0 a court process in which a lawyer asks their first questions to their own witness, in order to begin proving their legal argument:
These linguistic strategies of the legal professionals combine with witnesses' attempts to persist with their story in the disruption of the evidentiary harmony of examination-in-chief.
This study has used sociolinguistic microanalysis to examine how witnesses are controlled in their examination-in-chief, and par ticularly how they are silenced.
The study is restricted to examination-in-chief, thus removing the possibility of communicative strategies designed to trick a witness - a frequent par t of cross-examination.
In the present study, by far the most questions addressed to witnesses, both in examination-in-chief and in cross-examination, are yes -no questions, which appear to require a minimal answer.
The present study appears to be the first to look at questions asked by judges during examination-in-chief (in which the primary questioner is the witness's lawyer).
The essence of examination-in-chief is that the advocate must not lead the witness.
The counsel who conducted the examination-in-chief and cross-examination remained in the courtroom.
In contrast, if a tape is to be of much use it should replace entirely examination-in-chief.