal truth” which supports their narrative.

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Information

Information: Studia Linguistica Universitatis Iagellonicae Cracoviensis, 2023, Volume 140, Issue 1, pp. 67 - 93

Article type: Original article

Titles:

Polish:

The whole truth? Hypothetical questions and the (de)construction of knowledge in expert witness cross-examination

English:

The whole truth? Hypothetical questions and the (de)construction of knowledge in expert witness cross-examination

Authors

https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0182-0938

Magdalena Szczyrbak
Jagiellonian University in Kraków, Gołębia 24, 31-007 Kraków, Poland
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0182-0938 Orcid
All publications →

Jagiellonian University in Kraków, Gołębia 24, 31-007 Kraków, Poland

Published at: 28.02.2023

Article status: Open

Licence: CC BY  licence icon

Percentage share of authors:

Magdalena Szczyrbak (Author) - 100%

Article corrections:

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Publication languages:

English