The barrister transcript

The genre of this text is a transcript which is a part of a cross-examination in a Scottish court. The use of language and its different techniques makes the transcript more powerful as it allows the receiver understand what the conversation was like in real life, and the relationship which each of the participants shared with one another. The use of proper nouns which are 'Mr. Peterson' and 'Mr. Neil' present that the barrister refers to the participants by their surnames. Referring by the surnames shows the profession of his role and the respect which is shown towards the individuals. Perhaps, they could also be used to clarify who the barrister is talking about and avoid any confusion. There are parts of the dialogue which seem to be prepared and practised beforehand, for instance the majority of barrister's speeches. There is a time limit for the trail to be run. Therefore knowing the speeches helps to fit in the time frame and it also seems as if the barrister is well-prepared. The spontaneous parts of the dialogue are those which were said by Mr. Neil.''Er I accidentally (.) bumped it slightly with er the rear of my car'' is an example of the spontaneous speech. The use of 'er' indicates the long-thinking process which Mr Neil has experienced quite frequently throughout the trail. It could also mean that he was unprepared or unsure of what he was going to say. The brief pauses may suggest the beginning of the new sentence or a short break to take the breath back. The spontaneousness of Mr Neil may make other participants think that not everything that is being said is the truth. ''I was prosecuted (0.5) possibly a week or so later I believe'' This doesn't give us a straight forward answer, as the participant took a longer time to think and the answer which he provided didn't specify the date in which he was prosecuted. Therefore this may suggest that Mr Neil was unprepared as no adequate answer was provided. Barrister seems to be the most powerful participant in the dialogue as he has the control over the dialogue and he is the person who keeps it going. ‘’You can’t remember whether they came to see you or not?’’ is a repetition of a question which was previously asked. The use of repetition may suggest that Mr Neil was lying due to the hesitation whilst replying, therefore the barrister has asked him again. Barrister uses complex questions and sentences, to find out as much as he can about the event that has happened, however Mr Neil’s replies are short and blunt often consisting of ‘no’. This also suggests that the barrister has the most power, as he is the one asking questions and making the dialogue flow. One of barrister’s speeches sounds very interesting just as if he was attempting to introduce a bit of humour into the conversation. ‘’Is that because the police have been to see you so many times Mr Neil that you can’t remember what they were up to see you about one incident (.) as compared to another incident?’’ The emphasis on ‘’so many times Mr Neil’’ might make the receiver think that Mr Neil had been in a similar situation previously.