Abstract
AbstractThis paper examines how gesture, gaze, and objects function in speaker positioning, epistemic stance, and the production of evidence during closing argument in a criminal trial. While most research on closing focuses on descriptions of witnesses’ testimony, this research considers the role of objects as communicative action in the construction and co-construction of persuasive legal oratory. We demonstrate how an attorney can reduce social distance between himself and jurors through the use of impersonal and exclusive pronouns and how speech, gesture, and objects integrate along the aesthetic dimension of communicative practice to emphasize and evaluate testimony. More specifically, we demonstrate how a novel form of evidential action emerges through a recurring flow of gaze, objects, and coding practice.
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