Analysis On Power And Turn-taking Strategies Of Interrogations In Criminal Minds

Interrogation, as an untypical institutional discourse, has attracted growing attention of linguists in this field. However, researches from the perspectives of power-relation and turn-taking model are rare.The present study provides a research on interrogation conversations in US crime drama Criminal Minds. The research focuses on turn-taking model of interrogations, the power relations revealed and linguistic representation of interrogation strategies. The aim of this research is revealing the linguistic features and techniques on speaking and selecting strategies through pragmatic analysis of interrogation discourse. Based on analysis on turn-taking model, it is concluded that interrogating suspects has more distinct features of institutional and power discourse. Most interrogations are initiated and controlled by FBI, however, interrogating witness is close to solidarity since the power contrast between the interrogator and the interviewee is not so obvious. Interrogation strategy selection is a complex issue since the context is intricate. It’s important to choose appropriate strategies under specific context, targeting specific interviewee.The present study provides some enlightenment on real interrogation conversations, how the law enforcement personnel adopt proper strategy to acquire information about the case precisely and in time to help solving the case. It also provides a linguistic technique reference for judiciary departments.