A Study Of Discursive Interaction In Chinese Police Interrogation

In common law system, police interrogation is traditionally separated from policeinterview. The former is directed towards suspects, while the latter is for witnesses andvictims. As a means of criminal investigation, police interrogation is based on discursiveinteractions by nature and intends to find out the truth of facts according to legal procedures.Although forensic linguistics experts in common law system have done numerous researcheson discursive interaction in court trial and police interrogation over the years, few researchesare empirical, let alone based on Game Theory analysis. Domestic judicial scholars mostlydwell on language skills or strategies of police interrogation, and focus on the differencesbetween written interrogation and oral examination. Most of the above researches provideactual practice manuals of police interrogation from judicial and law enforcement point ofview, while Game Theory analysis is rather few involved. In summary, forensic linguists athome and abroad study interrogation for the sake of language itself; as a result, theirresearches are by no means systematic. The present study is expected to provide a brand-newpragmatic method of game-theoretic analysis of interactive relations among Chinese policeinterrogation.Based on the transcripts of the taped recordings of Chinese police interrogation, thisthesis does a data-based and theory-driven qualitative research. Generally speaking, theprocess of discursive interaction in police interrogation is a “language game” betweendifferent purely rational self-interested people. It is not only concerned with discourse contestbetween police who represents public power and suspect who stands for private rights, butalso discourse consultation among the suspects who maintains the collective rationality andwho highlights the private rationality. Furthermore, it is a discourse deliberation in respect tothe law or morality. After analyzing the modes of Chinese police interrogation which is atypical institutional language interaction from the perspective of Game Theory, this studyshows that “Chicken Game” model is suitable to analyze discourse contest between policeand suspect.“Prisoner’s Dilemma” model is fit to explain the discourse consultation amongthe suspects.“Path-dependence” model justifies the suspects’ decision based on theirweighing of the laws or morality. That is to say, discursive interaction in the Chinese policeinterrogation is a process of “language game”. Owing to the players’ respective intents,purposes and motivations which weigh earnings embodied in their strategies, asymmetrical relationships are distributed interactively in the “question-response” discursive interaction.The more powerful group (i.e. police) may employ linguistic devices like rearranging the turn,using different modes of interruption and formulating the former response to control the turnsand distort illocutionary force of the less power group (i.e. suspect). However, the latter as thewake side in the discursive interaction may also use the implications of the discourse toprotect their interests and employ certain modes of discursive strategies (e.g. interruption) todecontrol.Theoretically, the present study intends to provide a brand-new pragmatic method ofgame-theoretic analysis of interactive relations among Chinese police interrogation. Bytreating the Chinese police interrogation in the institutional atmosphere as a linguisticphenomenon, this study is expected to expand the scope of Game Theory. Practically, it aimsto find out the typical Game Theory models suitable for analyzing Chinese policeinterrogation, and to describe the main language or mental strategies that the police or suspectcould use in discursive interaction in Chinese police interrogation. Hopefully, the results ofthis study will make theoretical contribution to forensic linguistics and provide practicalsuggestions for judicial practice.