Sociolinguistics and the Legal Process

This is an introductory level treatment of the sociolinguistic study of the legal process in common law countries that is aimed at students with either a background in sociolinguistics (the study of the social context of language use) and little background in law or vice versa. Eades (co-editor, The International Journal of Speech Language and the Law) has organized the materials according to the main legal contexts in which sociolinguists investigate language use: the courtroom, police interviews, and special contexts such as lawyer-client relationships and alternative legal processes. She also includes a final chapter addressing the value of the sociolinguistic study of the law in chapters discussing sociolinguistic expert evidence, the application of sociolinguistics to legal education, and the ways in which sociolinguistic research can contribute to the understanding of issues of fairness and equality in the law. Distributed in the US by UTP Distribution. Annotation 穢2010 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)