Abstract
Some scholars term “discourse”, in institutional relations, as the language of the unequal encounter (see Thomas 1995:124; Fairclough 1989:27). Such relationships include teacher-student interaction, courtroom hearings, police interrogations, doctor-patient interviews, lawyer-client interactions etc. The relationship here is usually asymmetrical and human relationships between participants are mostly negotiated. In this paper, several studies of institutional discourse are reviewed. Focusing particularly on medical discourse, police-suspect interrogation, and courtroom discourse, the paper is of the opinion that relationships here are highly asymmetrical and that power is on the side of institutional representatives such as doctors, nurses, policemen, lawyers, and judges while the suspects, patients and witnesses are stripped of any form of power.
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Paper Presentation in a Themed Session
Theme
KEYWORDS
Keywords: Power, Asymmetry, Institutional discourse, Suspect, Question, Control.
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