Abstract
The present paper aims at analyzing the techniques of persuasion used by prosecution and defense closing speeches, in a drug trafficking court trial. Interactions in the courts are highly competitive and the use of these argumentative techniques is intended not only to present a more coherent and compelling narrative, but also to attack the opposite narrative in order to persuade the judge in his/her decision-making. Trough Forensic Linguistics studies (COULTHARD; JOHNSON, 2007; GIBBONS, 2003; ROSULEK, 2010), the analysis is organized around the identification of argumentative strategies of the lawyers (linguistic analysis), trying to understand how these narratives are related to primary reality of courts, considering the production conditions of discourse and the socio-historical context in which it emerges.
Keywords:
Argumentation; Forensic Linguistics; Narratives; Criminal court trial; Closing Speeches