Abstract:
In this linguistic study of law school education, Mertz shows how law professors employ the Socratic method between teacher and student, forcing the student to shift away from moral and emotional terms in thinking about conflict, toward frameworks of legal authority instead.
"Mertz has produced nothing short of a masterpiece in the linguistic anthropology of law and society, one of those rare interdisciplinary efforts that comes along every decade or so. Just as important, the depth of the analysis is matched only by the eloquence of her prose. Her clear writing, coupled with liberal use of data excerpts throughout the chapters and the fact that the book is available in an affordable paperback edition, makes The Language of Law School an attractive text for a number of courses in linguistic anthropology, discourse studies, legal discourse, law and society, and legal socialization at graduate, undergraduate, and professional levels." --
Elizabeth Mertz is Senior Researcher, American Bar Foundation and Professor of Law, Wisconsin Law School.
