This unit is concerned with the problem of translating the spoken language
of an eye-witness into language precise enough to meet the requirements of legal
processes. It uses as its basis the recording on the Language in Use tape
of a policeman interviewing a witness. (Section B)
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[1] In this session, the class should listen to the tape-recording,
and then consider the nature of the procedure which the policeman uses. Discussion
should focus upon the following points:
(a) the nature of the evidence offered
(b) the kind of questions the interviewer asks
(c) what kinds of reply lead him to ask a sequence of further questions'
(d) what information is conveyed by the tone of the questions and how does this
affect the reply?
It should emerge clearly that the policeman's use of questions is solely concerned with obtaining as precise a statement as possible.
[2] The aim of this session is to consider in more detail the policeman's technique. Replay the tape and ask the class to write out from memory an extract that shows how the policeman progresses from a vague to a precise statement. Then play the tape again to let the class check what they have written against the original.
[3] In this session, the class, working in small groups, prepare and present short sketches 'n which one member of the group trics to Obtain statements from two eye-witnesses of an incident, such as a road accident. The subsequent discussion should focus upon the problem of finding the right sequence of questions and of giving answers which are in any way usable evidence. The work of this unit may be taken further after a visit to a law court, or through published transcripts or accounts of trials. Examples include The Trial of Lady Chatterley (ed. C. H. Rolph, Penguin) and The Best We Can Do by Sybille Bedford (Penguin). The way in which trials are handled in fiction may be approached through such novels as Hall of Mirrors by J. R. Wilson (Pan) and Sleep of Reason by C. P. Snow (Penguin) or the detective stories of Erle Stanley Gardner. Related topics are explored in C 1 and K 11.