Storytelling in the Courtroom: An Effective Way to Craft Persuasion in Opening Statement

Abstract

This study addresses a linguistic analysis on the persuasive language pattern of the storytelling in the opening statement by Mr. McElhinny, a lawyer for Apple Inc against Samsung Electronics Co Ltd. This analysis provides a solid understanding of how storytelling in the opening statement becomes an effectively persuasive device. Such two questions as “how does Mr. McElhinny craft the storytelling in his opening statement?” and “which linguistic features does Mr. McElhinny use as the persuasive language in his opening statement?” are analysed. To meet the analysis, the data were collected from the authentic text of the opening statement by Mr. McElhinny and the collected data were analysed with the descriptive data analysis model developed by Miles and Huberman. Results showed that the storytelling in the opening statement by Mr. McElhinny was constructed persuasively based on such key structural elements of storytelling as the beginning, the middle, and the end. As well as these elements, such persuasive features as repetition, rhetorical questions were also found in the storytelling in the opening statement by Mr. McElhinny.

Keywords: opening statement, persuasion, storytelling