An Appraisal Analysis of the Language of Marital Conflict Resolution
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.24071/joll.v26i2.543Keywords:
language of adjudication, appraisal theory, Ghana, legal discourseAbstract
Language plays a central role in judicial conflict resolution, particularly in divorce proceedings where courts must communicate authoritative decisions while addressing sensitive interpersonal disputes. Although courtroom discourse has attracted considerable linguistic attention, the evaluative language of divorce verdicts, especially in Ghana, remains underexplored. This study, therefore, examines how Ghanaian judges deploy evaluative linguistic resources to construct authority, negotiate moral positions, and manage marital conflict. Adopting a qualitative approach, the study analyses 30 written divorce verdicts delivered by Ghanaian district courts in 2023 and 2024 and retrieved from the Ghana Legal Information Institute. Using Martin and White’s appraisal theory, the verdicts were manually coded and interpreted according to the attitude, engagement, and graduation systems. The findings reveal that attitude resources, particularly affective and judgmental expressions, communicate empathy and approve or condemn litigants’ conduct. Within engagement, monoglossic assertions and boosters establish judicial certainty, while rhetorical questions contract dialogic space and hedging (or attribution) acknowledges alternative perspectives and mitigates confrontation. Graduation resources, including intensifiers, hedges, and adjectives, strengthen or soften evaluative meanings, while role-based forms of reference contribute to depersonalisation and procedural neutrality. The study demonstrates how evaluative language enables judges to balance institutional authority, moral evaluation, and interpersonal sensitivity in divorce adjudication, extending appraisal-based research on Ghanaian legal discourse.References
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