The Discourse Analysis of Prosecuting in Court from the Perspective of Systemic Functional Linguistics

The duty of the prosecutor in Chinese courtroom is intensified with the revolution of the judicial system. The prosecutor is endowed with the power to charge crimes on behalf of the nation. Therefore, their language is an important part of judicial justice. Within the theoretical framework of systematic functional linguistics, what linguistic strategies are employed by the prosecutor to achieve the purpose of charging crimes is explored via qualitative analysis. The research result shows that the strategies of "de-modalization" and "circumstance adjuncts" are commonly used by the prosecutor in courtroom investigation to present the criminal facts. The prosecutor often uses different attitude resources and contrasts positive and negative attitudes to declare the reasons of prosecution. In the trial, the public prosecutor should use these linguistic strategies reasonably according to the actual situation in order to accurately and efficiently exercise the power to accuse crime on behalf of the country.