Browsing by Author "Nigusse, Gessesse"

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    Language use in the criminal justice process: The Case of Raya Alamata Woreda in Tigray Region
    (Addis Ababa University, 2012-06) Nigusse, Gessesse; Leyew, Zelealem (PhD)
    The main purpose of this study was to describe and analyze language use and to assess language related problems in the criminal justice process in Raya Alamata Woreda. To ensure this, qualitative and quantitative methods were used. All the legal officers were taken and one hundred clients were included through quota sampling. Questionnaire was distributed for legal officers and clients. Interview was made with legal officers and clients. Observation was made during courtroom interactions and police interrogations. An attempt was made to describe and analyze language use in the criminal justice. The study revealed that people use direct and indirect speech acts to convey intended messages in the criminal justice. The police use mainly eight WH questions as a tool for criminal investigation. Lawyers use the system of presupposition and entailment to draw question to examine witnesses with the intention of triangulating the linguistic evidences. Accused and complainants use language mainly to convince the judges in favor of their respected clients by destroying the arguments of their opponent parts. Lawyers use code mixing for technical use of terms, habitual use of language, and professional adaptation of terms. They also use code switching for better comprehension of language. Parties and witnesses use code mixing for elaboration of terms, as a matter of habit, and due to mother tongue interference. They also use code switching for better comprehension and secrete use of language. New words are introduced into the legal language mainly through borrowing, compounding, semantic extension, loan translation, derivation and abbreviations. The difficulty of legal jargons, the complexity of legal language, linguistic and non linguistic barriers, and the asymmetrical distribution of speech acts between lawyers and parties are found to be problems in language use. To alleviate the problems, lawyers should make their language as simple as possible to be understood easily by clients. Awareness should be created on meanings of legal terms for clients or else use common terms during interactions. Legal officers should accept clients’ language choice, provide legal awareness for the people and provide translation services.