(IJACSA) International Journal of Advanced Computer Science and Applications, Vol. 11, No. 7, 2020 332 | Page www.ijacsa.thesai.org The Language of Persuasion in Courtroom Discourse: A Computer-Aided Text Analysis Bader Nasser Aldosari 1 * Department of Law, College of Science and Humanities Prince Sattam bin Abdulaziz University Saudi Arabia Ayman F. Khafaga 2 Department of English, College of Science and Humanities Prince Sattam bin Abdulaziz University, Saudi Arabia Department of English, Faculty of Arts and Humanities Suez Canal University, Egypt Abstract—This paper uses a Computer-Aided Text Analysis (CATA) and a Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) to investigate the language of persuasion in courtroom discourse. More specifically, the paper tries to explore the extent to which a computer-aided text analysis contributes to decoding the various persuasive strategies employed to control, defend or accuse within the framework of courtroom discourse. Two research questions are tackled in this paper: first, what are the strategies of persuasion employed in the selected data? Second, how can a computer-aided text analysis reveal these persuasive tools that influence the attitudes of recipients? By means of the adopted computer-assisted textual analysis, four CDA strategies are discussed in this study: questioning, repetition, emotive language, and justification. The paper reveals that language in courtroom discourse can be used to persuade or biased to manipulate. In both cases, a triadic relationship between language, law, and computer is emphasized. Keywords—Computer-aided text analysis; legal discourse; persuasion; critical discourse analysis; power; control I. INTRODUCTION Within the framework of legal settings, language is a powerful tool for persuasion. Linguistic expressions are widely employed in court to defend or to accuse. Language is perceived as a tool that reflects social control and power [1]. This sociolinguistic characteristic is not only noticeable in social settings, but also in legal settings [2]. In courtrooms, language is used and/or abused to facilitate control and to exercise power among discourse participants, be they lawyers, judges, witnesses, or otherwise. This is because a trial is a linguistic activity in which a linguistic interaction is meant by language users to advocate their position and to challenge their opponents. Language in this sense is perceived as a tool of control. Thus, one can say that there is a reciprocal relationship between language and legal discourse; reciprocal in the sense that the latter is interpreted according to the linguistic interpretation of the former in discourse. From this context, the relationship between language and law can be said to be worthy of linguistic research. This relationship is analytically accentuated by the application of a computer- aided text analysis in order to explore the ways through which language is used within the framework of courtroom discourse. This article, therefore, attempts to present a corpus linguistic analysis of Moussaoui‟s trial in 2006, by using critical discourse analysis approach through discussing certain persuasive devices used in the opening statements of the defense attorney and the U.S. government attorney in such a case. Here, the focus is on the persuasive power of language; that is, how it is persuasively used in such a type of discourse (i.e. legal discourse) to influence the attitudinal behavior of recipients. A. Objectives of the Study This study tries to achieve the following objectives: 1) To shed light on the analytical relevance of applying a computer-aided text analysis to the investigation of legal language. 2) To explore the different persuasion tactics used in courtroom discourse. 3) To demonstrate the extent to which persuasive tools facilitate control and influence attitudes among legal discourse participants. 4) To highlight the triadic relationship between language, law, and computer in terms of discourse interpretation, and within written legal discourse. 5) To reflect on the way courtroom discourse serves as a tool of institutional empowerment and control. B. Research Questions Two main research questions this study attempts to answer: 1) What are the strategies of persuasion employed in the selected data? 2) How can a computer-aided text analysis reveal these persuasive tools? C. Significance of the Study The significance of this paper lies in its attempt to offer a corpus linguistic analysis that functions to reveal hidden strategies of persuasion beyond the mere legal and linguistic expressions in courtroom interaction. This is conducted by virtue of a computer-aided text analysis of the corpus under investigation. As such, the paper tries to shed light on the possibility and the relevance of applying computer software programs to the linguistic and discursive analysis of texts. Crucially, using computer software to reveal hidden persuasive strategies, the core concern of this paper, aims to offer better understanding of the way language is used and/or Paper Submission Date: June 29, 2020 Acceptance Notification Date: July 15, 2020 *Corresponding Author