Just Words, Second Edition Law, Language, and Power
Just Words, Second Edition by John M. Conley, published by University of Chicago Press on June 20, 2005, is a comprehensive exploration of the intersection between law and language. This edition, comprising 210 pages, delves into how language functions as a tool of power within legal contexts, examining scenarios such as cross-examinations and judicial decisions. The book addresses the critical question of how abstract legal concepts manifest in concrete situations, making it a significant contribution to the fields of linguistics and legal studies.
Readers will find that Just Words presents a detailed analysis of various legal processes through a linguistic lens, highlighting the implications of language in areas such as trial practice and discrimination. Each chapter offers insights into the dynamics of legal interactions, from victim testimonies to the complexities of divorce mediation. By combining practical legal examples with scholarly research, Conley and O’Barr provide a unique perspective on the realities of power in everyday legal practices, making this work relevant for both students and professionals in law and social sciences.
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Is it “just words” when a lawyer cross-examines a rape victim in the hopes of getting her to admit an interest in her attacker? Is it “just words” when the Supreme Court hands down a decision or when business people draw up a contract? In tackling the question of how an abstract entity exerts concrete power, Just Words focuses on what has become the central issue in law and language research: what language reveals about the nature of legal power.
Conley and O’Barr show how the microdynamics of the legal process and the largest questions of justice can be fruitfully explored through the field of linguistics. Each chapter covers a language-based approach to a different area of the law, from the cross-examinations of victims and witnesses to the inequities of divorce mediation. Combining analysis of common legal events with a broad range of scholarship on language and law, Just Words seeks the reality of power in the everyday practice and application of the law. As the only study of its type, the book is the definitive treatment of the topic that will be welcomed by students and specialists alike.
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