This chapter outlines two fundamental components of the research process: data presentation and data analysis. My research team and I recorded approximately four hours of video related to court discourse, three and a half hours of video from interviews with consultants, and one hour of audio focused on deliberations and verdicts. However, data presentation encompasses both recorded and non-recorded court proceedings. For ethical reasons, two out of the three court cases were not recorded; instead, we observed them and provided a narrative. The analysis of the court proceedings highlights both societal and linguistic attributes of the customary court discourse among the Banen people. From a societal perspective, our observations reveal a strong emphasis on amicable resolutions and the importance of forgiveness. Linguistically, the discourse in customary courtrooms demonstrates pragmatic language accommodation strategies, including code-switching between Tunen and neighbouring languages such as French, Bassa, and Duala. I refer to this language accommodation as pragmatic because the choice of language for code-switching aligns with the linguistic dynamics of the Nkam division; thus, language accommodation necessitates prior knowledge of the community’s linguistic realities.

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Customary Court Proceedings of the Banen Community

  • Endurence Midinette Koumassol Dissake

摘要

This chapter outlines two fundamental components of the research process: data presentation and data analysis. My research team and I recorded approximately four hours of video related to court discourse, three and a half hours of video from interviews with consultants, and one hour of audio focused on deliberations and verdicts. However, data presentation encompasses both recorded and non-recorded court proceedings. For ethical reasons, two out of the three court cases were not recorded; instead, we observed them and provided a narrative. The analysis of the court proceedings highlights both societal and linguistic attributes of the customary court discourse among the Banen people. From a societal perspective, our observations reveal a strong emphasis on amicable resolutions and the importance of forgiveness. Linguistically, the discourse in customary courtrooms demonstrates pragmatic language accommodation strategies, including code-switching between Tunen and neighbouring languages such as French, Bassa, and Duala. I refer to this language accommodation as pragmatic because the choice of language for code-switching aligns with the linguistic dynamics of the Nkam division; thus, language accommodation necessitates prior knowledge of the community’s linguistic realities.